I wanted to wait until after April 1st to post this article. You might think it’s an April Fool’s joke, it’s not.
Learning How to Cook
My interest in cooking started in my early teens. I wanted to learn how to cook Chinese food. My grand-aunt P, who entertained a lot, offered to teach me some of the techniques of Chinese cooking. The first time I went to her house to learn, I went with pencil and paper, thinking she would tell me her secrets. When I got there, she handed me a Chinese cleaver, a bowl full of chicken feet, and told me to start cutting the claws and first joints off of the feet. Apparently, we had a miscommunication on the method of learning (she was also a teacher).
So there I was, my first experience handling a knife so large, cutting something that looked pretty gross at the time (they still look gross, but the taste overcomes the looks). Each time I cut one of the joints off, the tip went flying somewhere and I had to check I hadn’t cut off one my own joints. Aunt P showed me how to roll the foot while cutting to reduce the trajectory of the tips. I thought I would have to go to therapy after that session, but I survived. The soup turned out so delicious and the feet was so soft that the trauma was worth it.
Slow Cooked Soups
My experience is that Chinese like soups. As far as I know, there are two types of soups. Soups prepared quickly, and soups simmered for a long time. The Chinese use soups for food and as tonics to help balance the body. Chicken feet soup is one of those soups that taste good (to me anyway), and is good for you. According to our Qi Master friend, the feet contains collagen which is supposed to help the skin retain its youthfulness.
The Ingredients
- Chicken feet (see photo on March 30, 2010 post), with the first joint and any discolorations on the skin cut off. I now find it much easier to use kitchen shears instead of a cleaver (less drama and trauma).
- Green onions (see March 29, 2010 post).
- Dried shiitake mushrooms
- Water
- Splash of Chinese cooking wine (shao xing).
- I usually don’t add salt in my soups, we add our own at the table.
Herbs
- Dried red dates (hong zao). Some say they’re supposed help relieve stress.
- Dried herb (dong cong xia cao, The Cat translated it as “winter worm summer grass”) The package says its supposed to help the lung and kidneys. This was given to us by a friend in Shanghai, he is into eating healthy. It looks a little like a caterpillar (chicken feet and herbs that look like bugs, you might think this is a challenge on Fear Factor or something 😉 ).
Everything went into the stock pot and brought to just below boiling. The heat was turned down to a slow simmer. The soup was allowed to simmer for about eight hours.
How to Eat Chicken Feet
There is very little meat and muscle, if at all, on chicken feet, mostly cartilage and tendon. I usually bite off each toe and suck on the bones. Same for the “palm” of the foot. Careful about the bones, they can be a bit small.
The Verdict
One of the criteria of good chicken feet soup is that when refrigerated, the soup solidifies into a gel. This one did. The Cat says yum.
Dedication
This post is dedicated to Aunt P for teaching me the passion of eating and cooking. And to not fear chicken feet. Thanks Aunt P.
Small Print
We are not experts in the use of medicinal herbs. We make no claim about its benefits. The benefits of these herbs are what’s on the package or what others tell us.
Etc.
This page is submitted to the Kahakai Kitchen at http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/ for her Souper Sunday section. Hope she likes it, or at least doesn’t gross her out too much.
Enjoy!
The Mouse fears no chicken foot (unless the chicken has something to say about it).
Also in the Caribbean we have a lovely Chicken Foot Soup, but when I eat the foot I don’t bite it just suck the fingers and toes….lol
Nice one Mouse. Chicken feet are very popular in South Africa. As you say, not a lot of meat, but nice enjoy. I posted a Chicken Feet Curry recipe a while back. Let me know what you think!
Hi! Nice to know how to cook. It’s not my forte. Bravo!
I learned how to cook early. We lived on a farm and we raised and grew everything. This chicken feet soup sounds wonderful. It has been a long while since I last had any.
Love this! I use chicken feet to make bone broth soup. When it becomes that “gel” you were referring to, that is when I am happiest because that then becomes the base for what I am t do with the soup! Cheers
Aloha! Mahalo!
This post gives clear idea designed for the new
people of blogging, that actually how to do blogging.
wonderful recipe….thank you
This looks great, I tried deep-fried chicken feet with chilli salt at work the other day for the first time. Was great, I’ll be giving this a go. Thanks
🙂
I am glad you gave us the warning that this isn’t a joke!
🙂
[…] Chicken Feet Soup […]
[…] [NUTRIgastronomie©] La question du jour: comment avoir une belle peau en évitant les pattes d’oies.. mais aussi celles de poulet!…Pour garder une peau ferme, élastique, sans ride, vous savez déjà probablement qu’il faut un apport suffisant de collagène. Mais est-ce possible avec une alimentation vegétarienne ou vegan? En médecine traditionnelle chinoise on préconise en effet l’absorption de cartilages et de tendons riches en collagène..les pattes de poulet arrivent donc en première ligne…Pour ceux qui sont motivés et veulent repousser leurs horizons culinaires, voilà une recette appropriée du blog Live2eateat2live la recette (en anglais) […]
[…] Chicken Feet Soup Recipe I pride myself in the fact I have few problem(s) trying foods from other countries. Foods that most […]
AND in addition to collagen, the glucosamine in the gell is great for the joints. I added a little bit of vinegar to the soup as it was simmering to draw out these great ingredients from the bone.
Yum!
I was looking for a chicken feet soup recipe and I came across your blog! Very entertaining. One recipe I read before said to scrub and get the ” toe jam” out. I think by chopping off the tips which you mentioned we can avoid that process which is a real turn off. I almost gave up the idea. I will make my soup tomorrow morning as I didn’t know it’s such a time consuming process.
Thank you! Good luck with the soup!
