When people hear that we roast our nuts in chicken fat, the reaction is usually one of two things: intrigue or confusion. Sometimes both.
“Why chicken fat?”
Because it’s brilliant. And because we’ve spent decades moving away from natural fats in favour of highly processed alternatives that frankly don’t taste as good or work as well.
Don’t worry, this isn’t the start of an unhinged rant about seed oils, but there’s no reason why we can’t have a look at the arguments for natural fats like chicken fat deserving a place back in your kitchen.
What Actually Is Chicken Fat?
Chicken fat (or schmaltz, if you want the proper name) is rendered fat from chicken. It’s been used in cooking for centuries, particularly in Jewish and Eastern European cuisine. It’s rich, savoury, and has a flavour profile that’s hard to replicate with anything else.
We source ours from British Broth Company and Borough Broth – specialists who render it properly. No additives, no preservatives. Just pure fat from quality British chicken, ready to add depth to whatever we’re cooking.
The Nutritional Case for Natural Fats
For years, we were told that fat – particularly animal fat – was the enemy. Saturated fat would clog your arteries, raise your cholesterol, and generally ruin your health.
The science has moved on. Natural fats aren’t the villains they were made out to be.
Here’s what chicken fat actually contains:
- Monounsaturated fats – the same heart-healthy fats found in olive oil and avocados. These help maintain healthy cholesterol levels.
- Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids – essential fats your body can’t produce on its own. They support brain function, reduce inflammation, and keep your cells healthy.
- Fat-soluble vitamins – Vitamins A, D, E, and K need fat to be absorbed properly. Chicken fat delivers these vitamins while helping you absorb them from other foods too.
- No trans fats – unlike many processed vegetable oils and margarine, natural chicken fat contains zero artificial trans fats.
Compare that to heavily processed seed oils that require chemical extraction, deodorising, and bleaching to become palatable. Chicken fat is just… fat. Rendered and ready.
Flavour: The Real Reason We Use It
Nutrition aside, let’s be honest: we use chicken fat because it tastes incredible.
It’s rich without being heavy. Savoury without being overpowering. It adds a depth of umami that you simply can’t get from neutral oils like rapeseed or sunflower.
When we roast nuts in chicken fat, it creates layers of flavour. The fat coats every surface, carrying smoke and seasoning into places oil can’t reach. The result is nuts that are richer, more complex, and infinitely more satisfying than anything roasted in vegetable oil.
You can’t fake that depth. You can’t shortcut it. You need real fat to get real flavour.
Cooking Properties: Why Chefs Love It
Chicken fat has a high smoke point (around 190°C), which makes it versatile for roasting, frying, and sautéing. It doesn’t break down or turn bitter at the temperatures we use for roasting nuts.
It also has excellent “mouthfeel” – that satisfying, coating sensation that makes food feel indulgent. Fat carries flavour to your taste buds more effectively than water-based ingredients, which is why a dish cooked in butter or schmaltz tastes richer than one cooked in stock.
Professional chefs have never stopped using natural fats. They know what works.
The Sustainability Angle
Using chicken fat is also about respect for the whole animal. If we’re raising chickens for meat, it makes sense to use every part, including the fat that would otherwise go to waste.
Rendering fat and using it in cooking is a form of nose-to-tail eating. It’s traditional, practical, and far less wasteful than discarding perfectly good fat while manufacturing highly processed alternatives.
What About Other Natural Fats?
Chicken fat isn’t the only natural fat worth cooking with. Duck fat, beef tallow, lard, butter, ghee – all have their place depending on what you’re making.
Duck fat is famously perfect for roast potatoes. Beef tallow makes exceptional chips. Lard creates the flakiest pastry. Butter is… butter. Each fat has its own flavour profile and best use.
The point isn’t that chicken fat is superior to everything else. The point is that natural fats, used thoughtfully, produce better results than the bland, industrially processed oils we’ve been convinced to use instead.
How to Use Chicken Fat at Home
If you’re inspired to try cooking with chicken fat, here’s how to get started:
Where to find it: You can render your own from chicken skin and trimmings, or buy it ready-made from butchers, online and some supermarkets. It keeps well in the fridge.
What to cook with it:
- Roast potatoes (absolute game-changer)
- Sautéed vegetables, especially greens
- Fried eggs
- Use it as a base for soups and stews
- Roast nuts or seeds (obviously)
- Fry onions for depth in any savoury dish
Storage: Keep it in a sealed container in the fridge. It’ll last for months and you can use it straight from cold – it melts quickly.
To Conclude
We use chicken fat at Sussex Smokehouse because it produces the best results. It tastes better, works better, and respects traditional cooking methods that have stood the test of time.
Natural fats aren’t something to fear. They’re ingredients that deserve to be back in your kitchen, used with the same confidence your grandparents had when they cooked.
If you’ve been curious about our process, now you know. And if you’ve been hesitant to try nuts roasted in chicken fat, hopefully this has convinced you to give them a go.
Rich, savoury, unapologetically indulgent. That’s what real fat does.
Ready to taste the difference?
What we are watching: Imposter: Back From the Dead (2024). Dude’s ‘British’ accent is HILARIOUS
What we are listening to: Falling Down by Glen Porter (RIP)
