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These Braised Chicken Feet rival any dim sum restaurant, braised in a flavorful braising liquid then stir fried in the most amazing umami packed sauce, you'll definitely want these on your menu!
Chicken feet, while they may seem a bit strange to eat, are just incredible. When brined and braised, they become the most delicious morsels of deliciousness
Braised Chicken Feet is an extremely popular dim sum dish and is absolutely amazing when cooked correctly. We're also pretty big fans of this chicken feet soup, which is basically braised, but served in a delicious, rich broth.
These deep fried chicken feet are also ultra delicious and perfect served as dim sum, and making chicken feet bone broth is amazing!
Consisting predominantly of skin and cartilage, once you can get past the idea of eating chicken feet, you will surely be amazed by how absolutely awesome they are. Plus, it feels great knowing that we are making use of all the parts of the chicken.
Now this recipe is not difficult to make, but there are a number of steps involved. We clean them, brine them, braise them and then do a quick stir fry in the best sauce ever.
Check out the braised chicken feet web story!
Is it Healthy to Eat Chicken Feet?
They are actually quite good for you. They are packed with collagen which is easily absorbed into the body and helps keep joint healthy and skin glowing. Learn more about the health benefits of chicken feet.
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Chicken feet are usually not available at your local grocery store. I find mine at the Asian grocery store - they almost always have them. However, you can buy chicken feet online as well if you can't find them elsewhere.
The shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine) can be substituted with dry sherry. However, I really like the flavor the shaoxing wine provides. Buy shaoxing wine (affiliate link).
The full list of ingredients, along with links to purchase them, can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Below is an explanation of some of the lesser known spices.
What is Star Anise?
Star anise is a seed pod that come from a Chinese evergreen shrub. The pod is star shaped and the flavor is remnant of licorice. It's very strong and we typically only use a small amount in dishes.
It is used in a lot of Chinese cooking, and can be found in dishes like this Twice Cooked Pork or this Roasted Duck. Buy star anise (affiliate link).
What is Black Bean Sauce?
Black bean sauce is a savory sauce made with fermented black beans, chilies, garlic, soy sauce and other seasonings. It has a deep, incredible flavor and is great used in dishes like Twice Cooked Pork (yes we love this dish around here!). Buy black bean sauce (affiliate link).
What is Chili Bean Sauce?
Chili bean sauce is a fermented chili and bean sauce. It is slightly spicy and has an amazing flavor. Buy chili bean sauce (affiliate link).
Step By Step Instructions
There are a few steps to take when cooking your chicken feet to ensure they come out tender and delicious. First, cut off all the claws and scrub them well under cool water.
We start by brining them for an extra boost of flavor, as well as to help tenderize the skin and cartilage.
The next step is the braising process, or slow cooking in a seasoned liquid to break down the cartilage to make them melt-in-your-mouth tender.
Lastly, we do a quick stir fry to coat them in the most amazing sauce. Seriously, the most amazing sauce. By this time, the chicken feet have been cooked to a suck-off-the-bone tender status and the sauce is just the icing on the cake.
How to Brine Chicken Feet
Pour boiling water over the aromatics and let sit for 20 minutes. Add the sherry and about 6 ice cubes to cool the brine.
Don't add the chicken feet until the brine has cooled - we're not trying to cook them here...at least not yet.
One cooled, let the them sit in the brine for at least 2 hours. We brine the them to help tenderize them and add flavor before braising. I don't recommend skipping this step.
Once they have had adequate time to brine, drain them.
How to Braise Chicken Feet
Add the ingredients for the braising liquid and the chicken feet to a large sauce pan.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer over medium-low heat for 2 hours.
Drain, reserving the liquid for other uses. DON'T FORGET TO RESERVE THE BRAISING LIQUID! This stuff is like gold.
How to Stir Fry Chicken Feet
Heat the cooking oil in a skillet or a wok (learn how to season your wok) over medium heat. Add the chicken feet and sauce ingredients.
Stir fry to coat the chicken feet, cooking until the sauce has thickened to desired consistency, about 10 minutes. The sauce should evenly coat each chicken foot.
They are great served as an appetizer, as dim sum, or as a main meal!
Are Chicken Feet Good for Bone Broth?
Yes, yes yes! The broken down collagen from the braised chicken feet add an extra depth to the broth, while the wine, anise and scallions from this recipe add to the intense umami flavor. Learn how to make stock from chicken feet.
