• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

China Sichuan Food

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Index
  • Newest
  • Sichuan
  • Subscribe
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Index
    • Newest
    • Sichuan
    • Subscribe
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » chicken and poultry

    Dim Sum Chicken Feet

    Last Modified: April 5, 2023 by Elaine| 49 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    For some people, chicken feet or chicken claws are deemed as an odd part of animals, which are usually discarded. But for some other people, chicken feet are an important ingredient, which can be made into various delicacies. And for me, I belong to the latter one. My favorite chicken feet dish is dim sum chicken feet, I love that fabulous softness and savory taste. Here is the ultimate guide on how to make dim sum style chicken feet at home.

    chicken feet|chinasichuanfood.com
    Jump to
    • Why are so many haters?
    • Chicken feet also have lovers
    • What’s the taste of chicken feet
    • Purchasing tip
    • How to prepare chicken feet for cooking
    • How to eat chicken feet
    • Dim Sum Chicken Feet
    • Ingredients breakdown
    • How to reheat dim sum chicken feet
    • What to serve with
    • Instructions
    • An Air-frying method instead of deep-frying.
    • Other dim sum recipes
    • 🧾Recipe
    • Other ways of cooking chicken feet

    Why are so many haters?

    People from the US or Europe don't eat chicken feet because they may think that chicken feet are too dirty to eat. Also, people don’t know how to deal with chicken feet. Usually, you can find that chicken feet are made into dog treats. Another reason may be that chicken feet are not as meaty as other parts of chickens.

    Chicken feet also have lovers

    However, chicken feet are greatly beloved by people from other parts of the world. The Chinese gourmets even grant an auspicious name to chicken feet, that is “phoenix paws”. And chicken feet are cooked into cold dishes, snacks, soups, and main dishes in China. And in South Korea, people invent Korean-style spicy chicken feet. In other Asian countries, like Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, dishes made of chicken feet are also quite common and popular. Even in Mexico, chicken feet are a popular ingredient, and they are mainly made into stews and soups.

    What’s the taste of chicken feet

    The edible parts of chicken feet consist of the skin and tendons, with little meat. The distinct gelatinous texture of chicken feet provides you with an abundance of collagen. For most dishes, chicken feet are cooked into a soft and tender texture, and absorb the flavors of seasonings or spices. Especially when chicken feet are used for making soup, after being simmered for one or two hours, the chicken feet will almost fall apart when being picked up, and you even don’t need to chew anymore. A mouthful of gelatin will break up in your mouth with the fresh flavor of the soup.

           

    chicken feet|chinasichuanfood.com

    Purchasing tip

    When you go to the market to purchase some chicken feet, you may find that the yellowish hard skin of chicken feet is already removed. Fresh chicken feet should have white and glossy skin and also they should be in a thick and elastic texture. If you touch the chicken feet and find that the surface of the chicken feet is a little sticky, it shows that these chicken feet have been stored for too long and are not fresh enough for eating.   

    How to prepare chicken feet for cooking

    Before you cook chicken feet, you should clean them in the following steps:

    1. Remove the yellowish outer skin (ignore this step if the skin is already removed). You can put the chicken feet in boiling water for one or two minutes and then transfer them to ice water. In this way, it will be easier for you to get rid of the tough outer skin.
    2. Use a kitchen scissor to chop off the nails of chicken feet.
    3. Chop chicken feet in half or small pieces as you like if you intend to make pickled chicken feet or cold chicken feet. Just keep them as a whole if you intend to make soup or other dishes

    How to eat chicken feet

    If you have never eaten chicken feet before, here are some tips for you:

    1. It is hard for you to eat chicken feet with knives and forks. The chopsticks are highly recommended. And if you don’t like using chopsticks, just use your hand with a disposable glove.
    2. You can take your first bite from the toes of chicken feet. Bite one from one and the next step needs the cooperation of your tongue and mouth to separate the little bones and the skin. Spit the bones out and just enjoy the remaining part in your mouth. And I think the most important tip for you is that do not to swallow the little bone of chicken feet.

