Yesterday was cold, rainy, and raw, the perfect day for some chicken soup. I was looking for some actual chicken to put in the soup and came across these first. My mother-in-law used to add chicken feet to her stock, but that was because they raised chickens and used everything. Has anyone ever seen these called chicken paws or actually used them? Is this a southern thing? We're in MD, which I don't think of as "the south", but they sure don't sell chicken paws (or even chicken feet) in NJ! I'm just curious; there's really not much chance of me putting these anywhere near my chicken soup. :-)
All I can say is EWWWW! I made chicken soup over the weekend, and I used a whole chicken, but I throw out the innards first and do not use any feet.
ReplyDeleteCan't help you as I have never seen them in Oregon (thank goodness!).
ReplyDeleteI wish I hadn't seen them in MD! They look like some kind of awful Halloween decorations!
DeleteUmmmmm. . . no chicken paws here in Michigan . . .
ReplyDelete(When we lived in Texas, we used to find all sorts of interesting food items at the grocery. So I'm betting it's "regional fare" of some type.)
Ewwww. My father used to hunt pheasants and when he would pluck and prepare the pheasant he would give us the feet to play with. Ick. Ick. Ick. It was funny once I think.....but not thereafter. My mom certainly never cooked the feet up for any recipe. Yet, I suppose somewhere in this wide world they are considered important in a meal
ReplyDeleteI think pheasant feet would have been an interesting oddity when I was a kid, but playing with them sounds slightly better to me than cooking with them. I think these "paws" look like some kind of disturbing Halloween decoration!
DeleteSome stores near us carry these. Big in the Asian market. We always order some when we go for dim sum. First heard them called chicken paws on NPR. Perdue, et Al, make a ton of money exporting them to China!!!
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived in NY state I would see things like chicken feet, pig heads, tongue, & tripe in the grocery stores, but I've never heard them called chicken paws!
ReplyDeleteThat is just wrong on so many levels... but especially PAWS. Yuck. If they have to do that, they should call them what they are. Yuck Yuck Yuck.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Vicki - it's gross but to call then paws instead of feet is just absurd.
ReplyDeleteWell, I am here to be the odd girl out. It is weird to call them chicken paws, but they are fabulous in stock. They add a gelatinous and silky texture, and they enhance the taste quite a bit. It is not a southern thing, it is a gourmet thing, ladies! They are very difficult to find in the grocery store where I live, and I live in the south. If you have ever consumed egg drop soup in a Chinese restaurant, then you have eaten chicken feet broth. Why is eating the feet more undesirable than eating any other part of the chicken? Except, of course, the really nasty bits! Embrace the paws!
ReplyDeleteI just had to come and read the comments today. lol I would think they would make a good base for broth/soup, but unless it is for Halloween, I think you probably would want to discard them after the broth is made. lol
ReplyDeleteI also think that they look like something used fr Halloween, but Becky and Kat have been kind enough to explain how and why they are used in stock. I will have to work up some courage, but who knows, maybe someday I'll actually give them a try!
DeleteThe one and only time I have ever seen chicken feet in a dish was China. Our hosts explained it was a way of showing that the chicken was fresh (as in living) earlier in the day. But, I am quite certain that the Cantonese word for chicken feet does not translate to paws! LOL
ReplyDeletehuh...this is all quite informative! I haven't seen anything like that at the stores around here, but I haven't really looked (and I'm not likely to) :-)
ReplyDeleteI just have to enter into this conversation, even a day late. I buy chicken backs and necks at the local organic farmers market several times a year. Once they offered the legs, but I declined. The necks are wonderful for chicken stock - so gelatinous and smooth, flavorful like you wouldn’t believe. (And a side note, my husband dislikes being in the house when I make the stock, he says it just looks too gross for his comfort.)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you did! Becky and Kat explained how and why chicken feet are used in cooking, and I'm glad that all of you have educated me, because this is clearly an area I know nothing about! It might take a bit of courage, but I do think I will try them in chicken soup some day. I think I would be missing out if I didn't at least them for added flavor and lovely smoothness.
DeleteChicken PAWS! That's just wrong, but maybe in Asian cultures that's a term they use(?). My sister eats a Paleo diet and she uses chicken feet to add collagen to her bone broths. I've heard the feet quite good if you cook the feet until their soft (hours and hours and under pressure) and then deep fry them. Not my thing no matter how they're served.
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