Are you a curious foodie looking for unconventional food? Try this pickled chicken feet dish that is blanched and marinated in a flavorful sauce. It is savory, tangy, and springy, a dish unlike any other.
What Is Pickled Chicken Feet?
Chicken feet dishes are commonly served in dim sum restaurants. Most people love chicken feet for their abundance of collagen and tasty mild chicken flavor. It may not be for everyone, but it just takes time to get used to eating chicken feet.
It is used in various recipes, such as chicken feet soup and fried chicken feet in skewers. In this recipe, we make it into pickled chicken feet. Have it as a snack with drinks for a get-together!
The chicken feet are boiled with green onions, ginger, and cooking wine. Then, it is marinated with garlic, onion, lemon, and a few spices and seasonings. Marinating it takes only two hours and you are ready to serve it.
Where To Buy Chicken Feet
Chicken feet are widely available in most grocery stores. It may also be called chicken paws, chicken claws, or phoenix claws. Look for it at your local butcher shop, Asian meat shop, or grocery store.
How To Eat Chicken Feet
Cooking it is one thing, but learning how to properly eat it is another. It is not as easy as chewing off the meat from other chicken parts. Keep in mind chicken feet are made up mostly of tendons, cartilage, and skin.
It has fewer meat parts than other meatier chicken parts. So, how do you eat it? Hold the foot firmly and suck the juices and skin out.
Bite off each toe one by one. The skin should be chewed and the bones sucked. Some people don’t enjoy chicken feet because of the small bones.
The bones tend to easily break as you try to eat the skin and soft parts. When this happens, you will have to throw away the bones one by one. Keep in mind the bones are not as these are not edible, so don’t try to eat them.
Pro Tips For Making Pickled Chicken Feet
Follow my expert tips when it comes to preparing and cleaning chicken feet. It is not as simple as cleaning with water, but keep in mind these are feet with nails and fragile bones. Here’s what you need to do when preparing the chicken feet:
- Remove the nails: Nails of chicken feet are not supposed to be eaten. Not only is it unappetizing, but it contains dirt that needs to be removed. You can use kitchen shears or a knife to clip off the nails.
- Boil the chicken feet: Another important step to ensure all dirt and scum are removed is boiling it for 15 minutes. This step will always soften the feet to make them edible. However, do not over-boil the chicken feet as they might lose their overall flavor and produce undesirable texture.
- Immerse in cold water: After boiling the chicken feet, it needs to be transferred to a bowl of cold water. You can also place them under running cold water or an ice bath. In this way, it stops the chicken feet from further cooking and makes them extra firm. If you skip this part, the texture will be too soft and mushy.
- Use the freshest ingredients: Only use fresh ingredients to make this dish last longer. Choose chicken feet that do not have an unpleasant odor or discolored appearance. In this recipe, I add minced garlic, bird’s eye chili, lemon, chopped onions, and fresh coriander to the marinade. Make sure these ingredients are prepared fresh and unspoiled.
Kitchenware And Ingredients To Pickled Make Chicken Feet
Prepare your basic kitchen tools such as a cooking pot for boiling and a large mixing bowl for marinating. You can use a knife or kitchen shears to remove the nails. As for the ingredients, you can adjust the amount according to your liking.
Kitchenware
- Knife and chopping board
- Cooking pot
- Mixing bowl for marinating
Ingredients
- 1kg of chicken feet (with nails removed and cut in half)
- 20g of green onions
- 3 slices of ginger
- 1 tbsp of cooking wine
- A bowl of cold water
- 20g of minced garlic
- 20g of bird’s eye chili
- 1 lemon (cut into slices)
- 20g of chopped onions
- 20g of fresh coriander
- 1 tbsp of light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp of dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp of black vinegar
- 1 tbsp of sesame oil
- Salt (adjust to taste)
- Sugar (adjust to taste)
- A sprinkle of sesame seeds
Steps To Make Pickled Chicken Feet
The recipe steps are super easy and fast to do. In a nutshell, the chicken feet are cleaned and boiled with seasonings. Then, you simply marinate and wait for it to absorb the flavors.
Store it in a sealed container to retain its moisture and flavor.
Check out my short recipe video on Instagram or TikTok for proper guidance. If you liked this recipe, leave a comment below and tag @kitchenmisadventures to share yours!
Wash the chicken feet and remove its nails with a knife or kitchen shears.
Cut the feet in half.
In a cooking pot, add the sliced chicken feet, green onions, ginger, and a splash of cooking wine. This helps remove any fishy smell.
Cover the pot and boil the chicken feet for 15 minutes. You can tell the chicken feet are cooked when the color becomes flesh white and the skin is tender.
Transfer the boiled chicken feet to a bowl of cold water to make them extra firm.
Drain the water and add minced garlic, small chili pepper, lemon, chopped onions, and fresh coriander.
Then, mix in light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, black vinegar, sesame oil, salt, and sugar. Adjust to taste.
Let the chicken feet marinate for at least two hours.
Before serving, sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.
Enjoy your chicken feet for your afternoon snack!
If you enjoyed this chicken feet recipe, you might also like red braised pig trotter (pigs feet) and chicken feet soup.
Chinese-Style Pickled Chicken Feet
Equipment
- Knife and chopping board
- Cooking pot
- Mixing bowl for marinating
Ingredients
- 1 kg of chicken feet with nails removed and cut in half
- 20 g of green onions
- 3 slices of ginger
- 1 tbsp of cooking wine
- A bowl of cold water
- 20 g of minced garlic
- 20 g of bird's eye chili
- 1 lemon cut into slices
- 20 g of chopped onions
- 20 g of fresh coriander
- 1 tbsp of light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp of dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp of black vinegar
- 1 tbsp of sesame oil
- Salt adjust to taste
- Sugar adjust to taste
- A sprinkle of sesame seeds
Instructions
- Wash the chicken feet and remove its nails with a knife or kitchen shears.
- Cut the feet in half.
- In a cooking pot, add the sliced chicken feet, green onions, ginger, and a splash of cooking wine. This helps remove any fishy smell.
- Cover the pot and boil the chicken feet for 15 minutes. You can tell the chicken feet are cooked when the color becomes flesh white and the skin is tender.
- Transfer the boiled chicken feet to a bowl of cold water to make them extra firm.
- Drain the water and add minced garlic, small chili pepper, lemon, chopped onions, and fresh coriander.
- Then, mix in light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, black vinegar, sesame oil, salt, and sugar. Adjust to taste.
- Let the chicken feet marinate for at least two hours.
- Before serving, sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.
