Comments on: Chicken Foot Stock

By: Trina Morgan

Trina Morgan — Sat, 19 Nov 2016 03:43:21 +0000

Oh, wow! Wonderful explanation and instructions. I am sharing this page in FB in response to some hilarious comments on a photo I posted--of chicken feet in the package of giblets from a whole chicken I bought at the supermarket in Torreon, Coahuila, MX. I just cannot stop laughing at my friends' responses to the photo. AND, my stock smells delicious! It's going to keep me company all night.

By: Carol McNee

Carol McNee — Sat, 26 Dec 2015 15:46:23 +0000

When I make my chicken bone broth I put it in the crock pot and let it simmer for 3 days. The bones get mushy. Can I just add the feet and cook that long or do I need to cook them separately for 12 hours? Also I still have not found a place to buy them. I will try some of the suggestions I read here. Thank you!

By: Ronja

Ronja — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 23:19:00 +0000

My Butcher reccomended browning them on a pan for 15 or 20 minutes before I thorw them in a stock pot. I think the membrane is already off mine and I'm excited to make this! (I've also got a raw back, a carcass from chicken dinner, and some necks!)

By: Holly

Holly — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 00:54:07 +0000

I just processed my first batch of chicken feet - thank you for the instructions!

By: Robert

Robert — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 22:17:25 +0000

I have a book titled "Beard On Bread', written by an expert bread-maker. In his instroduction, he tells about a sweet Jewish neighbor who made the most delicious chicken soup he has ever tasted. He never could figure out why her soup was so much better than any other, until one day he happened to visit her house while she was preparing chicken soup, and observed her throwing a couple into her pot. Ever since reading that, I have tried in vain to find a place which carries chicken feet. I have driven as much as fifty miles from home because I heard of a place which "might" carry them, only to come home empty-handed and extremely disappointed. Is there anybody out there who can help me? I live in Greensboro, NC.

By: Tracy

Tracy — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 15:24:36 +0000

Thank you. This is exactly the level of instruction I need to make my first batch of stock using chicken feet.

By: Mimi

Mimi — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:19:26 +0000

An excellent tutorial. Thank you! I had no idea I had to skin those feet. I've used feet in my stock for quite a while now and it still never gels.

By: Jeanmarie

Jeanmarie — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:09:52 +0000

Great photos! The spice mix looks interesting. I'm not sure I'm brave enough to spice my stock; I just love having lots of plain stock to work with.

Funny how we have very different reactions to chicken feet. I find them to be very sweet looking, and I feel a little sad, though grateful, when I use them.

I have bought chicken feet from Berkeley Bowl, in Berkeley, CA, and a butcher shop in the Ferry Building in San Francisco. Here in Mendocino County I was able to buy some whole chickens from the farmers market (now closed for the winter) that had their feet intact. I just cut them off and popped them into the freezer along with other bones I was saving, and they got used the day after Thanksgiving along with the turkey carcass. Not that much gel, but a rich stock nonetheless.

Never have I every done any preparation of the feet whatsoever. I didn't know about the yellow membrane; maybe it was already removed for me? And I certainly didn't declaw them. Everything gets strained out. You're working too hard!
It's true there is nothing like the feet to gel things up. I wish I could get a steady supply where I am now. I'll try a Mexican market, but the problem there is no way to know (given my level of Spanish) how the chickens are treated.
Thanks for another lovely, informative post.

By: Julie

Julie — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 08:18:03 +0000

Thanks for the post--it was educational and entertaining! When I saw the first photo I realized what you meant when you mentioned that "chicken feet can be a little disturbing". Yes, they are. But once I got over that I appreciated the tutorial on how to prepare them and make a rich gelatinous stock. I hope I can find some in the area. Nope, I ain't gonna find these at the local Stop and Shop on a styrofoam tray wrapped in plastic. He He