    Dim Sum Chicken Feet

    The Chinese name of this dish is tiger skin chicken feet(虎皮凤爪), and there is a similar dish named 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 fans. 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 decided to post it on the blog just for home cooking reference. You can follow this to make super easy dim sum style chicken feet at home. It is such a great success!

    chicken feet|chinasichuanfood.com

    Ingredients breakdown

    There are some ingredients that need to pay attention to for this dim sum style chicken feet.

    • Chicken feet - I use around 500g chicken feet, which may range from 12 to 14 ones.
    • Fermented black beans - also referred to as Chinese fermented black beans are the essential ingredient for this dim sum style chicken feet. It has a complex and unique flavor, salty, and earthy with a strong aroma of fermented products.
    • Aromatics - ginger and garlic can help to improve the aroma.
    • Chili peppers- chili peppers are optionally but traditionally a small amount is added to add a hint of hotness to the dish.
    • Chili paste - I add chili paste to the sauce. Totally optional.

    How to reheat dim sum chicken feet

    You can use a microwave to reheat it. But the most ideal way is to steam them. Set up a steamer and steam for 10 minutes. Steaming can make the taste even better, so it is 100% ok to make a larger batch.

    What to serve with

    Eating chicken feet may be quite time-consuming. So you can serve this with tea for more leisure time. Since it is quite savory in taste, you can also serve it with soups, or congee.

    Instructions

    Prepare the chicken feet

    Cut the claws off and any dirty parts on the chicken feet. You can choose to keep them as whole pieces or cut them into smaller ones.

    chicken feet|chinasichuanfood.com

    Blanching and dry

    Then bring enough water to a boil in a large pot, add scallion, ginger, and cooking wine. Cook the chicken feet for around 2 minutes.

    chicken feet|chinasichuanfood.com

    Transfer out, wash carefully.

    chicken feet|chinasichuanfood.com

    Pat drying

    This is a very important step to avoid the oil splattering out during the cooking process. If time is enough, I will recommend you place the chicken feet for air frying to make sure there is no water on the surface.

    chicken feet|chinasichuanfood.com

    Deep-frying

    Heat oil in a wok and add the chicken feet into deep fry until it turns dark golden brown. It is extremely important to make sure the water content is removed by the deep-frying process so the tiger skin can be achieved. It may take around 12 to 18 minutes.

    chicken feet|chinasichuanfood.com

    Soaking

    Transfer the chicken feet into iced water. And soak for around 1 hour.

    chicken feet|chinasichuanfood.com
    chicken feet|chinasichuanfood.com

    Boil to strong the tinger skin

    I learn this from a Cantonese chef, if you further cook the soaked chicken feet, the tiger skin can be strengthened. So place the soaked chicken feet in boiling water, and continue cooking for 8 to 12 minutes based on how soft you want them to be.

    chicken feet|chinasichuanfood.com

    Prepare the sauce and coating

    Add dou-chi, garlic, ginger, and chili paste if using a small amount of oil. Fry over a small fire until aromatic.

    chicken feet|chinasichuanfood.com
    chicken feet|chinasichuanfood.com

    Pour in starch water. Let it simmer for a while.

    chicken feet|chinasichuanfood.com

    Add blanched chicken feet.

    chicken feet|chinasichuanfood.com

    Coat well, and serve hot. You can make larger batches and then re-steam them for the next serving.

    chicken feet|chinasichuanfood.com

    An Air-frying method instead of deep-frying.

