Chicken Feet Soup with Peanuts (Cantonese Version)

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure.

Chicken Feet Soup is a classic Cantonese dish that is made with creamy, nutty peanuts and whole dates to add a touch of sweet. Chicken feet (or Phoenix claws) is an extremely popular ingredient in China, and is most often seen as a dim sum dish at restaurants in the US (like these braised chicken feet).

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.

Braised chicken feet is a wonderful way to get chicken feet tender and help them to release all the collagen that makes them so melt-in-your-mouth delicious. You can also make crispy fried chicken feet or chicken feet bone broth.

This chicken feet soup recipe is similar to braising in that it cooks on a low simmer for a couple hours to soften the feet, but it is served as a soup in it's cooking liquid. And it's SO EASY to make!

Strong aromatics like garlic and ginger help to eliminate any remnant odors from the feet, while the dates add a bit of sweetness and the peanuts add a nice creamy nuttiness and a little crunch.

Plus that collagen is great for the skin (so they say) and it makes the soup so rich and delicious, with a silky mouth feel (kinda like this Instant Pot chicken bone broth).

Don't forget to check out the Chicken Feet Soup story!

Ingredients

The full list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Chicken feet can typically be found at your local Asian market. That's where I get mine. You can also buy chicken feet from Crowd Cow.

I always recommend using a low sodium (or no sodium) stock when cooking soup to avoid it getting too salty. It's better to add salt in at the end. You can also make your own chicken broth.

Shaoxing wine is a Chinese rice wine that adds a wonderful flavor to any dish. You can substitute a dry sherry for this if needed.

Dates add a touch of sweetness to the soup. I absolutely love the flavor they add!

Step By Step Instructions

Use a pair of kitchen shears or a sharp knife to remove the nails from the chicken feet.

If the feet still have the yellow skin on them, you can soak them in a vinegar and water mixture for 5-10 minutes, or boil them quickly for about 20 seconds. The skin should peel off easily.

Watch this video on how to clean chicken feet for more info.

**most stores sell the feet with the skin already removed. I've never personally had to remove the skin.

Once they are cleaned, boil them in water for 10 minutes then drain and rinse.

Add all the ingredients (except the green onion, salt and pepper) to a large pot or Dutch oven and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 2 hours. Stir in the salt and pepper. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.

Serve in bowls garnished with green onions. I love to serve this with a side of Chinese fried rice and some sautéed bok choy for a bit of freshness.

How Do You Eat Chicken Feet?

I'm not going to beat around the bush here. Chicken feet are easiest to eat with your hands (I have some friends who do it with chopsticks, but I'm not at that level #chopstickgoals).

Just pick it up and basically suck the skin away and discard the small bones. Is it date food? Probably not. They will be very soft from the braise, so this should be easy to do.

If you like traditional Chinese soups like this, you may also want to try this sizzling rice soup, Instant Pot Bak Kut Teh or this wonton noodle soup. Both are delicious!

Expert Tips

1. Make sure you simmer the feet first to help remove any odors. Rinse them well and then start your soup.
2. Wash them well as you don't want any dirt in your soup (mine typically come pretty well washed, but do it anyway).
3. Use unsalted peanuts to ensure you have control over the salt content of the soup.
4. Substitute dry sherry for the Shaoxing wine.

Did you make this chicken feet soup? Rate the recipe and leave a comment to let me know how it turned out!