5 delicious recipes with chicken feet
Would you eat chicken feet? What to cook with them anyway? Take a look at these 5 highly delicious recipes with chicken feet and get inspired!
Have you ever eaten chicken feet before?
Or does the thought of it make your stomach turn?
Maybe that could change from now on, if you look at these 5 recipes with chicken feet below!
Every time we think of chicken feet, it brings us back to Hong Kong’s Temple Street where we tried chicken feet for the very first time in our lives.
We saw chicken feet on the menu and the price for a portion of chicken feet was so ridiculously low that we decided to give it a go. If it would turn out to be a horrible mistake, well then at least it wouldn’t be a waste of money.
We got a plastic plate with a couple of braised chicken feet on it, and a dipping sauce.
After trying it, we had to admit that it wasn’t bad at all. The meat (or should we say skin) was very soft and yes, you kind of have to nibble your way around the bones and cartilage.
But overall something we would order again.
The American family sitting right next to us looked less convinced though, as if we had ordered fried tarantulas.
Why do people eat chicken feet?
What are the healthy benefits of eating chicken feet?
In Asia recipes with chicken feet are plentiful, sure it must be good for you in some way?
These bony bits are very high in calcium, and that helps to make your bones and nails much stronger.
Did you know that chicken feet are also a great source of chondroitin and glucosamine, two components that help to reduce joint pain and inflammation.
Is chicken foot good eating?
Chicken feet are not only healthy, they also have cosmetic benefits.
The edible part of chicken feet is basically skin, and that contains a lot of collagen.
Collagen is good for your skin. People were at one point convinced that eating chicken feet would even give you a younger and healthier looking skin.
Even nowadays Chinese women often add chicken feet and chicken feet broths to their diet to improve their skin and look healthier.
So ditch that overpriced tube of collagen ointment and make these recipes with chicken feet below!
What do chicken feet taste like?
Not surprisingly chicken feet taste like…
Chicken.
Depending on how you prepare them, that flavor might come out more.
Braised chicken feet in broth will have a subtle chicken flavor, and so will the broth.
If you deep fry them, bake them in an oven or roast chicken feet in the air fryer, you will get a more outspoken fried chicken flavor.
Add extra or stronger ingredients and the chicken flavor will of course get overshadowed.
No worries, a good chicken feet stew is amazing.
Check the recipes with chicken feet below, the Jewish chicken foot stew with meatballs sounds absolutely amazing if you ask me!
Is chicken feet considered meat?
It is no surprise that there is not a lot of meat on chicken feet.
In fact, almost no edible meat at all.
The bones and cartilage can’t be eaten, only the skin around them.
But raw chicken skin is tough and chewy as old boots.
And for that reason you can only eat them if you prepare the feet properly, meaning you need to boil them for a couple of hours before they become edible and enjoyable.
Are you looking for some extra inspiration?
Take a look at the 5 recipes with chicken feet below!
How do you prepare chicken feet to eat?
Only if you prep chicken feet well, you can turn them into a lovely treat.
Here is how to do it!
- Rinse the chicken feet one by one. you can also soak them in cold water for an hour to get rid of any sand, strain them and rinse again.
- Bring a large pot of water to a good boil. Add the rinsed chicken feet and boil them for a minute.
- Strain and rinse the chicken feet.
- Chop or snip off the claws if you prefer.
- Remove the scaly skin with a knife. Rip it off or cut it off.
- Simmer the chicken feet in plenty of salted water for 3 to 4 hours until the skin is soft.
- Strain the chicken feet, you can also catch the broth and keep it in jars or freeze for later.
What to do with them?
Check the recipes with chicken feet below!
Is chicken foot broth healthy?
We already talked about the health benefits of eating chicken feet.
So not surprisingly you can also make a very nutritious broth with them as well!
Boiling and simmering the chicken feet will make the skin and other soft tissue very soft – also the bones contain healthy minerals such as calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, glucosamine, keratin and more.
Drinking chicken feet broth will improve your immune system, boost your metabolism, cleanse the liver, help you to digest and reduce the risk of joint inflammation.
Where can I buy chicken feet?
Not sure that every butcher has chicken feet for sale.
Our best bet is at an Asian or Chinese supermarket, in the freezer section.
These chicken feet are frozen raw and still need to be braised for a couple of hours.
5 Delicious recipes with chicken feet
We assembled a top 5 of our favorite recipes with chicken feet.
All credits for these recipes, pictures and hard work go to the food bloggers behind them – goes without saying of course!
Contact us if you want your recipe and picture to be removed from this post and we will do that asap.
Click on the pictures and links in this little recipes with chicken feet roundup and it will take you straight to the right page!
1. Chicken Feet Salad (China Sichuan Food)
So let’s kick this blog post about recipes with chicken feet off with a yummy salad!
How about this lovely chicken feet salad from Elaine over at China Sichuan Food!
She says: ‘Super delicious sweet, sour and spicy chicken feet salad, a new Chinese star snack.’
This is a cold salad, one that needs to rest in the fridge overnight so that the boiled chicken feet can marinate. We love the flavors that go into it: lemon, garlic, ginger, chili, coriander stems, soy sauce, black vinegar, sugar and Sichuan peppercorns. It also kind of reminds us of a chicken salad we had in London not long ago!
Perfect, thanks Elaine!
2. Hot and Spicy Chicken Feet (The Spruce Eats)
Next up…
A spicy recipe if you are up for it!
Do you like spicy food?
Then you will definitely enjoy these hot and spicy chicken feet from Brett Moore over at The Spruce Eats.
He says: “Bring Asian street food into your kitchen with this hot and spicy chicken feet recipe. This amazing appetizer doesn’t have much meat to it, but it is packed with complex flavor.”
And again we love the wide variety of flavors here: sake, ginger, soy sauce, chilli, cinnamon and star anise, and sauces such as oyster and hoisin. A delightful mixture for your taste buds for sure!
We are giving this one a try soon, thanks Brett!
3. Cantonese Chicken Feet Soup (Went There 8 This)
Need more recipes with chicken feet?
How about a soup now
We found quite a few recipes with chicken feet on Went There 8 This, a recipes website by Danielle.
She says: “I know there are a ton of haters for chicken feet out there, but I believe in using all the parts of an animal when we cook, and chicken feet are actually quite delicious when made right.”
And we couldn’t agree more!
How about this creamy Cantonese chicken feet soup with peanuts and dates? We love anything peanut so this one would definitely go down well here.
Thanks Danielle!
4. Jewish Chicken Foot Fricassée with Meatballs (Saveur)
We thought that we would only find Asian style recipes with chicken feet…
But then we stumbled upon this next one: a Jewish chicken food fricassée with meatballs!
You can find it over at Saveur, and credits for this recipe go to chef Anthony Rose, and it is based on his grandmother’s recipe.
It says: “This updated version of a classic Jewish fricassée features homemade meatballs and various chicken parts, including wings, gizzards, necks, and feet, all in a spicy-sweet tomato sauce.”
Sounds like a fine stew to us, and most likely our most favorite recipes with chicken feet in this roundup!
5. Chinese Dim Sum Style Chicken Feet (Izzycooking)
And last but not least.
The last one in our recipes with chicken feet roundup, these scrumptious looking Chinese dim sum style chicken feet from Izzy!
Her recipes website is called Izzycooking.com.
And she says: “Traditional chicken feet dim sum is deep-fried before braising. My version is much healthier with no mess or oil wastage.”
Again packed with Asian flavors, these chicken feet look perfectly golden, delicious and so inviting!
Yum, thank you so much Izzy!