Expert Tips
- Be sure to cut off the claws and rinse the feet well before starting;
- Don't skip the brining as it helps gives the chicken feet flavor as well as tenderizing them;
- Let the brine cool to room temperature before adding the chicken feet - if it's too warm it will start to cook them;
- You can substitute broad bean paste for the chili bean sauce (you may have bought broad bean paste for recipes like this Mapo Tofu and have some left over);
- If the sauce is too thin when stir frying, pour in a little cornstarch slurry until the desired thickness is reached. To make a cornstarch slurry, mix 1 tablespoon of water with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.
- Substitute dry sherry for the Shoaxing wine.
Do You Eat the Bones in Chicken Feet?
No. Everything but the bones and nails (which we already trimmed during the preparation) can be eaten.
Make it a Meal
- Serve it with this Simple Fried Rice;
- As an appetizer for these Salt and Pepper Chicken Thighs or this Twice Cooked Pork;
- Sichuan Green Beans or Stir Fried Bok Choy.
More Chinese Inspired Recipes
- Soy sauce chicken
- Tangerine Chicken
- Roast Duck
- 5 Spice Braised Oxtails
- Sichuan Green Beans
- Browse ALL Chinese Recipes!!
Did you make this Braised Chicken Feet Recipe? Leave me a quick comment below and let me know how it turned out!
The Most Delicious Braised Chicken Feet
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds chicken feet claws removed
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
Brine
- 4 star anise
- 4 cloves
- 2 bay leafs
- 3 slices fresh ginger
- ½ cinnamon stick
- ½ cup Shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine)
- 3 cups boiling water
Braising Liquid
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 2 scallions
- 2 star anise
- 4 cups chicken broth
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons black bean sauce
- 2 tablespoons chili bean sauce
- 2 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Trim the nails off the chicken feet and scrub the feet well under cool water.
Brine:
- Pour the boiling water over the aromatics and let sit for 20 minutes.Â
- Add the sherry and about 6 ice cubes to cool the brine.Â
- One cooled, let the chicken feet sit in the brine for at least 2 hours. Drain.
Braise:
- Add the braising liquid ingredients and chicken feet to a large sauce pan.Â
- Simmer over medium-low heat for 2 hours.
- Drain, reserving the liquid for other uses.
Stir Fry:
- Heat the fat in a skillet over medium heat.Â
- Add the chicken feet and sauce ingredients.Â
- Stir fry until chicken feet are well coated with sauce, and sauce has thickened to desired consistency, about 10 minutes.
Expert Tips:
- Be sure to cut off the claws and rinse the feet well before starting;
- Don't skip the brining as it helps gives the chicken feet flavor as well as tenderizing them;
- Let the brine cool to room temperature before adding the chicken feet - if it's too warm it will start to cook them;
- You can substitute broad bean paste for the chili bean sauce (you may have bought broad bean paste for recipes like this Mapo Tofu and have some left over);
- If the sauce is too thin when stir frying, pour in a little cornstarch slurry until the desired thickness is reached. To make a cornstarch slurry, mix 1 tablespoon of water with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.Â
- Substitute dry sherry for the Shoaxing wine.
Nutrition
Theresaq
this was absolutely deliciuos. I made the chicken feet in my Instant Pot. I used Korean black bean paste instead of Chinese black bean sauce, and used Chinese chili-garlic condiment. I fried the mixure in some oil, added stock from the feet to loosen it up, added the cooked feet and let it sautee until the liquid thickened into a lovely sauce. I will definitely be making these again!
Danielle
I'm so glad you liked it! I've been meaning to try them in the Instant Pot as I'm sure it makes it super convenient! Love the idea of using the stock in the sauce.
cheryl
hi danielle i want to make this recipe for dinner but i don’t have the chili and black bean sauce what can i use to as substitute? thank you
Danielle
Cheryl - honestly, those 2 things are the most important ingredients for the sauce. You could try using chili garlic sauce instead with just some soy sauce or hoisin sauce, but I've never done it that way before. Let me know if it works out!
Michael D
Danielle, I just want to say this is a fantastic recipe. The flavours are legit and it's actually good both chilled AND warm/hot. For a more chewwy/bitey sensation when eating, eat it after it's been refrigerated overnight. It still tastes amazing!
I don't understand how people are saying this is a really involved recipe, when the steps aren't even all that difficult to follow? Oh well! They're missing out!
Danielle
Thanks so much Michael! I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Veronica
Brilliant recipe! Thank you
Danielle
You're welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Amalia
Danielle,
I’ve tried your recipe and wow the taste so amazing and authentic.
And it is not hard at all, it just take times.
