Hot and Spicy Chicken Feet Recipe

The Spruce Eats / Madhumita Sathishkumar

Bring Asian street food into your kitchen with this hot and spicy chicken feet recipe. This amazing appetizer doesn’t have much meat to it, but it is packed with complex flavor. The use of sake, fresh ginger, soy sauce, hot chiles, cinnamon, and star anise, along with the classic Asian sauces—oyster and hoisin—create a delightful mixture for your taste buds.

While chicken feet are known to be a favorite treat in Asian countries, the appetizer is becoming more popular here in the United States. It is also enjoyed in Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, Romania, Moldova, Italy, Jamaica, South Africa, Peru, and Mexico. Chicken feet are eaten similarly to the way we eat chicken wings, so instead of making wings next time you’re watching the big game, change it up with these spicy chicken feet.

Ingredients

• 32 chicken feet (about 2 pounds)

• Kosher salt

• 1/2 cup sake

• 1/3 cup water

• 6 large thin slices fresh ginger

• 1/3 cup soy sauce

• 1/4 cup sugar (Chinese yellow rock or granulated sugar)

• 2 dried hot chiles, crushed

• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce

• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

• 2 pods star anise

• 1 stick cinnamon

• 1 cup sliced scallions (1-inch pieces)

• 2 tablespoons minced scallions, garnish

• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted, garnish

Steps to Make It

1. Gather the ingredients.

   The Spruce Eats / Madhumita Sathishkumar

2. Rub the cleaned chicken feet with kosher salt and let stand for 10 minutes.

   The Spruce Eats / Madhumita Sathishkumar

3. Rinse the salted chicken feet under cold water.

   The Spruce Eats / Madhumita Sathishkumar

4. Boil another pot of water, salt it generously, and add the chicken feet; blanch for 5 minutes and drain well.

   The Spruce Eats / Madhumita Sathishkumar

5. Place a 14-inch sauté pan over high heat. Add the chicken and dry-sear until lightly brown.

   The Spruce Eats / Madhumita Sathishkumar

6. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook, covered, for about 10 minutes.

   The Spruce Eats / Madhumita Sathishkumar

7. Uncover and simmer until the sauce has become thick and cooked down, tossing frequently to coat the feet as the sauce reduces.

   The Spruce Eats / Madhumita Sathishkumar

8. Garnish with minced scallions and toasted sesame seeds. Serve and enjoy.

   The Spruce Eats / Madhumita Sathishkumar

Tips for Cleaning Chicken Feet

• Add the chicken feet, in batches if necessary, to a large pot of boiling and cook for approximately 30 seconds. While you can add more than 1 chicken foot at a time, make sure not to overcrowd the pot. Set each chicken foot on a plate to cool. Once cool enough to handle, begin peeling off the skin one foot at a time. You may find it easier to peel the top layer of the nails first before removing the skin from the rest of the foot, but either way is fine. The goal is to remove the top layer of skin and nails. Proceed to fully cut the nails off of each chicken foot at the first joint. The scaly skin and nails are unusable and should be discarded.
• You can clean the chicken feet up to a day prior to cooking. Just place them in the refrigerator until you are ready to proceed with the recipe.
• Chicken feet freeze well and will keep for at least six months as long as they are wrapped airtight to protect them from any freezer burn.

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