Chicken foot broth. Yes, admittedly, it sounds gross, but it is really just misunderstood. Like Quasimodo or the Grinch, it sounds ugly, but in reality, it’s one of the most healing foods on the planet. It’s even made from scraps that would have otherwise been thrown away! Waste not, and all that!
Step One.
Obviously, you have to obtain chicken feet somewhere. We did our own on-farm chicken processing last weekend, so we had 50 feet at the ready, but if you don’t happen to have a bag of chicken feet just hanging around in your fridge, you do have options. A great place to start would be your local farmers market if they have a purveyor of pastured poultry, just ask. Yes, they might look at you like you have two heads, but they might just hook you up with some feet. Otherwise, look up places in town who grow pastured poultry, or ask a farmer friend. There is also the off chance that you will find the feet at a grocery store or ethnic market. Just keep your eyes open!
Step Two.
I think the reason people don’t like the thought of chicken foot broth is because you envision all the things the chicken have stepped in ending up in your soup. In reality, you completely strip away the outer layer of the foot, so nothing that goes into your soup has ever touched the ground. To do that you must scald the feet. Get out a big pot and a thermometer. Fill the pot with water and heat it to around 150° (somewhere between 145° and 155° works well.)
Step Three.
Working with a few feet at a time, place the chicken feet into the pot of hot water and let them sit for about 20-30 seconds.
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| Placing the chicken feet into the scalding water |
Step Four.
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| Note the yellow outer nail next to the smaller, pinkish inner nail. |
Step Five.
Remove the outer covering on the toenail. Usually it pops right off, sometime it requires a little coaxing, but the whole outer shell should come off. Again, remember, nothing that touched the ground is going in our soup! If you get a really stubborn one, just cut it off, this isn’t a big deal, so don’t waste your time if you get a tough one.
Step Six.
When all your chicken feet are clean, rinse them well and dump them into a large stock pot. Cover with water, add a splash of vinegar (to help release the goodness from the bones) and any veggies you like. I add a generous pinch of salt and pepper at this point, but some people prefer to season it as they use it, so to each his own! Bring to a boil over medium heat, and then simmer for 24 hours if you are able to devote that much time to it. You will have a very passable broth in a few hours, but after 24 you can be assured that you have gotten every last drop of healing goodness out of the bones.
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| Well, it won’t win an beauty contests, but this broth will help keep us fed and healthy this fall and winter! |
Step Seven.
Now you simply need to strain your broth and either store it, or preserve it. Freezing works great, but I went with canning for this batch. Please note, a water bath canner isn’t adequate for non-acidic foods such as broth, so you have to pull out the big guns and use a pressure canner, being careful to follow the directions to a T. I do believe it is worth it though, as I’ve saved my precious freezer space, and I have jars in my pantry that are just as easy to use as the boxes of broth from the store!
So what about you? Have you ever used chicken feet? What about a pressure canner? Let me hear it!
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Awesome!
Kelli B
Thanks!
Okay, this is totally grotesque, but I’m pinning it. You never know what you might need to do. ~smile~ I don’t think I’ll ever find this anywhere else. ~smiles~
Laura
Harvest Lane Cottage
You just never know. My husband very politely asked me to just not tell him when he was eating “regular” chicken broth vs. “foot broth.” 🙂
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We are butchering in a couple weeks and hubby and I were just discussing what to do with the feet. My parents used to eat them (cooked with rice). GROSS, but this I think might work. Thanks!! 🙂
You’re welcome! I hope you enjoy it! As part of a deal with my husband, I just label the jars “bone broth” and mix them in with the broth from the necks, etc. so he can’t tell the difference! 🙂 It helps him with the ick factor.
My boss’s family used to steam them with a thick black sauce until they were soft-chewy and they are also served for chinese dim sum (brunch).
LOL I was telling someone not too long ago about ‘chicken feet soup’ my mom used to make way long time ago. She and my aunts would go CRAZY over it.It was after we had a chicken plucking day, then the soup was made. Thanks for the tutorial on making this.
I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading!
I actually give raw chicken feet to my dogs – they LOVE them!!! I also use them to make delicious broth.
I bet they would love them! I have a bag of them in my freezer waiting on my attention. If I need the space back I may totally start feeding them to the dogs as treats. It has to be healthier than a milk bone, right? Thanks for the tip!
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Thanks for posting this believe it or not for the last 2 years i have processed my chickens here on the farm and threw out the feet:(( not anymore!