This ginger chicken feet soup is a natural source of collagen. The chicken feet are boiled on a stove until soft and tender, you barely need to chew. Even if you don’t eat chicken feet, the flavorful collagen-extracted broth may offer anti-inflammatory benefits, just like bone broth.
About this recipe
Chicken feet are famous in South East Asian countries. In Malaysia, my home country, chicken feet soup is a typical homemade dish.
This gingery chicken feet soup is a recipe I would make at least once every two months. I have always been fond of chicken feet, which I believe was strongly influenced by my mother.
Growing up, there was always an abundance of frozen chicken feet in our freezer. My mother, a cook at her own cafe, would bring back a never-ending supply of chicken feet from work.
Some weekends, she would make chicken feet soup at home, which she called collagen soup. She made it sound like a beauty elixir to me and my sister. Perhaps that’s why we, the women in the house, favor it the most compared to the rest of the family.
Now that I have psoriatic arthritis, I see this gingery chicken feet soup as more than just a beauty soup. It is a comforting dish from my mother that hits home and a nourishing collagen soup for my joints and skin.
High in collagen
Chicken feet are naturally high in collagen, not only from the cartilage but also from the skin and the bone. The content from chicken feet is 70% collagen of the total protein. Even commercial gelatine has less collagen than chicken feet.
If you don’t know what you can benefit from collagen, here are some of the popular health benefits collagen might offer:
- Improve skin, hair, and nails
- Improve bones density
- Helping in building muscle
- May promote gut health
Although our body produces collagen naturally, over time, as we age, it can decrease depending on our lifestyle and diet.
I am sure you have heard of collagen supplements, but high-quality collagen can be costly, highly processed, and may contain artificial flavorings. So, chicken feet offer a natural and affordable way to boost your collagen intake.
Why you will love this recipe?
Nutrient-rich—Chicken feet make a nutritious broth. Apart from their collagen-rich nature, they contain other essential minerals like calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, and folate (vitamin B9).
Calcium and phosphorous are good for bone health, magnesium helps you feel your best physically and mentally, while folate helps your body build healthy cells.
Nutrition in chicken feet
100 g of boiled chicken feet (about 3-4 pieces) contain:
- Calories: 215 kcal
- Protein: 19.4 grams
- Fat: 14.6 grams
- Calcium: 88 mg
- Magnesium: 5 mg
- Phosphorous: 83 mg
- Vitamin A: 30 µg
- Folate (vitamin B9): 86 µg
Source – USDA
Soft, slip-off-the-bone meat—Unlike other chicken feet recipes that can be tough, this chicken feet soup guarantees tenderness and melts in your mouth (given that you follow the instructions correctly).
It is essential to boil the meat for an hour to soften, and then simmer them with the other ingredients for another 30 minutes. This will make the meat so soft and flavorful that you barely need to chew.
No highly processed flavoring + gluten-free—Many Asian soup recipes contain additional sauces such as soy sauce, oyster sauce, MSG, and chicken bouillon. This recipe relies only on natural ingredients. If you are gluten-free, no need to worry.
Economic way of eating healthy—Chicken feet are way more affordable than other chicken parts. However, they are typically seen as a waste, and not many see beyond that.
The other ingredients needed for this soup are accessible and affordable in most local supermarkets, making it a budget-friendly way of nourishing your body.
Make a delicious flavoring broth: If you have leftovers, this umami-rich broth makes a great natural flavoring to enhance your cooking. Like chicken bullion but homemade and healthier.
Simply freeze the leftover broth in a silicon ice cube mold for future use. You can strain it before transferring it to the silicone mold.
Serving suggestions
Noodle soup: Make it a complete meal by serving with vermicelli noodles with thinly sliced red chili or chili flakes for an extra kick. Opt for brown rice vermicelli if you can’t tolerate gluten.
Rice porridge- Add a scoop of warm rice to your bowl of soup and enjoy it like warm and comforting porridge.
Ingredients & substitution
Chicken feet—I’m using 500g of trimmed chicken feet. Scroll more to see what to consider when buying chicken feet.
Vegetables— I use 1 carrot and 1 stick of celery. If the celery comes with leaves, don’t discard them. Celery leaves will make an aromatic garnish alongside spring onion or as a substitute.
Onion—Onion adds a touch of sweetness to the soup base, and it contributes to the broth texture. I use red onion for the maximum flavor, you can also opt for shallots or yellow onion if that is what you have.
Garlic—Garlic, a powerful anti-inflammatory and aromatic ingredient, is a must in this recipe. Use a fresh clove or readily grated one for the best flavor. Only use the powder as a last option.
Ginger—Another aromatic spice with anti-inflammatory benefits. Ginger balances the flavor of this soup. I have always used fresh ginger in my soup because of its vibrant aroma and superior health benefits. I strongly recommend using the fresh ones as the powdered ginger will result in a completely different taste.
Spices—The spices are essential in flavoring the soup. I use Chinese five spices, a classic combination of star anise, cinnamon, fennel, pepper and clove. Use whole spices instead of powder (except pepper).
Salt and ground pepper—For flavoring
Spring onion—Cut off the white stem of spring onion to use for the broth. These stems with sharper flavor will balance the chickeny flavor. Save the green part to for garnish.
