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Speak to Me of Chicken Feet

sequim

By sequim
in Food Traditions & Culture

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sequim

sequim

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I consider myself an adventurous eater but so far, have not been able to cross the Chinese chicken feet line. I take that back. Many years ago in Chicago, my sister and I went to Chinatown and being the adventurous eaters we thought ourselves to be, ordered them. They arrived, looking like chicken feet (we kind of thought the name was a cute euphemism for something else...oh well) and we tasted them by eating some of the sauce. It was awful and we really didn't know if we were supposed to eat the actual feet or not. Where's the meat? I frequent dim sum in Seattle now with my sister and her husband, but we always pass on the feet. However, I've heard they're good and I want to make the leap. I just need some education.

This Sunday we go to dim sum and we're taking my mom for her first time. I think it would be fun to finally do the feet. But I want to know what's to like and how do I eat these things! I want to be an educated feet eater. :smile:

Thank you.

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sequim

sequim

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Disclaimer: I'm not an adventurous eater.

Proclaimer: I have chickens. Their feet is the last part of them I'd ever eat.

I hope you like them!

:raz:

Millions of Chinese can't be wrong, can they? :blink:

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mongo_jones

mongo_jones

Posted
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I consider myself an adventurous eater but so far, have not been able to cross the Chinese chicken feet line. I take that back. Many years ago in Chicago, my sister and I went to Chinatown and being the adventurous eaters we thought ourselves to be, ordered them. They arrived, looking like chicken feet (we kind of thought the name was a cute euphemism for something else...oh well) and we tasted them by eating some of the sauce. It was awful and we really didn't know if we were supposed to eat the actual feet or not. Where's the meat? I frequent dim sum in Seattle now with my sister and her husband, but we always pass on the feet. However, I've heard they're good and I want to make the leap. I just need some education.

This Sunday we go to dim sum and we're taking my mom for her first time. I think it would be fun to finally do the feet. But I want to know what's to like and how do I eat these things! I want to be an educated feet eater. :smile:

Thank you.

ah, but you have to love texture. chicken feet (of the dim-sum variety) are less about meat and more about connective tissue and fat. and sucking the accompanying sauce off the skin and out of the crevices. mmm mmm mmm!

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snowangel

snowangel

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Interesting this comes up now. I have a lot of chicken feet (like 7 lbs.). I put a couple into some really weak chicken stock last night, and (with a few additions) came up with a most sublime and voluptuous chicken soup.

What else can I do with them? Suppose I should pull out Wei Chuan and/or Pei Meil, but what do the EG experts have to say?

They sort of gross out the rest of the family, but if they taste good, or are fun to eat, I can cajole them...

Susan Fahning aka "snowangel"
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Mudpuppie

Mudpuppie

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Disclaimer: I'm not an adventurous eater.

Proclaimer: I have chickens. Their feet is the last part of them I'd ever eat.

I hope you like them!

:raz:

Millions of Chinese can't be wrong, can they? :blink:

Of course not! I'm sure they're right.

But their chickens' feet must be cleaner than mine! :laugh:

amanda

Googlista

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sequim

sequim

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I kinda think that will put my brother-in-law off as he can hardly stand bone-in meat...and this is a foodie-guy believe it or not.

My mom likes bones and gristle and other chewies though!

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nessa

nessa

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I had some Chinese friends take me to dim sum at the Phoenix in Chicago's Chinatown. One of the ordered the feet and I did try one little nibble. The sauce was absolutely delicious. Everything else was like rubber and I just couldnt do it.

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jschyun

jschyun

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Posted (edited)

There isn't any meat on chicken feet. There are only bones, cartilage and the skin.

Really what you're doing when you eat chicken feet during dim sum, is sucking the cartilage/skin off the chicken feet bones. Then you spit out the bones. At the good places, the sauce enhances the taste of the chicken, so that you basically want to lick the sauce off the plate. It's about the sauce, and how well they cook the chicken feet so it's not tough yet not flubbery. Actually, I don't recall ever having terrible chicken feet. I generally only order it when it looks "right", though I should probably try some of the really bad stuff just to see what it's like.

