Dim Sum Chicken Feet
User Reviews
5
Dim Sum Chicken Feet
Description
This recipe starts by thoroughly cleaning chicken feet and drying them to ensure even frying. The tips of the claws and any discolored spots are trimmed. Lightly coated in cornstarch, the feet are fried in hot oil for a short time until they turn a lighter shade of brown and begin to firm up. After frying, excess oil is drained off on a rack.
The feet are then braised in a large pot of water seasoned with sliced ginger, smashed garlic, star anise, oyster sauce, and Shaoxing wine. This slow simmering tenderizes the feet and infuses them with aromatic and savory notes. Finally, a sauce is prepared from the braising liquid thickened with cornstarch, flavored with black bean chili oil, brown sugar, oyster sauce, soy sauce (light), crushed black pepper, and minced garlic.
This multi-step process results in chicken feet with a delicate chewiness that is coated in a glossy, spicy-sweet sauce with complex layers of umami. This dish is commonly served as part of dim sum offerings and pairs well with steamed buns or rice.
Ingredients
Frying
- 1 lb chicken feet
- neutral cooking oil vegetable oil preferred
- ¼ c cornstarch
Braising
- 10 c water
- 3 inches ginger sliced
- 6 cloves garlic smashed
- 4 cloves star anise
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine or rice wine vinegar, chianking is alternate spelling
Sauce
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp neutral cooking oil vegetable oil preferred
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- ¼ c braising liquid from above
- 2 tsp dark brown sugar
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce light
- ¼ tsp black pepper crushed
- 2 tsp black bean chili oil
Instructions
Frying
- Clean your chicken feet by running them under cold water to remove any brown spots or extra bone fragments and pat dry. Place them on a cooling rack to dry out as much as possible for at least 30 minutes on your counter (or your fridge if you want to dry them out longer).
- Use sharp kitchen scissors or a knife to cut the tips of the claws/nails and also other dark spots around the feet.
- In a bowl, add the cornstarch and lightly cover the chicken with the cornstarch. Dust off excess cornstarch and place the chicken feet back on the rack.
- Fill a heavy bottomed pot with vegetable oil (or another neutral oil) to about two inches and preheat oil to 375 °F. Carefully lower the chicken feet one by one into the oil and fry for about two minutes or until they turn lighter brown.
- Transfer the chicken to a cooling rack to remove excess oil and cool. Repeat with the next batch of chicken feet.
Braising
- Braising immediately after frying allows for plump and supple chicken feet, so don't wait. In a large stock pot over medium-high heat, add in water, ginger, garlic, star anise, oyster sauce, chinkiang wine, and the deep fried chicken feet. Bring to a boil and stir. Lower the heat to medium-low or to a simmer and cover the pot. Simmer for about one hour.
Sauce
- After braising, the chicken feet should look puffy and soft. Transfer the chicken feet into a bowl and filter the braising liquid to save for later using a strainer to remove aromatics. TIP: I try not to premake the braised chicken feet the day before because I found the chicken feet don’t soak up the flavorful sauce as much as fresh braised feet. It also takes longer to heat up the already supple chicken feet and can cause skin breakage.
- In a medium saucepan over medium, add vegetable oil and saute garlic for about 30 second or until fragrant.
- In a small bowl mix the cornstarch and water.
- Add the remaining Sauce ingredients to the pot and stir until the sugar has dissolved, then cook for another minute.
- While stirring the sauce, add in the cornstarch and water mixture and stir to fully dissolve. The sauce should begin to thicken very fast so keep stirring to make sure all the liquid is incorporated. If it’s too thick you can add more braising liquid to thin it out. See photo for the target sauce consistency.
- Add in the chicken feet and stir to coat each piece. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 3Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 5133 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 513.3kcal | 26% |
| Carbohydrates | 23.8g | 8% |
| Protein | 32.2g | 64% |
| Fat | 31.6g | 49% |
| Saturated Fat | 10.1g | 51% |
| Trans Fat | 0.3g | 15% |
| Cholesterol | 127mg | 42% |
| Sodium | 1089.5mg | 45% |
| Potassium | 131.9mg | 3% |
| Fiber | 1.6g | 6% |
| Sugar | 2.4g | 5% |
| Vitamin A | 151.2IU | 3% |
| Vitamin C | 3.3mg | 4% |
| Calcium | 184.9mg | 18% |
| Iron | 2.1mg | 12% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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