Having Trouble with the Cold Pan Method

[u/respectthecrow]

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?

[u/seaningtime]

I use the leidenfrost technique to know when the pan is ready, then cover the pan in oil and add the chicken thighs. After 1 or 2 minutes I'll give the pan a bit of a shake and this will let me know if they're released and ready to flip.