When the suggestion of eating chicken feet comes up, most (non-Asian, just sayin’) people think, “Eeeeewwwwwwwwwwww!” But chicken feet aren’t what you might expect. If you’re familiar with dim sum, you probably know what to expect. The thing about chicken feet is that they have so few bones. They are almost all cartilage, which takes flavor VERY well, and the collagen gives sauces a naturally thicker consistency. In the end, since there’s so little meat . . . ALL you got is deliciously chewy, rich, and saucy FLAVOR.
2–4 SERVINGS
1 pound chicken feet
1 star anise pod
3 ounces ginger, sliced
1 scallion stalk, cut into thirds
1¾ whole dry Thai chili peppers, crushed
1 cup Superconcentrated Cantonese Chicken Stock*
2⅔ tablespoons light soy sauce
½ tablespoon dark soy sauce
1¼ tablespoons oyster sauce
1¼ tablespoons hoisin sauce
¼ cinnamon stick†
1 tablespoon sugar
Cilantro, for garnish
Scallions, chopped, for garnish
Fresno chilies, small diced or sliced, for garnish
White or black sesame seeds, for garnish
BALLS OUT
40–80 SERVINGS
20 pounds chicken feet
25 star anise pods
60 ounces ginger, sliced
20 scallion stalks, cut into thirds
35 whole dry Thai chili peppers, crushed
5 quarts Superconcentrated Cantonese Chicken Stock*
3⅓ cups light soy sauce
10 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1½ cups plus 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1½ cups plus 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
5 cinnamon sticks†
1¼ cups sugar
1. Heat 2 inches of oil in a small pot to 350°F.
2. While the oil heats up, clip chicken nails with scissors. Next, rinse chicken feet with cold water in a colander. Drain, then pat dry until the feet are devoid of moisture. If there is any moisture, it will splatter when you fry the feet, which ain’t pretty. To make sure the feet are ready to be fried, drip dry them on a plate with towels.
3. In a bowl large enough to hold all the feet, prepare an ice water bath.
4. When the feet are dry and the oil is hot and ready to go, deep-fry chicken feet for about 5–7 minutes until they are a golden brown. Fry in small enough batches that the oil isn’t overcrowded (with feet), because the feet need room to cook.
5. Remove feet from pot, shake off excess oil, drip dry on a plate with a towel for 1 minute, then soak in ice water bath for 1 hour. If the water warms to room temperature, drain and replace with more ice water.
6. Next, drain the bowl completely, then set aside.
7. In a wok/pan, sauté star anise pod, ginger, scallion, and whole chilies with a little bit of cooking oil until the air around you becomes incredibly fragrant. Be careful. If you sauté for too long, the scent can get overwhelmingly powerful.
8. Add chicken feet and stir-fry for 1 minute, then combine with stock, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, cinnamon stick, and sugar.
9. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once it boils, lower heat and let simmer for 45 minutes, or until chicken feet are tender.
10. Once the feet are tender, remove feet, set aside on a plate or bowl, and return the same pot to a boil over medium-high heat for 5–10 minutes and reduce sauce to a thicker consistency.
Remove from heat and discard the cinnamon stick. Chicken feet are far more tasty if cooled to room temperature, placed back into the thickened sauce pot, covered, and refrigerated overnight so all the flavor seeps deep into them. When you’re ready to serve, reheat in sauce over medium-high heat for 7–10 minutes, then plate with plenty of sauce drizzled on top (or extra sauce in a bowl) and garnish with cilantro, scallions, Fresno chilies, and sesame seeds. Chew away!
* If you HAVE to, you can use water in this recipe.
† LOVE to use Saigon cinnamon, which (I THINK) is superior cinnamon and brings me great Vietnamese pride.