I made the chicken feet soup today and in addition to the fresh shitake mushrooms I added other fresh vegetables. I made it Persian style, as I remembered eating it once as a child in Iran! I remember liking the taste but because it was chicken feet I was grossed out after trying it once. Your blog motivated me to get past the yuckiness of chopping off the tips and your humor about it really helped me get over the gross factor. I will be making this soup again as my 101 year old mom who lives with me and who wasn’t hungry for anything, loved the soup and asked me to save some more for tomorrow. Thanks again.
Very welcome. The collagen in the feet is supposed to be good for the skin. 🙂
Sounds delicious, I think feet for flavoring in soup is fine, just might not eat it. We use wings…
Wings are good too. Similar in the texture department, especially the wing tip section.
Looks super super yummy!!!
Love this post,but not so sure about ever trying it;-)
Thanks! I understand. Using chicken feet (and oxtail, and fish heads) were just my aunt’s way of not wasting anything. Plus, Chinese eat almost anything anyway. 🙂
Years ago my husband and I moved our family of 8 to the West Coast from the Upper Midwest. It was culture shock, to be sure, but a delightful, educational culture shock. We visited an Asian grocery store early on and learned much just observing and embracing. Like my Norwegian immigrant relatvies that grew up frugal, we learned they used every part of the animal. I loved hearing the family story I could only imagine the first time I saw chicken feet packaged up at the meat counter. Thank you for sharing the history and the recipe!
thanks!
Chicken feet was always included in the basic chicken soup in South America. Very gross to some while it brings me happy childhood memories.
🙂
Love this post. I like chicken feet, but haven’t had/made chicken feet soup, although my mum adds them to her stock (when she can get them) because of all the yummy collagen.
So much collagen my lips stick together. Hee hee. 🙂
Hey Mouse! Did you know you can cook chicken feet like you cook the actual chicken? You should try that some time.
Thanks. Have to remember that. 🙂
There are no words to describe how bouadiocs this is.
thanks for sharing dear..lovely blog
From where I’m from chicken feet is grilled BBQ style and we called it
” adiddas” 😛 mind you its not a joke, its actually very good
Hmmmm… I am unsure about it
It’s an acquired taste and texture. Not for everyone.
Great post. YOu are a very good storyteller! Made me smile.
Thanks! Relatives think I live in a world of my own creation. They just don’t understand. Hee hee.
I’ve heard before that chicken feet are a delicacy to some, but I think I’ll leave them to you and your soup, Mouse! You can have my portion.
I must say that you’ve presented this recipe nicely, though! Good going.
No problemo. Slurp! Hee hee.
I don’t think I have ever eaten chicken feet but it makes sense. As westerners we have strange ideas about food. We have no qualms about eating chicken wings, so why not the feet?
Feet I’m okay with. I once was served the chicken head with comb. That freaked me out. Thanks
I used to LOVE chicken feet when I was a kid. We lived on a farm and on “pullet day” we butchered the young chickens and my Nana would fix me some chicken feel to gnaw on. It’s pretty darn good so I bet the soup is too!
Thanks. Yup, lots of collagen, glues your lips together. Hee hee.
🙂
What is it? It’s the food we have! Ok, but what is it? Eat it, you’ll like it! Ok, see you later! The standard conversation of mystery food day.
Okay, if you say so. Hee hee.
My wife and her mother love chicken feet & Chicken Head Soup. I eat out on those days.
I’m still skittish about the head. Food that looks back at you. Creepy. Thanks!
Fantastic post. I too love chicken feet. My kids run out of the room when I pull them out to add them to stocks but they are soooo very good for you.
It’s a great soup to serve, especially on Halloween. Heh heh heh.
I have had Chcken Feet Soup. My mom didn’t waste anything and I grew up in a heavy German descent on a farm in Wisconsin. Chicken was my mother’s project. She bought chicks every spring and raised them for meat. I’ve plucked my share of chickens! I don’t haven any aspirations of making this soup, but it did bring back good memories.
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Funny coincidence, I cooked chicken feet peanut soup with lotus roots for dinner 🙂
Not something I would likely eat, but is interesting!
Can’t say I would ever eat this, but is definitely interesting!
I haven’t ever had chicken feet soup, but on pullet day on our farm when we were putting up the young chickens, my grandmother would cook some chicken feet and they were delicious! So – it’s not just a Chinese thing…….it’s a Southern Redneck from America thing too! 🙂 Love your blog!
Thank you! Maybe we’re related through chicken feet. Hee hee. Chinese and “Southern Rednecks” the real gourmets!
[…] Chicken Feet Soup […]
OMG!! I used to eat this soup when I was living in my native Colombia; this post brought back some memories. 🙂
Thank you! Mahalo for stopping by. Eat well.
🙂
Dear Mouse, (I once had a Chinese language tutor whose son was called Mouse — hey! could that be YOU?!!) 😀 What a treasure trove of delightful recipes and equally delightful stories you have here! Food from my childhood. Thanks for connecting and I look forward to catching up on your culinary adventures! Sharon
Xie xie for visiting Sharon! Probably not. My mother doesn’t speak a word of Chinese. Eat well.
Um…I might totally make this. That is if I could find Chicken feet. There is no Chinese population to speak of in Baltimore. I’ve had the feet twice–once in a delectable soup at a restaurant in LES NYC–Congee Village? And then just plain ones in a buffet in Pittsburgh. Definitely prefer the soup.
Your finished product looks lovely.
Maybe from your butcher? Thanks for stopping by. Eat well.
Good website for wakeboarding! I will absolutely save this web page and come back again whenever I have some more time.
No worries on the gross out. I have eaten chicken feet soup a couple of times–once in Taiwan and once in Singapore. While not something I crave it was actually pretty good. 😉 Thanks for sending your soup to Souper Sunday.
Have a great week.
Aloha,
Deb