Chinese🥩 Meat

Chicken Feet (Phoenix Claws)

Name: Chicken Feet (Phoenix Claws)
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: ~2 lb chicken feet; 4 cups water; 3 ginger; 1 green onion; 2 tbsp honey; 1 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine; 1 oz peanuts; 1 oz fermented black beans; 2 garlic; ~2 tbsp ginger; 1 oz shallots; 3 red chili pepper; 1 tbsp black bean sauce; 2 tbsp oyster sauce; 2 tbsp light soy sauce; 1 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine; ½ tbsp dark soy sauce; 2 tbsp sugar; 1 tsp salt; 1 tbsp hoisin sauce; 1 tsp chili sauce; 12 oz oil; 3 cups water; ~1 red bell pepper; 2 star anise

⏱ 90 min

A classic Cantonese dim sum dish made through blanching, deep-frying, and braising. The result is tender, flavorful chicken feet with that iconic tiger-skin texture, finished with a brief steam to serve like restaurant-quality dim sum.

Adapted from a video by Made With Lau

🐓 Chicken Feet: Just Like Dim Sum! (鳳爪)

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

chicken feet~2 lbest.
waterfor blanching4 cups
gingersliced, for blanching3
green onionone stalk, discarded after blanching1
honeyor maltose, helps browning during frying2 tbsp
Shaoxing cooking winefor blanching1 tbsp
peanuts1 oz
fermented black beans

Steps

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1
Blanch chicken feet in cold water with ginger slices, green onion, honey, and Shaoxing wine. Bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over medium heat for 1–2 minutes until cooked through.
2
Prepare aromatics: rinse and soak peanuts and fermented black beans. Smash and chop garlic into large chunks, cut ginger into angular pieces, and chop shallots into chunks. Leave red chili peppers whole and measure out two pieces of star anise.
3
Make the sauce by combining black bean sauce, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, dark soy sauce, sugar, salt, hoisin sauce, and chili sauce.
4
Trim the toenails from the blanched chicken feet as close to the tip as possible using kitchen shears or a knife. Pat them dry thoroughly with paper towels to prevent oil splattering.
5
Heat oil to approximately 350°F (test with a wooden chopstick—it should bubble vigorously). Carefully add chicken feet and cover with a lid to contain splatter. Deep-fry for 2–3 minutes until golden brown, then immediately soak in ice water.
6
Soak the chicken feet in ice water for about 10 minutes to develop the distinctive tiger-skin texture—wrinkled and puffy. After soaking, cut larger pieces in half lengthwise for easier eating.
7
Heat oil in a wok over high heat. Stir-fry ginger and garlic, then add red chili, shallots, star anise, and fermented black beans. Pour in the prepared sauce.
8
Add all fried chicken feet and mix well. Pour in 3 cups of boiling water to cover the feet, then add the soaked peanuts. Taste and adjust seasoning—it should be salty, sweet, and slightly spicy.
9
Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium heat. Braise for about 40 minutes until the chicken feet are tender and fully flavored.
10
Transfer the braised chicken feet, peanuts, and sauce into a serving bowl. Garnish with red bell pepper shreds and top with fermented black beans. Steam in a steamer for about 10 minutes to heat through before serving. (Optional: you can skip steaming if eating immediately; steaming is mainly needed when reheating leftovers.)

Chicken Feet (Phoenix Claws)

Ingredients

Steps

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