Chinese Chicken feet Recipes

Chinese dim sum style braised chicken feet. This is Elaine’s favorite chicken feet recipe.

Chicken feet, though sounds weird for some of your guys, but it is really one of the best parts of chicken. There are many yummy snacks or side dishes made from chicken feet and dim sum style chicken feet and pickled chicken feet from Sichuan cuisine should be the most famous ones.

The Chinese name of this dish is tiger skin chicken feet(虎皮凤爪), and there is a similar dish named as tiger skin green peppers. Tiger skin is named because of the wrinkles on the surface.

The making process is relatively complex. We need at least four steps: boiling-deep frying- soaking- braising or steaming. No matter how complex the dish is, there is a big group of fan. Of course, they are available at the dim sum restaurant. I have tested the recipe three times but cannot get the texture enough satisfying, but the tastes are really wonderful. So I decide to post it on the blog just for home cooking reference.

Cut the claws off and any dirty part on the chicken feet. And then cut the main large bone off and divide the chicken palm into two parts as shown in picture 1.

Then bring enough water to a boiling in a large pot, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of sugar (to avoid breaking of the skin) and 1/2 teaspoon of rice vinegar (to avoid darkened color). Cook the chicken feet for around 2 minutes. Transfer out and drain completely as shown in picture 2.

Add around 1 tablespoon light soy sauce to marinate for around 30 minutes in picture 3.

Then in a deep-pan or wok, add one third full with oil and heat over medium heat to around 180 degree C. Add chicken feet to fry until golden and dry as shown in picture 4.

When the chicken feet are deep-fried well. Transfer them to cold water to soak for around 3 to 4 hours or overnight for the wrinkles. If you do not care about the texture that much, just soak them for 1 hour .

Dim Sum style chicken feet- braised version

Ingredients

• 20 chicken feet, cut the nails and any dirty parts
• Oil for deep frying
• Iced water for soaking the chicken feet
• Sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 2 fresh Thai chili pepper, finely chopped(optional)
• 1 inch root ginger, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 2 star anise
• 1 cup warm water for braising