Chicken feet soup is packed with collagen and full of flavor. It makes a nutrient-dense broth or stock, perfect for soups, risotto, or sipping on its own.
Today I'm making a rich, comforting chicken soup using only chicken feet. The broth is full of flavor and works great as a base for soups, stews, or homemade stock.
It's also easy on the wallet; this entire pot costs less than $10 to make.
Jump to:
Chicken Feet Are a Part of Every Chicken
In the past, when you visited your neighborhood butcher, you could select a chicken, and it would be freshly slaughtered and plucked.
Upon leaving the shop, you'd carry home not just the choice cuts of tender muscle meat, but also the chicken's liver, heart, brain, and feet!
Nowadays, it's easy to overlook that animals have a variety of limbs and vital organs.
Chicken feet are a fantastic choice for creating good stock, and they're rich in collagen, which is why I decided to include them. With a pound of chicken feet being just a fraction of the cost of whole chickens, they make a great choice.
Uses For Chicken Broth
You can use chicken feet soup in any recipe that calls for chicken stock.
Dishes such as Thanksgiving stuffing, risotto, gravy, mashed potatoes, soups, stews, and sauces all use chicken broth.
You can ditch store-bought broth and use this instead. It definitely tastes better, it costs a lot less, and you know exactly what's in it.
What Goes in Chicken Feet Soup?
See the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and quantities.
- Chicken feet
- Apple cider vinegar
- Cold water
- Carrots, celery, parsnip, onion, and leek
- Garlic and bay leaf
- Fresh dill and parsley
- Black peppercorns
- Salt, for serving
How to Make Chicken Feet Soup
Chicken feet create a naturally silky broth in much less time than larger bones. Use the stovetop method for a one-hour recipe, or the slow cooker for a hands-off option.
Stockpot Method
- Rinse the chicken feet well. If needed, trim the nails with kitchen shears. If the feet have a yellow membrane, blanch them briefly, transfer them to ice water, and peel it away.
- Place the chicken feet in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes, skimming away any foam that rises to the surface.
- Add the vegetables, herbs, vinegar, and peppercorns. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 30 minutes, partially covered. Add a little water if needed to keep the ingredients submerged.
- Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer and discard the solids. Season with salt if serving as soup.
Slow Cooker Method
- Add the chicken feet, vegetables, herbs, vinegar, and peppercorns to the slow cooker. Cover with cold water, leaving about 2 inches of space at the top.
- Cook on HIGH for 1 hour. Skim away any foam, then reduce the heat to LOW and cook for 3 hours.
- Strain the broth and discard the solids. Season with salt if serving as soup.
More Chicken Recipes
For more ways to bring bold, savory flavor to the table, try one of these chicken recipes next.
Chicken Feet Soup FAQ
Bone broth made with chicken soup tastes just like a bowl of your favorite homemade chicken soup.
When refrigerated, the natural collagen in the bones causes the broth to gelatinize. If you cook bone broth long enough, it will solidify when chilled. Just reheat it on the stove for a few minutes, and you have soup. It is perfectly fine.
You can find chicken feet at most butcher shops and grocery stores with a meat counter.
Chicken Feet Soup and Bone Broth
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds chicken feet (clean the chicken thoroughly and wash under cold running water)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 carrots
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 parsnip
- 1 yellow onion, quartered
- 1 leek, white part only, cleaned well
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 3 sprigs fresh dill
- 3 sprigs fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 5 cups cold water plus more as needed
- 1 bay leaf
- pinch Salt to taste
Instructions
STOCK POT RECIPE
- Rinse the chicken feet well. Trim the nails if needed. If a yellow membrane is present, blanch the feet briefly, transfer them to ice water, and peel it away. Place the feet in a large pot and cover with cold water.
- Bring the water to a rolling boil, for about 15 minutes, and then skim the foam that rises to the top of the pot with a large spoon.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes, partially covered, adding water as needed.
- Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer or a double layer of cheesecloth and discard the solids. Season with salt if serving as soup. Cool promptly and refrigerate.
- After the stock has been refrigerated for several hours or overnight, you will notice a layer of fat on the surface. Skim and discard the fat layer. Consume the refrigerated broth within 5 days or store it in the freezer for up to six months.
SLOW COOKER RECIPE
- Place all your ingredients in the slow cooker and cover with cold water, leaving 2 inches at the top.
- Turn the heat on HIGH. After one hour, open the pot and skim any foam that has risen to the top.
- Replace the cover with the heat on LOW. Cook for 3 hours.
- Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer and discard the solids. Season with salt if serving as soup. Cool promptly and refrigerate.
- After the stock has been refrigerated overnight, you will notice a layer of fat on the surface. Skim and discard the fat layer. Consume the refrigerated broth within 5 days or store it in the freezer for up to six months.
Notes
-
- Using a Sharpie, label the containers with the date and "CHICKEN BROTH."
-
- Consider dividing your bone broth into smaller portions before freezing. This allows you to thaw only what you need, reducing waste and making it more convenient to use in recipes.
-
- For safe thawing, transfer the frozen chicken stock containers to the refrigerator the day before use. If you're in a hurry, you can also thaw the chicken stock by immersing the container in a large bowl of cool water on the kitchen counter.
