Braised phoenix claws (鳯爪) chicken feet

I only like to eat chicken feet if they are fried before cooking. I remember my mum will boil them and then string them to dry in the sun for 3 days before frying them. Since my mum passed away I have not cooked chicken feet as I am too lazy to string and dry them. Also the air in Beijing is so polluted I really don’t want to hang food outside. Drying them is really important if you want the skin to fall off easily when cooked. One day I decided to try drying them in the oven and it worked so now I have no problems if I want to cook chicken feet.

 Chicken feet (雞脚) are mainly bones, skin, and tendons which makes it very gelatinous in texture. They are packed with protein, calcium, collagen, and cartilage, essential nutrients required for good joint movement to minimize arthritis and joint pain. Collagens also help increase elasticity of the skin and prevent wrinkles and premature aging. 

Ingredients

12 chicken feet

5 dried mushrooms

Soak the chicken feet in hot water to rehydrate the skin and make it less oily

This is what the chicken feet looks like when rehydrated

Soak the dried mushrooms

Quarter the mushrooms once they are soft

Heat up a little cooking oil and some sesame oil

Fry a few slices of ginger until fragrant

Put in the mushrooms and mix well with the oil

Put in the chicken feet and mix well

Add 1 tbsp dark soya sauce

2 tbsp oyster sauce

200 ml water

Season with salt and pepper

Transfer to the slow cooker and cook on low for 2 hours

Remove the children’s portion

Soak a few dried chillies to add oomph to the dish

Add the chillies to the chicken feet

Cook on low for another hour

Dish up and serve

Preparing the chicken feet

If you can, get the chicken seller to remove the yellow outer layer of thin skin, chop off the tip of the claws and cut off any dark patches on the inside of the feet 

Blanch the chicken feet to remove the scum

Drain off the excess water

Place the chicken feet in a baking tray

Put in the oven at 100 degrees celsius and let it dry out

This can take about 2 hours

Remove from the oven once the chicken feet are dried

As you can see they are just skin and bones now

Heat up sufficient oil and deep fry the chicken feet until golden in colour

There is no oil splatter if the feet are dried sufficiently

The fried chicken feet can be frozen for future use or braised the same day