    If you don't want to use the deep-frying method, you can use an air-fryer to help. Spread some oil on the drained chicken feet. Put into an air fryer preheated at 375°F. Leave to fry for about 10 to 12 minutes until the skin is completely dried. I have made the test with the air-frying method, it works perfectly.

    air fried chicken feet|chinasichuanfood
    air-fried chicken feet
    air fried chicken feet|chinasichuanfood
    air fried chicken feet after soaked

    Other dim sum recipes

    • Steamed sausage buns
    • Lo Mai Gai (steamed sticky rice in lotus leaf)
    • Steamed Ribs with fermented black beans
    • Water chestnut cake
    • Hong kong style egg tart 
    • Custard bun-milk yolk buns (奶黄包)
    • dim sum style shrimp- har gow (虾饺)

    🧾Recipe

    chicken feet|chinasichuanfood.com

    Dim Sum Chicken Feet

    Elaine
    Dim Sum style chicken feet - braised version
    5 from 11 votes
    Watch Video Print Recipe
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 25 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins
    Course dim sum
    Cuisine Chinese
    Servings 2
    Calories 284 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 500 g chicken feet , 12 to 15 ones
    • oil for deep frying
    • iced water for soaking the chicken feet
    • 1 thumb ginger
    • 2 scallions
    • 1 tbsp. Shaoxing wine

    Sauce

    • 2 garlic cloves , finely chopped
    • 1 tbsp. fermented black beans
    • 2 fresh Thai chili pepper , finely chopped(optional)
    • 1 inch root ginger , finely chopped
    • 1 tbsp. soy sauce
    • ½ tsp. sugar
    • ½ tbsp. chili paste or doubanjiang , optionally
    • ½ tsp. dark soy sauce

    Starch water

    • 1 cup warm water for braising
    • ½ tbsp. corn starch

    Instructions

    Prepare the chicken feet

    • Cut the claws off and any dirty parts on the chicken feet. You can choose to keep them as whole pieces or cut them into smaller ones.

    Blanch and dry

    • Add water in a wok, place scallion, ginger and cooking wine. Cook the chicken feet for around 2 minutes after the water boils.
    • Transfer out, wash carefully. Then dry completely. This is a very important step to avoid the oil splattering out during the cooking process. If time is enough, I will recommend you place the chicken feet for air frying to make sure there is no water on the surface.

    Deep-fry

    • Heat oil in a wok and add the chicken feet into deep fry until it turns dark golden brown. It is extremely important to make sure the water content is removed by the deep-frying process so the tiger skin can be achieved. It may take around 12 to 18 minutes.

    Air-frying method

    • If you don't want deep-fry, you can choose to air fryer the chickn feet. If you don't want to use the deep-frying method, you can use an air-fryer to help. Spread some oil on the drained chicken feet. Put into an air fryer preheated at 375°F. Leave to fry for about 10 to 12 minutes until the skin is completely dried.

    Soak

    • Transfer the chicken feet into iced water. And soak for around 1 hour.

    Boil to strong the tinger skin

    • I learn this from a Cantonese chef, if you further cook the soaked chicken feet, the tiger skin can be strengthened. So place the soaked chicken feet in boiling water, and continue cooking for 8 to 12 minutes based on how soft you want them to be.

    Prepare the sauce and coating

    • Add dou-chi, garlic, ginger, and chili paste if using a small amount of oil. Fry over a small fire until aromatic. Add in dark soy sauce and light soy sauce.
    • Pour in starch water. Let it simmer for a while.
    • Return the chicken feet. Coat well, and serve hot. You can make larger batches and then re-steam them for the next serving.

    Video

    Nutrition

    Calories: 284kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 21gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 84mgSodium: 695mgPotassium: 70mgVitamin A: 210IUVitamin C: 14.6mgCalcium: 103mgIron: 1.5mg
    Keyword chicken feet
    Tried this recipe?Mention @ChinaSichuanFood

    Other ways of cooking chicken feet

    Red braised chicken feet

    The chicken feet are simmered with soy sauce and spices usually including cinnamon, star anise, and scallions. The marinated chicken feet are stunning with a gorgeous brown color and a salty flavor. The smell of this dish is incredibly appetizing due to the functions of several spices.  