Where did you go?

-edit

Actually, I should state everyone has their own technique for eating chicken feet.

For dim sum, I usually like the chicken feet in black bean sauce, but there are several other preparations I've seen, curry sauce, what appears to be plain boiled but I guess is pickled (haven't had) known as "crystal" chicken feet. Have fun.

--end edit

Edited by jschyun (log)

I love cold Dinty Moore beef stew. It is like dog food! And I am like a dog.

--NeroW

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lannie

lannie

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Ahh... Chicken feet. It took me a while to learn to appreciate them (used to always wonder where those feet had been!).

Yes, it is all about the texture and, if the sauce is prepared well, it is quite a tasty treat to suck at the 'toes' and then spit out the 'knuckle bones'! :raz: There are usually 2 different ways that they're prepared: in a dark sauce, or pickled (the feet remain a pallid white colour). I prefer the dark sauce.

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sequim

sequim

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Where did you go?

Oh goodness, this was back in the 70's and my memory is very very hazy. I'm sure we didn't even know where we were at the time! And our palates were very untrained then so the sauce was probably fine.

That was a good description, sounds like alot of feet-sucking involved.

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mongo_jones

mongo_jones

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I like the white chicken feet. I've had it served cold with all the bones remove so it sorta reminds me of a jellyfish appetizer with julienned scallions scattered on top.

does all the bones removed mean no skin? or do they just slit the skin and remove the bones? if so, i wouldn't want that job.

edited to add: mmmm jellyfish...

while we're on the subject of dim-sum people are scared to eat, has anyone had the duck-tongue in spicy sauce? really good stuff, but it was real disconcerting the first time to discover that there was a bone or something in the middle of the tongue. i suppose there's something weirdly fetishistic about eating a tongue--yes, i have frenched a dead duck.

Edited by mongo_jones (log)
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tissue

tissue

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I like the white chicken feet. I've had it served cold with all the bones remove so it sorta reminds me of a jellyfish appetizer with julienned scallions scattered on top.

does all the bones removed mean no skin? or do they just slit the skin and remove the bones? if so, i wouldn't want that job.

edited to add: mmmm jellyfish...

while we're on the subject of dim-sum people are scared to eat, has anyone had the duck-tongue in spicy sauce? really good stuff, but it was real disconcerting the first time to discover that there was a bone or something in the middle of the tongue. i suppose there's something weirdly fetishistic about eating a tongue--yes, i have frenched a dead duck.

There is skin. They slit it and they just take out the bones so it looks slightly julienned. I don't know how long it takes, but I sure appreciate the labor intensity.

Duck tongue stir fried with chinese basil and chilis are really good.

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sequim

sequim

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not to mention their pigs' uteruses and "bungs"

And these are food items?? I'm afraid to ask...

Thanks everybody for the tutorial. I don't want to miss out on any edible goodies so I will order a plate of them this Sunday knowing how to correctly eat them! We'll see who at my table will join me...

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robyn

robyn

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I don't think that chicken feet are particularly exotic these days since most Chinese buffet places in Jacksonville (all you can eat for $5.99) serve them (because they're cheap). They're too much work/too little eating reward in my opinion - but if the sauce is good - I'll dump some on a little rice and eat it. Robyn

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sequim

sequim

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I don't think that chicken feet are particularly exotic these days since most Chinese buffet places in Jacksonville (all you can eat for $5.99) serve them (because they're cheap).  They're too much work/too little eating reward in my opinion - but if the sauce is good - I'll dump some on a little rice and eat it.  Robyn

They are everywhere but most people don't eat them, that's for sure! Okay, this past Sunday I took my mom, my sister and brother-in-law to Sun Ya in Seattle's chinatown district for dim sum. I ordered a plate and the waitress gave me a grin. I munched on them like little corn cobs, chewing mostly skin, and then picked the bones out of my mouth. Mmmm, I agree, alot of work for little reward. And they seemed kinda overly greasy. I did get my mom to help me eat them, but the other two, no way. I guess the sauce wasn't good enough to make me want to finish the dish. But maybe all I needed was a recommendation of who has good chicken feet...

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