1. In the Raw
If you want to remove skin from chicken in its raw state, get ready for some pulling and tugging. Whether you are skinning a chicken whole or just a few pieces, you will need to use some elbow grease. For a whole chicken, set it breasts down on the cutting board. Slice the skin along the backbone first. Cut off the wings along the joint and then around each drumstick. Peel and tug at the skin from the backbone down until you have removed all you can. Use a knife to loosen and cut the skin from the breast bone. Some restaurant supply stores sell chicken skinning tools. These are handy for grasping raw skin and pulling it off. You will still have to use some muscle, however. If you do not want to bother with learning how to remove skin from a chicken, ask your butcher to remove the skin before you take it home.
2. Boil Basics
If you have ever made chicken soup or chicken broth you know the skin loosens easily when you boil the chicken in a large pot on the stove top. This is an easy way to remove skin from a chicken. Put the chicken in boiling water and cook for 45 minutes to 1.5 hours, depending on the size of the chicken. Take the chicken out of the water onto a platter, cover and place in the refrigerator to cool. When the chicken is cool enough to handle simply remove all the skin with your hands and discard. Most of the chicken will come off as well so take care to save what you want for your dish.
3. To Skin or Not to Skin
Even if you are serving your dish without the skin, you may want to remove it after it has cooked. Cooking the chicken with the skin on preserves the tenderness and juiciness of the chicken. Removing the skin from a chicken is easy after you cook it. For oven cooked chicken breasts, cook the chicken in the oven until the juices run clear. Let the chicken cool enough to handle, remove the skin and serve. For pan-fried chicken, use some oil to keep the chicken from sticking and then remove the skin. For a roasted chicken, stuff herbs and butter in between the skin and the meat. The chicken will come out tasting great and the skin will be easy to remove. Some good herbs for stuffing are thyme, rosemary, sage and lemon grass.
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