    Pickled chicken feet

    The pickled chicken feet can seem like a cold dish or a perfect snack for you when you are watching TV. You can often buy packaged pickled chicken feet from an Asian chain store. The chopped chicken feet are pickled with the rod chillis. This snack is a little bit spicy, however, you will be attracted by the spiciness and the chewy taste of the chicken feet.

    Chicken feet stock

    Also, chicken feet can be used to make stock due to the abundance of gelatin. Usually, this stock is stewed with pig bones, carrots, and corn. This stock is quite fresh and sweet.

    In Korea, chicken feet are always made into Korea-style spicy chicken feet, which is quite similar to the chicken feet pot in Chinese cuisine. The main difference is the sauce. The Chinese chicken feet pot uses bean paste to make the sauce, but the Korean chicken feet pot uses Korean chili paste.

    In Thailand, chicken feet are also served in various dishes, such as in a version of chicken green curry.

    Soy sauce chicken feet

    Soy sauce chicken feet are a popular Chinese snack. The feet are usually simmered in a broth made with soy sauce, sugar, and spices. It's a great snack to share with friends and family or as an appetizer before dinner. This is widely loved by children.

    Air-frying chicken feet

    If you find that the cooking method of chicken feet is quite complicated, you can try some innovative cooking methods, like using an air frier, which will help you to make the cooking a bit easier.

    air fried chicken feet|chinasichuanfood.com

    More chicken and poultry

    • pickled chicken feet|chinasichuanfood.com
      Pickled Chicken Feet- Pao Jiao Feng Zhua
    • steamed chicken with wood ear mushroom|chinasichuanfood.com
      Steamed Chicken with Wood Ear and Dried Lily
    • braised chicken wings|chinasichuanfood.com
      Braised Chicken Wings Recipe
    • kung pao chicken|chinasichuanfood.com
      Kung Pao Chicken

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Riff

      May 16, 2017 at 3:17 pm

      This was so delicious thankyou for sharing your other recipes as well Elaine. I am afraid I have a squeamish family to feed so I did half and half chicken feet and chicken wings cut into pieces as your recipe shows. I know it was a cop out but I enjoyed the feet all by myself.

      Reply
      • Elaine

        May 17, 2017 at 8:36 am

        Hi Riff,
        It is a nice idea to add some chicken wings. I understand that you guys do not like to eat chicken feet because of the bones. But I am so glad because at least you had a try and they taste great to you.
        Happy cooking!

        Reply
    2. Peter

      June 23, 2017 at 11:51 am

      Forgive my ignorance (I'm only a beginner cook), but could you clarify as the end of 2. says to drain completely, then 3. says to marinate with a little Soy. What are we marinating the feet in? Water with Soy or Oil with Soy?

      Reply
      • Elaine

        June 24, 2017 at 8:50 am

        Hi Peter,
        Firstly we need to drain the chicken feet after boiling in water (step 2) and then add soy sauce to marinate them before frying. We do not want water on the surface of the chicken foot because it may cause oil splash.

        Reply
        • Allison

          April 06, 2020 at 4:31 am

          I’m also new to this. Could you explain step 6, 7 and 8 do we do those after we fry them?

          Reply
          • Elaine

            April 08, 2020 at 9:01 am

            Soaking in cold water is crucial for the crinkled skin. Choose either 7 or 8 is for flavoring.

            Reply
    3. Cecilia Koh

      November 24, 2017 at 5:44 am

      Hi.
      I think that you cannot get the right texture is because you missed one important step which is to dry the chicken before deep frying. You can dry them in the oven at 100 degrees celcius for about 2 - 3 hours. Hope this is useful.

      Reply
    4. Ming Lacy

      March 12, 2018 at 8:22 am

      5 stars
      I'm so happy to have located your website.
      I'm half chinese and my mother was born in Shanghai, China.
      Unfortunately, I didn't learn how to prepare all my favorite chinese dishes before my mother died.
      The Sichuan food website let's me pursue those wonderful authenic chinese cuisine I thought was
      lost forever... And I love the videos.

