Crispy Chicken Feet is made by frying cleaned chicken feet after dredging in batter made by all purpose flour, ginger, garlic, pepper, bay leaves, corn starch, pepper, garlic powder, baking powder, chicken powder, eggs and salt. Making this dish is not only easy but so flavorful you’ll want to make sure you have another bowl of extra rice readily available. Chicken feet while looks different from what we usually see as decadent and ‘photo worthy’ can’t be compared, as they say ‘don’t judge a book by it’s cover’ especially once you’ve finally taken a bite of this delicious treat you’ll never see chicken feet the same way again!

Chicken Feet in different countries

Chicken feet is a common street food in the Philippines, we even bestowed the name ‘adidas’ to this, a comedic term made comparing a chicken’s feet to a popular footwear brand. Chicken feet in the Philippines can be found in dim sum houses made with a sweet and savory similar to a char siu sauce, on the street carts outside schools or offices fried to a crispy, or homemade with a variety of sauces like adobo and homemade spicy variations like coconut milk sili and more paired with scoops of rice or with spicy sauces and iced cold beer.

Each of these countries has their own version of chicken feet dishes that represent their culture and style of cuisine. In China, where dim sum is most popular chicken feet are prepared as a bar snack where the chicken feet are simmered in a spicy sauce made of Sichuan peppercorn, clove, soy sauce, garlic, star anise, chili flakes and cinnamon. These are also presented as a cold dish, main dish, or soup, they’re even vacuumed pack and ready to consume and sold in most groceries in China. Hong Kong steamed chicken feet are stewed in a black fermented bean, bean paste, and sugar flavored sauce, or simmered in abalone sauce. In Indonesian cuisine, chicken feet is served in a traditional spicy soup called ‘soto’, a translucent yellow broth made with garlic, ginger, ground shallot, galangal, candlenut, lemongrass, bay leaf, and turmeric, served with celery, cabbage, rice noodles and garnished with lime, soy or sambal.

Not only do Asian countries use chicken feet in their dishes, not just to make stock or broths with but distinct delicacies that made it up to food culture. Such examples are; In Eastern Europe, chicken feet are cleaned, seasoned and boiled with vegetables to make Kholodets a savory pork jelly eaten in Christmas time and Easter. Similarly like Indonesia Jamaica mainly uses chicken feet for chicken stock where it contains potatoes, green banana, yams, dumpling and special spices. And the list goes on, chicken feet one way or the other has incorporated itself to the lives of people in the food scene as a delicious treat that you can prepare in so many ways.

Health benefits of chicken feet

Chicken feet may be known to be discarded as a waste product its actually has many health benefits the chicken feet is composed of skin, tendons, cartilage and bones which gives it a fair amount of vitamins and minerals. It has a protein content of 70% collagen, which is needed by the body to improve skin health like reducing cellulites, skin aging, joint pain, and helps with wound healing, it also helps control blood sugar and promote heart health. They’re also a good source of Vitamin B9, which helps prevent birth abnormalities.

Why do people like this dish?

Aside from the great health benefits listed. Crispy Chicken Feet is adored by many because of the amount of things you can produce with these. From boiling the chicken feet to get a thick flavorful broth, after straining you can create another dish from the cooked chicken feet, from crispy to savory your bound to find a style of cooking these delicate little things.

Try out this flavor packed chicken feet recipe and enjoy these with friends with a few cans of beer!