Dim Sum Chicken Feet

Clean your chicken feet by running them under cold water to remove any brown spots or extra bone fragments and pat dry. Place them on a cooling rack to dry out as much as possible for at least 30 minutes on your counter (or your fridge if you want to dry them out longer).

Use sharp kitchen scissors or a knife to cut the tips of the claws/nails and also other dark spots around the feet.

In a bowl, add the cornstarch and lightly cover the chicken with the cornstarch. Dust off excess cornstarch and place the chicken feet back on the rack.

Fill a heavy bottomed pot with vegetable oil (or another neutral oil) to about two inches and preheat oil to 375 °F. Carefully lower the chicken feet one by one into the oil and fry for about two minutes or until they turn lighter brown.

Transfer the chicken to a cooling rack to remove excess oil and cool. Repeat with the next batch of chicken feet.

Braising immediately after frying allows for plump and supple chicken feet, so don't wait. In a large stock pot over medium-high heat, add in water, ginger, garlic, star anise, oyster sauce, chinkiang wine, and the deep fried chicken feet. Bring to a boil and stir. Lower the heat to medium-low or to a simmer and cover the pot. Simmer for about one hour.

After braising, the chicken feet should look puffy and soft. Transfer the chicken feet into a bowl and filter the braising liquid to save for later using a strainer to remove aromatics. TIP: I try not to premake the braised chicken feet the day before because I found the chicken feet don’t soak up the flavorful sauce as much as fresh braised feet. It also takes longer to heat up the already supple chicken feet and can cause skin breakage.

In a medium saucepan over medium, add vegetable oil and saute garlic for about 30 second or until fragrant.

In a small bowl mix the cornstarch and water.

Add the remaining Sauce ingredients to the pot and stir until the sugar has dissolved, then cook for another minute.

While stirring the sauce, add in the cornstarch and water mixture and stir to fully dissolve. The sauce should begin to thicken very fast so keep stirring to make sure all the liquid is incorporated. If it’s too thick you can add more braising liquid to thin it out. See photo for the target sauce consistency.

Add in the chicken feet and stir to coat each piece. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately.