Forget bacon: chicken fat is enough to make any plant-based eater quiver and consider returning to omnivorous ways. The smell of a chicken roasting is homely and tantalising, and, like all meats, most of the flavour comes straight from the fat.
Fat is a substance that we have come to detest: it’s seen as a route to obesity, as calorific, or just as that goo at the bottom of a roasting pan that’s so hard to clean off. The truth is, we need some fat in our diet, and it’s satiating, too; it also helps our body absorb vitamins A, D and E, and is a source of brain-boosting omega-3 and 6 fatty acids (which we also get from hemp oil, oily fish and pasture-reared animals).
So next time you make roast chicken, treasure the flavourful fat that runs off the bird while it’s cooking. It keeps indefinitely and can be used to replace butter or oil in all kinds of savoury dishes. Or go a step further and whip it into an intense and satisfying umami-rich flavour bomb.
Whipped chicken fat
This is so tasty, you can spread it just as it is on toast, or use it as a replacement for oil or butter in any dish. Try smothering it on a corn on the cob, use it to saute vegetables or slather inside a fluffy baked potato instead of butter.
1 chicken carcass, free-range and organic, if possible
1 bay leaf
60g butter, at room temperature
30ml full-fat cream or milk
Heat the oven to 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5. Put the chicken carcass in a roasting tray with a bay leaf underneath. Season with salt and put in the oven.
Roast for 45 minutes. Remove and leave to cool a little, lift the chicken frame to one side (save it for stock or soup), then carefully pour the fat from the roasting tray into a bowl through a fine-mesh sieve, cheesecloth or clean tea towel. Leave to cool to room temperature, then add the butter and the cream or milk. Blend with a whisk on a low speed until it forms soft peaks, then store in the fridge for up to two months.
