The rich gelatin of the feet creates a rich and nutritious stock.
The other day my father announced that he missed chicken feet.
(What?!)
Elise Bauer
Making stock from chicken feet has been a human activity for thousands of years.
Most of our grandmothers or great grandmothers used feet in their stock as a matter of fact.
Stock made from chicken feet is fabulous, and incredibly good for you with all that gelatin.
Elise Bauer
After a lot of digging, I found a few old recipes.
All recipes call for boiling the feet first, and then draining the boiling water.
Another step that all the old recipes take is to cut off the claw tips.
Elise Bauer
Expect to get a lot of stock out of the chicken feet.
Where to find chicken feet?
Probably the best place to look is in Chinese or Asian markets.
Elise Bauer
Put the chicken feet into a large stock pot and cover with boiling water.
Boil for 5 minutes.
Drain the chicken feet completely.
Elise Bauer
Rinse with cold water so that the feet are cool enough to handle.
Using a sharp knife, chop off the tips of the claws and discard.
They should cut easily if you cut them through the joint.
Elise Bauer
If any rough patches of claw pad remain, cut them away with a paring knife.
Place chicken feet in a clean large stockpot.
Fill with cold water to cover the feet by an inch.
Elise Bauer
Add carrots, onions, celery, thyme, bay leaf, and peppercorns.
Bring to a simmer and immediately reduce the temperature to low.
Occasionally skim any foam that may come to the surface.
Elise Bauer
Uncover the pot and increase the heat slightly to maintain a low simmer with the pot now uncovered.
Continue to cook for an hour or two.
At this point you are reducing the stock so that it is easier to store.
Elise Bauer
Strain through several layers of cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer (ideally both) into a pot.
Let cool for an hour or so before storing in the refrigerator.
When your stock has cooled, it should firm up nicely into a gel.
Elise Bauer
