Chicken Feet For the Soul

You wouldn't think "free-range" chicken feet would be so hard to find.

But if you're going to cook with feet, don't you want the ones that have actually been able to walk around?

Why chicken feet?

Well...they make AMAZING chicken stock!

Okay, try not to notice that they look like little hands and stick with me here. 

In the old days, the death of a farm animal meant that the WHOLE animal would be used.  That's how things like ox tail soup, pickled pigs feet, and head cheese sandwiches came into being----ALL of which contain collagen.

You know, that stuff they put in skin creams?---which, by the way, is next-to worthless.  Collagen can not be absorbed thru the skin.  Period.  The molecules are too large.   Sorry to burst your bubble.  It's science.

But if you eat it...

Collagen DOES seem to have some benefits when taken orally.  It improves skin, bone, hair, and nail health.  It can also help relieve the symptoms of (and may even help cure) everything from diabetes to arthritis to Crohn's Disease.  It also helps absorption of other minerals.  Helps with asthma and colitis.  AND has the anti-inflammatory effect of an over-the-counter pain killer.

It's also the biggest reason why chicken soup is recommended for the common cold.  

Ever wonder why they serve Jell-O in hospitals?  Hmmmm?

I'm not saying it's laying hands on Lazarus or anything...

But it's definitely good stuff.

Chicken feet most likely won't be in the butcher case.  Even in those fancy (and pricey) butcher shops, you'll have to ask for them.

The secret word is "pastured".

Forget "organic".  Forget "free-range".  These words have all been worked around by greedy corporations and the US government.

"Pastured" is the code-word these days.  But, like any other word that promotes the latest "best"---there will always be someone trying to undercut the meaning of the word to make a buck.  There's really no true definition.  It's more "implied" between those of us who know.

"Organic" DOES have a definition.  But, like any other government term, it only means they meet the MINIMUM government standard.  

Your daily multi-vitamin that contains 100% Daily Value of Vitamin C?

That's just the bare minimum to prevent you from getting SCURVY.

Like an 18th Century pirate.

Arrrr.

I'm not saying the term "organic" is all bad---but it has more meaning for fruits and vegetables than meat and poultry.  Basically, a company pays the government a HUGE fee to get the term "organic" slapped on their packaging and (for thousands of dollars) the chickens don't eat GMO corn feed and they actually get to see a crack of daylight thru the slats in the wooden shed where they're clustered together by the thousands.

"Free-range" has also been co-oped.  Chickens are now ONLY allowed to shit on each other by the hundreds and occasionally they open the door to the shed.  The chickens see daylight and freak out.  Oh sure, they can go outside if they want...

The ones that aren't trampled to death at the sight of daylight are considered "free-range".  In fact, even the ones that got trampled...

I mean, they had the opportunity in life and all...

Even the terms "pasture-raised" and "pastured" are now being abused.  There's really no standard.  The word is whatever it means to you (the consumer) and the farmer.

So get to know your butcher!

The best butchers will inspect the farms they buy from.  They KNOW the farmers and what goes on there.

But enough semantics.  Let's get down to some funky chicken feet.

At the sound of the words "chicken feet", your butcher's ears will likely prick up a bit.  They'll stop everything to talk to you---like you're one of the "cool kids".

"We can special order them.  Stop back in on Monday and we may have them by then."

Monday. Different butcher.  Leaning over the counter, we exchanged the latest developments in hushed tones.  I felt like a private detective in a Dashiell Hammet novel----lurking around in a trench coat on a dock by the East River on a misty, Depression-era night.

"Pssst.  Buddy.  Got any chicken feet?"

"Sorry, lady.  Nothin' yet, see.  But there's another tomato who asks for them.  For stock.  Yeah.  They're hard to come by.  But I'll tighten the screws on 'em, see."

You may be asking yourself, with all the chicken Americans eat, why is it so hard to find chicken feet?

One word.

China.

China is THE biggest importer of chicken feet.  The Chinese freaking LOVE chicken feet and have a thousand recipes for them.  It's also a popular item on dim sum menus (I was told the best in NYC are at Golden Unicorn in Chinatown).

The owner of Perdue has been quoted as saying that if they couldn't export their chicken feet to China, they'd go out of business.

As recently as a few months ago, there was a huge scandal in China when tons and tons of chicken feet were found in a storage facility----many dating all the way back to 1967!

Apparently they were hoarding these Cold War Era feet for the next Zombie Apocalypse or something and then, boy oh boy, would they cash in...

But I'm not trying to start a religion here.  I'm just trying to give you some tips on how to make the best chicken stock ever.

Whatever you normally use for stock, that's what you're using here.

Onions

Garlic

Carrots

Celery

Peppercorns

Parsley

Thyme

Whatever rocks your boat.

You're going to boil your chicken feet for about a minute or two.

After that, remove them from the pot and put them in a cold water bath.  You just want them cool enough to handle.  Some chicken feet will still have the outer layer of skin attached.  This quick parboiling will make it easy to remove.

Oh---I almost forgot.  There's a tiny step that might send you packing.

You're going to hack off the toes at the first joint.

Basically, you're declawing them.

And if this freaks you out, THIS is what they do to your cat when you send it in to get declawed.

This is why declawing is considered inhumane and the procedure is against the law in most European countries.  

They're not delicately removing the nail bed of your cat---they're simply cutting off the entire first joint of its fingers.

They don't tell you that at the vet's office, do they?

And now your cat is dazed and in pain and has to walk around on those amputated paws with a cone on its head.

You might find it odd that the woman telling you to hack off chicken toes is urging you not to declaw your cat----but the chicken is dead.  Your cat is going to be a member of your family for potentially the next 20 years.

Like your expensive sofa?  Don't get a cat.

Okay---hack off those chicken nails?  Good.  Now that you feel all icky and Josef Mengele-y...

Just put the feet into a pot of water and add your veggies, herbs, and seasoning.

Same as you would with any other stock.

Difference being, with chicken feet, you're going to end up with a REALLY lush, gelatinous, and collagen-rich stock.  

Unfortuntatley, when I finally DID get my chicken feet from the butcher, upon inspection, I noticed that these chickens had been suffering from a case of "bumblefoot"---an infection in the feet.

I parboiled them for a minute to get a good photo for you (and the butcher) but wasn't really thrilled about putting abscesses into my dinner.  Call me crazy.  So there will be no chicken stock this week.  Because I'm like a freaking mom going thru a kid's trick-or-treat bag when I cook.

But don't let this discourage you from making chicken stock with feet!

I'm not discouraged.  I'll be back out there in no time knocking on butcher shop doors and whispering, "swordfish".

However, let this be a lesson that unless you're cooking for yourself and your family, sometimes what you're eating is just tossed onto an assembly line and barely even glanced at by a human being.  

That's why my secret ingredient is "love".

Okay---and butter.