      Thank you.

      Reply
      • Elaine

        March 12, 2018 at 8:43 am

        Welcome board, Ming. It is quite nice to see your comment at the beginning of the day. I have never thought to learn how to cook before leaving my hometown. But very soon, I feel, living outside, it is a must to learn how to cook hometown style dishes to help keep the memories. It is never too late to explore and trying. Happy cooking!

        Reply
        • Bert Dayego

          January 02, 2019 at 12:43 pm

          Hi when i read your recipe this morning i immediatwly eent to to the market to try it. My children lovee to eat this so much but but ordering to the dimsum resto really hurts my pocket so i hope i can satisfy them with this and cook it regularly. Thanks so much

          Reply
          • Elaine

            January 10, 2019 at 9:46 am

            You are the most welcome, Bert!

            Reply
    5. nik winson

      April 06, 2020 at 7:05 am

      5 stars
      Delicious. Thank you for the recipe!

      Reply
      • Elaine

        April 08, 2020 at 8:55 am

        Thanks. Happy cooking!

        Reply
    6. wayne

      May 24, 2020 at 4:25 pm

      Hi There is no mention of taking the outer skin off after cutting the toe nail ,is this not necessary in the recipe

      Reply
      • Elaine

        May 26, 2020 at 8:41 am

        Sorry I forgot this step because the chicken feet I bough usually has finished cutting.

        Reply
    7. Amy Baluyot

      August 29, 2020 at 4:48 pm

      Helo
      Is Sesame oil not included in the ingridients of chiken feet?
      Thanks

      Reply
      • Elaine

        September 02, 2020 at 8:14 am

        Amy,
        If you want to use sesame oil, drop some in the sauce for braising.

        Reply
    8. Andres Fidelino

      April 11, 2021 at 10:34 am

      5 stars
      It’s simply delicious!! Enjoyed IT with my drinks!!

      Reply
      • Elaine

        April 13, 2021 at 8:23 am

        Thank you, Andres!!

        Reply
        • Wilfredo Asuncion

          April 17, 2021 at 10:07 pm

          Hi Elaine,
          I live cooking chicken feet but somehow I cannot make the akin fluffier compared to Chinese restaurants.
          I want it softer and fluffier please help

          Reply
          • Elaine

            April 24, 2021 at 7:42 am

            You are use deep frying instead of shallow frying and then soak the chicken feet for longer time.

            Reply
    9. Minh Quy

      September 12, 2021 at 5:24 pm

      excuse me, can you tell me how did you calculate the nutrition facts table above?

      Reply
      • Elaine

        September 14, 2021 at 8:30 pm

        with a plugin with the recipe.

        Reply
    10. Nguyễn Minh Quý

      September 12, 2021 at 5:27 pm

      excuse me, can you tell me how did you calculate the nutrition facts table above?

      Reply
      • Elaine

        September 17, 2021 at 3:48 pm

        It is calculated by the recipe plugin.

        Reply
    « Older Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi Welcome

    Hi welcome to my little corner where I sharing authentic and easy to follow Chinese recipes. Don't be limited by the site name. Know me more from About Page.

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Popular

    • scallion pancakes|chinasichuanfood.com
      Scallion Pancakes (Cong You Bing)
    • mapo tofu|chinasichuanfood.com
      Mapo Tofu Recipe- Ma Po Tofu
    • boba pearls |chinasichuanfood.com
      How to Make Boba Pearls at Home -Tapioca Pearls
    • twice cooked pork belly|chinasichuanfood.com
      Twice Cooked Pork--Szechuan Pork Stir Fry
    • red braised pork belly|chinasichuanfood.com
      Red Braised Pork Belly —Hong Shao Rou
    • pork and mushroom stir fry|chinasichuanfood.com
      Pork and Mushroom Stir Fry

    Find Recipes

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    • Privacy Policy. Disclaimer. About. Hot Pot cookbook

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 ChinaSichuanFood.com | All Rights Reserved