Chicken feet may look a little scary at first, but they make a most nourishing and nutrient-rich stock. The chicken feet broth is yellow in color and gels up beautifully — a sign of a good broth.
Think of this: When you are using the feet, you are making the most of the whole chicken and not throwing anything away — isn’t reducing waste a positive thing?
When you next prepare chicken soup from scratch, add chicken feet. They will give you an enriched, connoisseur’s broth.
How chicken feet broth supports health
Real chicken soup is a mineralizing tonic that boosts your body’s immune system from within the stomach, which is where good health begins.
In traditional Chinese medicine, chicken broth nourishes qi, which tonifies the blood, and increases fertility.
It fortifies
Chicken feet broth is both healing and strengthening for the body — so it’s an ideal food for recovery, such as after falling ill, recovering from surgery, or after childbirth.
Rich in calcium and folate, this broth also contains smaller amounts of the minerals iron, copper, and zinc.
It rebuilds
Condroitin, and glucosamine are two other nutrients found in chicken feet stock — you may have seen these mentioned in the blurb of supplements for arthritis and joint support. These two substances support bone and joint health, diminish osteoarthritis pain, and help the body re-grow new cartilage and connective tissues. These also work to minimize inflammation and stiffness in your back thanks to their anti-inflammatory actions.
Most supplements containing condroitin and glucasomine are made from shark cartilage. With the many shark populations under threat due to fishing and the shark fin industry, a good chicken broth — which has been allowed to simmer for many hours — contains enough of these two substances for your health requirements at a fraction of the cost.
It heals
Collagen or gelatin found in bone broth acts to heal the mucus membranes within your gastrointestinal tract. This lining may be chronically inflamed if you have leaky gut or irritable bowel syndrome. In this case, chicken feet soup is a medicinal food that will help to return your digestion back to normal and reduce your bowel pains and the discomfort in your stomach.
As well as internal support, collagen helps to heal wounds on the body’s surface. Vitamin C aids in the synthesis of collagen, so keep this in mind, and include daily fruit or vegetables in your diet, such as bell peppers.
It promotes fertility
According to the Chinese, bone broth is the ultimate food to build kidney qi. With ample kidney qi, you will improve your sexual function and fertility, build up your blood, support your brain — and improve the luster and health of your skin, hair, bones, and teeth.
When your kidneys are out of balance and your qi is low, you will feel fearful, depressed, fatigued, and will take a long time to recover from sickness.
Enrich your food with broth-jelly
If you don’t like eating soup often but want the benefits of broth, you can add a little lemon juice to the stock water and stew your bones and feet over several hours.
Once cooled, put your broth into the refrigerator and let it congeal. You can now add this jello to sauce, gravy, stew, risotto, or alternatively make a clear soup — an energizing afternoon pick-me-up.
How to prepare chicken feet stock
In this video, chicken feet and vegetables form the basis for a slow-cooked stock of high quality. The end product is a collagen gel that can be added to an array of dishes for extra sustenance.
- First, you need to remove the skin on the feet. To do this, blanch the feet in boiling water for 10 seconds, then put them straight into cold water. This hot/cold bath will loosen the skin, making it easy to peel.
- Place the feet into a large pot and add any vegetables you would like to make the broth tasty. Carrots, celery, onion, and garlic will enhance the flavor.
- Fill the pot with cool water and gently heat to a temperature that is just below boiling point. In addition, add a small amount of either lemon juice or vinegar — this acid will help to draw out the nutrients into the water.
- Let the stock simmer for approximately six hours.
- When finished, strain the stock and remove any bones and vegetables from the liquid.
- Pour the liquid into smaller containers and store in the fridge to solidify.
- Once thoroughly chilled, inspect the stock. A good stock, when chilled, forms jello. This indicates that important nutrients, such as collagen, have made their way into the broth. You can now add this jello to your cooking.
High-quality stock
Chicken feet are the best part of the chicken for stock-making, as they are made of cartilage, tendons, and bones. If you are currently exploring ways to make a quality stock and want to include this in your diet — look no further: Chicken feet stock is where it’s at!
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