Locals around America consume a whole lot of chicken, at about 100 pounds per person per year. However, one aspect of the bird is often discarded as waste, the chicken feet. Chicken’s feet are considered a tasty food item to consume around some parts of the world. Korea, the Philippines, Vietnam, and several other countries all have their classic chicken feet recipes.  If there’s one spot where it’s the most common, it’s China. Across the country, chicken legs are eaten from formal banquet halls to hole-in-the-wall lunch counters.

While chicken feet are praised for how healthy they are, mostly attributed to their high collagen content, they are also deep-fried and served with several sauces to be consumed, which make you think, “Are chicken feet healthy?” 

Also read: Undercooked Chicken: Avoid It At All Costs

What are the nutrition values for chicken feet? 

Chicken feet consist mainly of connective tissue—skin, cartilage, tendons, and bones. They are also very healthy and offer a decent amount of vitamins and minerals.

A serving of 2 chicken legs (70 grams) provides:

Calories: 150

Protein: 14 g

Fats: 10 grams

Carbs: 0.14 g.

Calcium: 5% of the Daily Value (DV)

Phosphorous: 5% of the DV

Vitamin A: 2% of the DV

Folate (vitamin B9): 15% of DV

Around 70% of the overall protein content is collagen, a structural protein that provides structure, strength, and resilience to your skin, tendons, muscles, bones, and ligaments.

Chicken feet are also an excellent source of folate (vitamin B9) that assists with DNA synthesis and prevents birth defects. Their fat content comes mainly from the flesh, which is normally extracted for cooking. However, chicken legs are frequently deep-fried or eaten with gravy, which can drastically incline their starch, fat and calorie content.

Benefits of Eating Chicken Feet 

Here are all the benefits you can gain from eating chicken feet

1. Better skin health and complexion 

Data shows that the consumption of collagen can boost the hydration, roughness, elasticity and density of your skin. Study at a Taiwanese University has also confirmed chicken legs as a healthy alternative to collagen. The usual origin of collagen is bovine, pork and aquatic fish. But the cost of output from these resources is costly.

Also, animal studies note that collagen can improve the hydration of the skin and reduce the production of wrinkles caused by ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation, a type of ultraviolet ray that causes sunburn. Chicken feet are not only high in collagen but also a strong supply of hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulphate. Hyaluronic acid is considered the fountain of youth—it can counteract the symptoms of ageing. Chondroitin sulphate is ideal for osteoarthritis, but it’s good for patients with joint problems.

2. Helps with joint pains and arthritis 

Chicken feet are made up of bones, skin, and tendons, but no muscles. They are filled with protein, calcium, trace minerals, collagen and cartilage that are readily absorbed into the body. These are the basic components required for proper joint mobility to reduce arthritis and joint pain.

3. Helps obtain better blood circulation 

Collagen which contains arginine helps to create nitric oxide in the body. Nitric oxide is a tiny molecule that can pass in and from cells, and one of its major purposes is to relieve the smooth muscle cells. These smooth muscle cells are found in the blood vessels throughout a person’s body. As the blood pressure falls, it causes a better circulatory system to occur since the blood vessels calm down. When more blood reaches the tissues, it is better fed. 

Collagen found in feet of chicken also helps to strengthen the blood vessels. The proline observed in the collagen protects its integrity and improves its elasticity. Proline allows the body to break down the proteins required to create nourished cells. 

Chicken Feet Recipe

Here are some of the recipes to make chicken feet:

Braised Chicken feet 

Ingredients:

Chicken Feet: You ought to clip the claws and scrub them properly before cooking.

Vegetable Oil: has a high level of smoke, but do not replace extra virgin olive oil.

Garlic: Use raw garlic in place of garlic powder.

Ginger: Brings a fantastic taste to the bowl. Remove the skin and break into small pieces.

Soy Sauce: Adds a good saltiness and a hint of umami. We advocate using dark soya sauce for a good darker hue, but you can use light soya sauce if you want.

Oyster Sauce: sweet and spicy, with a richer taste.

Sugar: Let’s sweeten the gravy. You can use normal sugar or brown sugar.

Beer: Beer braising improves the recipe by making a more aromatic sauce.

Recipe:

Snip the nails off the feet with a sharp blade and wash the legs properly.

Add chicken feet to a skillet or wok, and add cold water to fill chicken legs into.

Carry to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes, then drain.

Place the wok or skillet over medium-high heat, add vegetable oil, garlic and ginger. Stir to the fry until fragrant.

Attach chicken feet, soy sauce, oyster sauce and your choice of sugar.

Plop in the beer, carry to a boil.

Close the lid and cook for 25-30 minutes.

Remove the cover and crank the heat on. Stir until the sauce has thickened.

Chicken feet with black beans 

Ingredients

1/2 kilo of chicken feet

Salt bath, for boiling

1/3 cup of char siu sauce

2 litres of water

1/2 cup of Chinese rice wine

2 chunks of anise star

1-3cm piece of ginger, diced,

1/3 cup of black beans (tausi)

2 tablespoons of catsup

1 tablespoon of sesame oil

1 slice of red chili pepper (siling labuyo) finely chopped

1/4 cup of white sugar

To taste, pepper.

Recipe:

Rinse the chicken feet thoroughly in a big bowl of salted water, eliminating any scaly yellow surface layer. Trim the claws and dispose of them, then put the chicken feet in a large bowl and marinate in char siu sauce for at least 3 hours or overnight. Drain those feet, then pat dry with a paper towel.

Put 2 liters of water, rice wine, anise star, ginger and chicken legs in a large saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil in medium pressure. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 1⁄2 hour or until tender. Strain chicken wings, reserving 125 ml (1⁄2 cup) of cooking liquid. In the meantime, in a wok, combine black beans, ketchup, sesame oil, chili, ginger, sugar and reserved cooking liquid and season with ground pepper. Add 1⁄2 cup of the boiling liquid.

Bring to a simmer, then reduce to medium heat. Add chicken feet and simmer, stirring regularly, for 5 minutes or until chicken legs are cooked through and the sauce is slightly thickened. Serve instantly or cool and, if needed, reheat in a steamer basket. Now that you have all the necessary information all you need to do is go and purchase some chicken feet. You have nothing to lose but so much to gain! Enjoy! 

Also Read: 10 Best Ways to Cook And Eat Chicken Feet