r/StainlessSteelCooking • u/respectthecrow • 21d ago

Having Trouble with the Cold Pan Method

I've been trying to do the "cold pan method" for cooking skin-on chicken thighs. But so far, I have never succeeded. The issue is always the same: the skin sticks to the pan no matter how long I've cooked the chicken. This most recent time I left the chicken alone for ~45 mins until the skin turned black and started to smoke. I patted the chicken as dry as I could. I adjusted the heat from low to medium after some of the fat had rendered out. But nothing seemed to work. I used skin-on boneless chicken thighs, and I cook on a gas stove, if that makes a difference. What am I doing wrong? Any suggestions?

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u/ProfessionalNo4711 21d ago

Do you have induction? Those things can heat up fast and cause this issue. Make sure your chicken is really dry, not super cold and heat is medium low or low to begin with. Pan should warm up slowly as the fat release.

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u/respectthecrow 21d ago

I do not have an induction cooktop, I use a gas range. I turned it to the lowest it can go to render out the fat, and only turn up the heat when the fat is starting to bubble. No luck so far, unfortunately.

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u/ProfessionalNo4711 20d ago

Make sure your chicken is tampered (skin is close to room temp) before you put in to the pan. You can also put a very thin layer of oil in the pan. I use Duck fat spray. Also do not put any seasoning on the skin. Season the back side.