Red Braised Chicken Feet

Hong Shao Ji Zhua (红烧鸡爪)

These chicken feet are incredibly tender and delicious, having been braised in a red aromatic sauce with robust spices such as star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaves.

Though it may seem odd to westerners, chicken feet dishes are quite common in China and much of Asia, served as appetizers, sides, or as part of a dim sum meal. Red Braised Chicken Feet is a lesser-known chicken feet dish, but satisfies all the best aspects. The skin is tender and supple with an excellent texture, the sauce is rich and aromatic with balanced saltiness and sweetness, and the meat is pure and delicious without any unwanted or unpleasant flavors.

Creating that irresistible skin texture is actually not so difficult. Chicken feet when cooked improperly can be a bit rubbery and chewy or even soft and mushy. The secret is to pre-cook the chicken feet in boiling water and then plunge them into cold water. Boiling the chicken feet relaxes the skin and makes it ultra-tender. Plunging the chicken feet into ice water firms the skin slightly, giving it more elasticity. By doing these two key steps, the chicken feet can be gently stir-fried and flavored a number of different ways – preferably using the red braising method listed below.

Though the skin will be supple after its ice water bath, still use great care when stir-frying the Chicken Feet. You don’t want to break the skin unnecessarily. So, when adding the Chicken Feet, pull the wok away from the heat and toss the Chicken Feet gently with Aromatics to temper the skin. The Chicken Feet can be stir-fried a bit more liberally at this point, but once the Chicken Feet are braising, don’t mix them too strongly. A great trick is to swirl the Chicken Feet around the bottom of the wok occasionally to coat them in the red braising sauce. This will ensure the Chicken Feet are both evenly coated and evenly cooked.

Prep Time: 10 min.

Cook Time: 30 min.

Total Time: 40 min

Serving: 2 - 4 people

Ingredients

500 grams of Chicken Feet

Boiling Ingredients
4 stalks of Small Scallion (小葱; tied in a knot)
4-inch piece of Ginger
2 Tbsp. Shaoxing Rice Wine
1 tsp. Sichuan Peppercorns

Aromatics and Chilies
2-inch block of smashed Ginger
4 cloves of Garlic
2 Star Anise
2-inch-long stick of Cinnamon
2 Bay Leaves
1/2 tsp. Green Sichuan Peppercorns

1/4 cup Peanut Oil

2 Tbsp. Red Colored Syrup (糖色)
2 tsp. Light Soy Sauce
1 tsp. Dark Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp. Shaoxing Rice Wine

Seasonings
1 – 2 tsp. Sugar
1/2 – 1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. MSG
1/4 tsp. White Pepper

Garnish
1 tsp. finely sliced Small Scallion (小葱)

Directions

1.) Use kitchen shears or a cleaver to snip off the talons of each Chicken Foot, discard the talons, and set the Feet aside in a large pot.

2.) Fill the pot with water and add the Boiling Ingredients (Scallion, Ginger, Shaoxing Rice Wine, and Sichuan Pepper). Bring the water to a boil and skim away any scum that rises to the surface. Once the surface of the water is clear, remove the Chicken Feet with a large slotted spoon and plunge them immediately into an ice bath. Once cool, drain the water and allow the Chicken Feet to air dry while preparing the other ingredients.

3.) Peel and slice the Garlic and Ginger, placing them in a bowl with the other Aromatics (Star Anise, Cinnamon, Bay Leaves, and Sichuan Pepper).

(If using normal-sized Chicken Legs, cook them longer for about 10 minutes. Gently stirring the Chicken Legs as they fry will prevent them from sticking to each other or the bottom of the wok and developing black spots).

4.) Add 1/4 cup of Peanut Oil to a seasoned wok and heat on high until nearly smoking. Pull the wok away from heat and add the Aromatics. Stir-fry just a few seconds until aromatic, add the Chicken Feet, return the wok to heat, and stir-fry another few seconds just until everything is combined.

5.) Add the Red Colored Syrup around the sides of the wok; mix it quickly into the Chicken Feet. Add the Light Soy Sauce and Dark Soy Sauce and quickly mix them into the Chicken Feet. Finally, add the Shaoxing Rice Wine along with 2 cups of water.

6.) Cover the wok with a lid and bring the sauce to a boil. Then, remove the lid and add the Seasonings (Sugar, Salt, MSG, and White Pepper). Reduce the heat to medium low, cover the wok with a lid, and continue to cook at a low boil for about 15 to 30 minutes until the sauce has reduced to one’s preferred consistency.

7.) Once the sauce has reduced by at least half or more, plate the Red Braised Chicken Feet and Garnish with sliced Scallion.

 

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