Palm sugar—This is important to balance the spice’s flavor. When I really need to add sugar, I’ve always used natural palm sugar. However, it is up to you, feel free to use brown sugar, but do not substitute it for a liquid-based sweetener.
When buying chicken feet
Look for chicken feet that are clean, white, or pinkish in color. Avoid the one with a burn color in the center base of the feet. Those are overgrown calluses usually caused by the chicken standing on its own waste.
Clean and fresh chicken feet should not have any greenish, brown, or blue color. If possible, ask your butcher to trim the nails. Trust me, it will save you time and hassle.
Instruction
1. Clean and trim the chicken feet. If necessary, cut the tips of the finger to remove the nails.
2. Boil the chicken feet—In a stock pot, combine chicken feet with 7 cups of water, lightly mashed ginger, and the white part of spring onion. Bring them to a boil over high heat and reduce to medium heat to simmer for 1 hour with the lid on. Skim the foam that surfaces occasionally.
3. Prepare the vegetables—While the chicken is simmering, cut the carrot and celery into bite-sized chunks. Thinly slice the green part of spring onion for garnishing and set aside.
4. Blending the aromatic mix—After an hour of simmering, discard the spring onion from the pot. Fish out ginger and blend it with onion and garlic until smooth.
5. Sizzle the aromatic mix—In a saucepan, gently heat oil over low heat. Add the five spices (except the pepper) and let them sizzle for about a minute to release their fragrance. Then, add the blended mixture and stir continuously until they are fragrant, slightly dry, and starting to turn golden.
6. Continue simmering—Add the cooked blended mix to the broth along with the vegetables and flavoring. If the liquid dries out, consider adding 1 cup of water to make sure the ingredients are all submerge. Cover the pot and simmer for another 30 minutes or until the carrot and the chicken feet are tender.
7. Serve—Turn off the heat and garnish with sliced spring onion when serving. Serve it as a side with rice or noodles.
What to expect from this chicken feet soup.
Like any other broth, this recipe is not to be made when in a rush. Chicken feet needed to be boiled in medium to high heat for one hour to soften the meat and extract all the goodness from the bones.
The broth then needs to be flavored with spices and simmered with vegetables, which makes the total cooking time around 1.5 hours.
When you keep the leftovers in the fridge, expect the broth to be gelatinous and solid at a cold temperature. This is perfectly normal due to its high collagen content. But once you heat the soup, it will turn back to liquid.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to boil chicken feet in the gas stove to soften them?
To ensure the chicken feet soften and slip off the bone easily, boil the chicken for 1 to 2 hours on the gas stove under medium to high heat with the lid closed. It might produce foam from time to time, so skim it off with a fine mesh skimmer or spatula.
Other soup recipes you might like
Asian Ginger Chicken Feet Soup – collagen-rich soup
Course: SoupsCuisine: AsianDifficulty: Moderate3
servings1
hour30
minutes1586
kcalAromatic Asian-style chicken feet soup with celery and carrot.
Ingredients
500g of chicken feet – Cleaned & trimmed
7 cups of water
2-3 stalks of spring onion – Separate the white & green parts (save the green for garnish)
3 tbsp of light olive oil
- Aromatic mix
10g of fresh ginger – Lightly smashed
1 medium red onion – cut into big chunks
4 cloves of garlic
- Vegetables
1 medium carrot – cut into bite-sized
1 stick of celery – cut into bite-sized
- Chines five spice
2 whole star anise
2 whole cloves
1/2 tsp of fennel seeds
1 medium-sized cinnamon stick
- Flavoring
1.5 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp of freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp of natural palm sugar
Directions
- Boil the chicken feet—In a stock pot or a taller pot, combine chicken feet with 7 cups of water, ginger, and the white part of spring onion. Bring them to a boil over high heat and reduce to medium heat to simmer for 1 hour with the lid on. Skim the foam that appears on the surfaces.
- Prepare the vegetables—While the chicken is simmering, chop the carrot and celery into bite-sized chunks. Thinly slice the green part of spring onion for garnishing.
- Blending—After an hour of simmering, discard the spring onion from the pot. Take out the ginger and blend it with onion and garlic until smooth. Add water from the broth if necessary.
- Sizzle the aromatic mix—In a saucepan, gently heat oil over low heat. Add the five spices (except the pepper). Let them sizzle for about a minute to release the fragrance and add the blended mixture. Stir continuously until they are fragrant, dry, and slightly golden.
- Continue simmering—Add the golden blended mix vegetables and flavoring ingredients to the broth. If the liquid dries out, consider adding 1 cup of water to make sure the ingredients are sunk at the bottom. Cover the pot and simmer for another 30 minutes or until the carrot and the chicken feet are tender. You may check with a for.
- Serve—Turn off the heat and garnish with spring onion before serving. Bon appetite!
Notes
- Make sure you use a stock pot or a taller pot so the water won’t spill out.
- When blending the aromatic mix (onion, garlic, and ginger), consider adding a little scoop of broth to help create a smoother and finely blended paste.
🥣 Did you try this recipe? Let me know your thoughts in the comment below.
