Steamed Chicken Feet with Black Bean Sauce (Phoenix Claws)

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The real dim sum cart classic, done honestly at home: chicken feet get blanched, deep-fried until blistered, soaked in ice water until they puff up, then braised tender and steamed in a garlicky fermented black bean sauce. A pressure cooker cuts the long braise down to about 15 minutes. The payoff is the same collagen-rich, sticky-lipped, suck-the-bones texture you get from a Chicago neighborhood BBQ house, with a sauce that clings.

Ingredients

• 2 lb chicken feet (about 20–24), fresh or thawed
• 2 tbsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 2 tbsp maltose or honey
• 1 tbsp boiling water
• 6 cups peanut or vegetable oil, for frying

• 4 slices fresh ginger, smashed
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths
• 1 star anise pod
• 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 3 cups water or unsalted chicken broth

• 2 tbsp fermented black beans (douchi), rinsed and roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 tbsp finely minced fresh ginger
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 2 tsp doubanjiang (spicy fermented broad bean paste)
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
• 3/4 cup reserved braising liquid
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp cold water
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced, for garnish
• 1 fresh red chile, thinly sliced (optional)

Instructions

1. Prep the feet: rinse the chicken feet under cold water. Using kitchen shears or a heavy knife, snip off the hard nail tip from each toe. If your market sold them with yellow outer skin still attached, rub the feet with the 2 tablespoons kosher salt for 2 minutes, then rinse well; peel away any loose translucent skin.
2. Blanch: bring a large pot of water to a boil with 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine. Add the feet and boil 4–5 minutes, skimming the foam. Drain into a colander and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking.
3. Dry completely — this is the safety step. Whisk the maltose or honey with 1 tablespoon boiling water until fluid and toss the feet in it (this helps them blister and color). Lay them on a rack over a sheet pan and let them air-dry 45–60 minutes, or 20 minutes in front of a fan, until the skin feels tacky and dry with no visible surface water. Blot any wet spots with paper towels.
4. Fry: heat 6 cups oil in a deep 5-quart pot to 350°F (175°C) — no more than 3 inches deep and no more than one-third full. Have a splatter screen and a lid within reach. Fry the feet in 3 batches of 6–8 for 4–6 minutes, holding the lid partly over the pot for the first 30 seconds; they will pop and crackle. They're done when the skin is golden brown and puffed with blisters. Lift out with a spider onto a rack.
5. Ice soak: fill a large bowl or clean pot with cold water and plenty of ice. Submerge the fried feet, weighing them down with a plate, and refrigerate 2 hours minimum and up to overnight. The skin will swell, wrinkle, and roughly double in plumpness — this is what gives phoenix claws their signature texture. Drain and pat dry.
6. Braise in a pressure cooker: combine the soaked feet, ginger slices, smashed garlic, scallion lengths, star anise, 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine, and 3 cups water or broth in an electric or stovetop pressure cooker. Cook at high pressure 15 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before venting. (Stovetop pot method: simmer covered 1 hour 15 minutes, adding water as needed.)
7. Test one foot: the skin and the pads should be completely yielding and the small bones should slip free when you nibble. If they still feel firm, pressure cook 4 more minutes.
8. Lift the feet out with a slotted spoon and set aside. Strain the braising liquid and reserve 3/4 cup; discard the aromatics.
9. Make the sauce: heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil in a small skillet or wok over medium heat. Add the chopped fermented black beans, minced garlic, and minced ginger and cook 60–90 seconds until fragrant but not browned. Stir in the doubanjiang and cook 30 seconds more.
10. Add the oyster sauce, hoisin, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, white pepper, and the 3/4 cup reserved braising liquid. Simmer 2 minutes. Whisk the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water and stir it in; cook 30–60 seconds until the sauce is glossy and coats a spoon. Taste and adjust with a splash of soy or a pinch of sugar.
11. Combine and steam: toss the braised feet with the sauce until every one is coated. Transfer to a heatproof shallow dish or a small stainless steamer plate that fits inside your steamer, mounding them so the sauce pools.
12. Set up a steamer: 1 inch of water in a wok or wide pot with a rack, brought to a hard boil. Set in the dish, cover, and steam over high heat for 20 minutes, until the sauce is thick and lacquered and the feet are fall-apart tender. Check the water level once at the 10-minute mark.
13. Scatter with sliced scallion and red chile and serve hot, straight from the steaming dish, with a plate for bones.

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Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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