Thank you so much for this.
Danielle
That makes me so happy to hear - glad you enjoyed it!
Michael Katz
The recipe was a bit involved but very easy to follow. And well worth the effort! Thank you for the super clear directions.
These chicken feet are truly delicious and authentic to Hong Kong style dim sum. I will recommend this to everyone. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your dish!!
Five stars!
Danielle
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed them! There are definitely a number of steps involved, but I always thinks it's totally worth it! Thank you for your kind comments 🙂
Michael Katz
I used your sauce with braised tofu! OMG
Danielle
What a great idea!
Alice
Hi Danielle, this looks delish and I can't wait to try it out! What do you use the braising liquid for?
Danielle
Thanks! I like to use it to replace chicken broth in soups and stews. I just refrigerate, then scrape the solidified fat off the top and use it.
Lynn
Been collecting chicken feet to attempt on this menu but what can substitute black bean sauce and chili bean sauce as my family can't take broad bean and spicy stuff?
Danielle
You can just replace the chili bean sauce with the black beans sauce. I've never tried this before, but it should work. The chili bean sauce is an important part of the ingredients, so you will use some of the flavor that goes along with it. Let me know how it turns out!
Lizzie L
Hi Danielle. I enjoyed reading all the comments and watching your video. I can't wait to make this for my 98 year old father who loves to suck on them there bones. Have you ever made this in an Instant Pot?
Danielle
So glad you enjoyed watching it! I've never tried making them in the Instant Pot before, but it's definitely on my list to try!
Bri
Just cooked your recipe tonight. It was DELICIOUS! Thank you for sharing it with the rest of us!
Danielle
I'm so glad you liked it!!
Winn
Love Love me some Chicken Feet! My dad took us to dim sum every Sunday. He was a foodie for sure! Great recipe. But I am too lazy to go through the brining process. Have you tried "Baiyun Chicken Feet"? One of my favorites as well. It is a cold dish. You can google. Plenty on the internet 白云鸡脚 . Just use google translate for English.
Danielle
I have not tried that - I will definitely check it out! I love new recipes with chicken feet 🙂 Thanks so much!
Barb
To me these recipes are too involved. I don't have any idea how my mother made them but I know she didn't go through all of this! I always liked them when I was a child and wish I knew how to fix them the way she did. If you haven't figured it out...I hate to cook!
Danielle
My boyfriend is the same way, he does not like to cook. I totally understand!
Deborah
Ah........so many memories and before I comment on this recipe, I really must share a very funny story about this topic......
I grew up one of 8 kids in North Dakota, and boy were times hard back than. Needless to say my parents believed in nose to tail consumption long before most chefs embraced it. I ate what was put in front of me and or what I helped plant, grow, catch, clean and or prepare and chicken feet were one of those items. However much I loved them, I never did eat them again after leaving home.
So lets fast forward 12 years into my adult life, and I was living and working in Miami, FL. Due to distance and expense my kids didn't spend much time with their grandparents, and it crushed my mother. One summer, I finally relented, and agreed to allow my two daughters, to spend 3 weeks with my folks but I could not be there....My eldest was 13 and the youngest 5-1/2.
After arranging the logistics as to how they would safely travel between the two states, off they went. On their 3rd day there, I received a frantic call from my mother at work during lunch hour....in the back ground, I could hear my youngest crying hysterically. After a few minutes, I finally understood what the problem was......and asked to speak to her.
Jo gets on the phone and before I can say a word....all I could hear were screams of "they're eating hands they're eating hands". As a 'special treat" my mother had prepared a pot of CF for lunch, and as she reached into the pot with the tongs to serve, Jo the youngest took one look at what was coming out of that pot, and started to scream.....no matter what my mother said to calm her, Jo was convinced they were about to eat "hands" and she wasn't having any of it....LOL
So in memory of my "parents" and a food I once did love, I'm going to prepare these on Saturday...
Danielle
This is such a great story LOL! I've had that reaction from people on more than one occasion too 🙂 I love the idea of "nose to tail" consumption. And chicken feet are soooo delicious! I hope you get to try these Deborah!! Thanks for visiting 🙂
Kevin
Just like the chicken feet at the restaurant! Awesome recipe!
Healthy World Cuisine
We had to comment on this post of course! Hong Kong style chicken feet. Never thought I would see this recipe outside of HK. Hope your week is going well. Sharing of course!
Danielle@wenthere8this
LOL! I absolutely love chicken feet since my friend introduced me to them years ago. I order them every time we have dim sum. Thanks for sharing!