Chicken Feet Bone Broth Recipe

Learn how to make nutritious chicken feet bone broth at home!

Have you ever wondered what you can make with chicken feet?

Well, I’ll tell you:

You can make some of the most gelatinous bone broth known to man!

This seriously gets so thick in the refrigerator!

If your broth isn’t doing that, you’re missing out!

Today I’m going to show you exactly how to cook chicken feet and make nutritious bone broth from them.

This broth is frugal since chicken feet are usually quite affordable.

It also helps to cut down on food waste by using a part of a chicken that might otherwise get thrown out.

Here’s what we’re going to cover in this post:

• Ingredients
• Chicken Feet FAQ
• Stovetop Method
• Instant Pot Method
• Slow Cooker/Crock Pot Method
• Storing and Using
• Video Tutorial
• Printable Recipe

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Ingredients:

The ingredients you’ll need are the same for all three methods:

• 2 stalks of celery
• 2 carrots
• 1 onion
• 2 teaspoons unrefined sea salt (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (optional)
• 8-16 cups water (depending on which method you use)
• 1 pound skinned chicken feet

Now, I like to make my bone broth without apple cider vinegar. Some claim that it helps to break down the bones so they release more minerals, but others say that it does absolutely nothing. 

I personally don’t like the taste, and my broth always turns out quite thick without it. So I leave it out. But if you like you could always add a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, or anything acidic.

Where to Buy Chicken Feet

You might be able to buy chicken feet at a local health food store, a farmer’s market, or an Asian market. If you can locate a local chicken farmer, they most likely offer them, but you might have to do some extra processing. If all else fails, you can also purchase them online.

Now some people like to cut off the chicken nails/fingernails, but I don’t bother with that. But if you were going to make chicken feet soup, you might want to clip them off unless you want to eat them. 🥴

Also, I’ve seen people blanch the chicken feet first before making broth out of them, but I don’t find that necessary. You might get a cleaner flavor at the end if you take the extra time, though.

Chicken Feet vs Chicken Paws: What’s the Difference?

From my research, it seems that the only difference between chicken feet and chicken paws is how much of the leg is left on. Chicken paws consist only of the “foot” part, whereas chicken feet have part of the leg still attached.

Do You Have to Peel Chicken Feet?

If your chicken feet look like those in the photo above, they’re ready to be used! But if they still have the yellow skin on them, they’ll need to be peeled.

I haven’t personally done this since I have access to skinned chicken feet, but apparently you simply boil the chicken feet and then the skin comes off more easily. Just be cautious handling them when they’re hot!

And obviously you’ll want to use chicken feet that are very clean. The ones I purchase are ready to go from the package. But if yours seem a bit dirty, it would be a good idea to make sure they’re super duper clean before using.

But now you might be wondering…are chicken feet healthy for you?

Chicken Feet Health Benefits

Chicken feet are rich in collagen. Collagen has many health benefits, including joint and bone health, skin health, and blood sugar regulation. ¹ When collagen is cooked long enough at the right temperature, it breaks down into gelatin.² That’s why bone broth made with chicken feet is so rich in gelatin!

Okay, let’s dive in and I’ll show you how to make it!

Stovetop Chicken Foot Bone Broth

Let’s start with the stovetop method since it requires the least special equipment.

Place all of the veggies…

…as well as the chicken feet into a large Dutch oven or stockpot. 

Don’t worry if your chicken feet are still a bit frozen – they’ll thaw out quickly in the hot water! Simply add a little bit of extra simmer time.

Add 2 teaspoons of unrefined sea salt…

…and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. 

The black pepper is optional – leave it out if you prefer!

Add 12-16 cups of water.

If you find that too much of the water evaporates while simmering, you can always top it off!

Bring the pot to a simmer. 

Simmer for 30 minutes with the lid off, making sure to skim off any scum that floats to the top.

Cover the pot…

…and turn your heat waaaaaay down.

You just want to keep the broth at a gentle simmer. You don’t want a rolling boil.

If you find that the broth wants to boil over even at the lowest heat setting, you can crack the lid just a little.

Once the broth has simmered for 6+ hours, you can strain it off.

I like to place a fine mesh sieve over a large stainless steel bowl.

Now you can pour the strained broth into storage containers.

I like to use glass jars since I try to avoid storing in plastic when I can.

But make sure to read my tips for storing broth in glass at the end of this post to avoid some common mistakes!

 

Instant Pot Chicken Feet Bone Broth

Now I’d like to show you how to make chicken feet bone broth in an Instant Pot.

This is my personal favorite method because it’s a lot faster than the other two!

I can have broth ready in about 3 hours!

Place the carrots, celery, onion, salt, pepper, and chicken feet in the instant pot.

Pour 8 cups of water on top.

Since you aren’t losing as much water to evaporation with the Instant Pot method, you don’t have to use as much water.

Lock the lid in place, and make sure it’s set to sealing.

Set your Instant Pot to the soup function.

Hi the + button until it reaches 120 minutes.

Slow release for at least 10 minutes before releasing the pressure. You can also just wait for the Instant Pot to depressurize by itself.

 

Strain the broth and pour it into storage containers.

Slower Cooker/Crockpot Chicken Feet Bone Broth

Okay, now let me show you how to make some gut healing bone broth in your slow cooker!

I actually don’t own a slow cooker since mine bit the dust a few years ago. So I just use the slow cook function on my Instant Pot.

Place all of the ingredients into your slow cooker/crockpot.

For this method you’re going to use 10-12 cups of water. You will lose some to evaporation, but not as much as the stovetop method.

Set your slow cooker to a low or medium heat setting.

Different crock pots will heat at different rates. You’re looking to get the broth nice and hot, but not boil it.

Cover and allow to slow cook for 12+ hours.

I just use a lid from one of my stock pots on top of my Instant Pot when I use the slow cook function. 

Strain off the broth and pour it into storage containers.

I like to use a canning funnel to cut down on any spills while transferring my broth to jars.

Tips for Storing Broth in Glass Jars in the Freezer

Now like I said, I like to store my broth in glass jars. But you need to follow a few tips to ensure the best results:

• Cool your broth to room temperature before placing it in the fridge or freezer. This is especially important before placing in the freezer. Putting hot broth directly into the freezer can cause the glass to crack.
• Only fill your jar 2/3 to 3/4 of the way full. Broth expands when it freezes, so if the jar is too full it might crack when it freezes.
• Make sure that you don’t knock the jars while they’re frozen. Glass cracks more easily when frozen, so even a little bump might ruin your broth.

Chicken Feet Soup?

Now, you can actually make chicken feet soup if you keep in the chicken feet and eat them. You’ll need to be careful while you eat around any small bones. And you’ll probably want to cut off the fingernails first.

I personally haven’t tried this: I didn’t grow up eating chicken feet, so there’s still a bit of a weird factor for me. It does seem to be prized in some countries for health benefits though. Maybe I’ll be brave enough some day?

But I definitely love making different kinds of soup from my chicken feet bone broth: Chicken noodle, ramen, Butternut Squash, Coconut and Chicken Curry, chili, etc.

Video Tutorial

Here’s a video tutorial for you in case you learn better that way!

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• Homemade Pizza Sauce
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Printable Recipe