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Chicken Feet Soup

This Chicken Feet Soup recipe is a satisfyingly rich and traditional Chinese soup. If you love the health benefits of chicken feet and bone broth, then this recipe is a must try.

Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
3 hrs
Total Time
4 hrs
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 291 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese

Ingredients

  • 2 oz dried kelp any dried seaweed is a good substitute
  • 1 pound chicken feet nails trimmed
  • 3/4 cup lotus root peeled and sliced, water chestnuts are a good substitute
  • 3 lices fresh ginger
  • 8 cups water
  • 1/2 cup carrots about 1 large carrot
  • 1 scallion sliced
  • sea salt to taste

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Soak the dried seaweed for an hour, rinsing it with water a couple of times to ensure there’s no sediment. Drain and set aside.
  2. Add the chicken feet and pork neck bones to a stockpot. Fill with enough water to submerge completely. Bring to a boil and let boil for 1 minute. Remove from the stock pot from the heat, then pour over a strainer.
  3. Add the chicken feet and pork neck bones back into the soup pot with the seaweed, lotus root, ginger, and water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.
  4. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cook with the lid on for an additional 20 minutes.
  5. Lastly, reduce the heat to a low simmer for 1 1/2 hours, then add the carrots and cook for another 30 minutes. At that point the carrots should be fork tender and the chicken feet are soft and falling off the bone.
  6. Before serving, add salt to taste and garnish with scallions or green onions.

Notes

  • Peanuts are very traditional in this recipe; however, they were omitted because legumes are not Paleo or AIP friendly. If you would like to add them in, add 1/2 cup of unsalted peanuts with the chicken feet.
  • Dried fish is another good substitute for the dried kelp or seaweed. I wanted this dish to be easy to make with ingredients you could find at most grocery stores like Sprouts or Whole Foods. However, if you have access to dried fish at an Asian store, I’d recommend dried scallops.
  • We used carrots for this recipe as we wanted the ingredients to be easy to obtain at most grocery stores. But papaya is more traditional. However, chunks of pumpkin or yam would be suitable as well. Just keep in mind they may need additional cooking time. You can also skip the carrots if you would like to use dates instead.
  • Red dates are also traditional in this recipe. In fact, most recipes contain chicken feet, peanuts, and red dates and not much else. Red dates are also dried jujubes. Medjool dates would be a good substitute. If you choose to use these, you only need 1-2. They should be added in with the chicken feet. They add a little bit of sweetness, which we are getting from the carrots, to help cut the fattiness of the chicken feet and pork.
  • Make sure to trim the nail off the chicken feet. It’s fine to keep them on if you are making bone broth but they could fall off in the soup. It’s not appetizing to chew on a chicken toenail, so this is an important step.
  • This recipe does best on the stove top. There aren’t a lot of ingredients and no chicken bouillon powder, so the flavor comes from the slow cooking. Therefore, it’s not recommended for the instant pot. If you want an Asian instant pot soup recipe, try this AIP Instant Pot Congee recipe. 
  • Please note that the dried seaweed is not the same as roasted seaweed. The seaweed that is used in sushi rolls or in the seaweed snacks is roasted. That is not appropriate for this recipe.
  • If you don't know what lotus root is, here is a video.
  • Here are instructions on how to prepare chicken feet.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1serving Calories 291kcal (15%) Carbohydrates 11g (4%) Protein 24g (48%) Fat 17g (26%) Saturated Fat 5g (25%) Polyunsaturated Fat 3g Monounsaturated Fat 6g Cholesterol 95mg (32%) Sodium 162mg (7%) Potassium 360mg (10%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 1g (2%) Vitamin A 2833IU (57%) Vitamin C 22mg (24%) Calcium 165mg (17%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 291

% Daily Value*

Serving 1serving
Calories 291kcal 15%
Carbohydrates 11g 4%
Protein 24g 48%
Fat 17g 26%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Polyunsaturated Fat 3g 18%
Monounsaturated Fat 6g 30%
Cholesterol 95mg 32%
Sodium 162mg 7%
Potassium 360mg 8%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 1g 2%
Vitamin A 2833IU 57%
Vitamin C 22mg 24%
Calcium 165mg 17%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.