Chicken Feet substitute

Best substitute

Chicken wings

Use About 1.5 lb wings for every 1 lb chicken feet

Best for chicken stock and broth

Close match

First work out why the recipe wants them. If they are going into a stock, broth or bone broth, they are there for one reason only, to add collagen that becomes gelatin and gives the broth body, the slightly sticky, lip-coating quality that makes it set in the fridge. Chicken wings are the best substitute for that job: use about a pound and a half of wings for every pound of feet, since wings are mostly joint too. Chicken necks and backs are just as good and usually cheaper, and pigs' feet or trotters are better still if you do not mind a faintly porky broth. In a pinch, unflavoured powdered gelatin does the same structural job with none of the flavour: whisk one to two tablespoons into each quart of finished hot broth. If the recipe is dim sum phoenix claws, though, be honest with yourself, there is no substitute, because the whole dish is about eating the cartilage and skin off the bones.

Other chicken feet substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Chicken necks, backs and wing tips
Close match
Use the same amount by weight
The bony offcuts, functionally the closest thing to feet and often nearly free from a butcher.
What changes
Best for
chicken stock and broth, bone broth, ramen and pho, soup bases, gravy stock
Practically a like-for-like swap. Necks in particular are dense with cartilage and small bones and will gel a stock strongly, and backs bring both collagen and a good deal of flavour from the scraps of dark meat clinging to them. The finished broth is slightly darker and more strongly flavoured than one made with feet, since there is more meat and fat involved, so skim the surface once it has come up to temperature. Ask at a butcher counter or the poultry counter of an Asian market; these are usually sold cheaply as soup bones or pet mix.
3Pigs' feet or trotters, or pork skin
Different taste
Use 1 trotter for every 1 to 1.5 lb chicken feet
The most powerful gelling ingredient in an ordinary butcher's case, and the traditional choice in European and Chinese cooking alike.
What changes
Best for
bone broth, rich stock for sauces, aspic and terrines, tonkotsu-style broth, braises that need body, brawn and head cheese
Gels harder than chicken feet do, which is why old French recipes throw a trotter into anything that needs to set. The trade is flavour: the broth picks up a definite pork character, sweeter and fattier than chicken, which is wonderful in a ramen or a braise and slightly wrong in a delicate chicken soup. It also renders a lot of fat, so chill the finished stock and lift the solid cap off the top before using it. Blanch trotters for five minutes in boiling water and rinse them before the real simmer, which removes scum and gives a much clearer result.
4Unflavoured powdered gelatin
Close match
Use 1 to 2 tbsp for every quart of finished hot broth
The direct chemical shortcut, since gelatin is precisely what chicken feet were going to give you.
What changes
Best for
fixing a thin stock you have already made, shop-bought broth that needs body, pan sauces and gravies, sauces that should coat a spoon, aspic
Nothing dishonest about this, it is the same molecule. Sprinkle the gelatin over a few tablespoons of cold water, let it swell for five minutes, then whisk it into the hot broth off the heat. One tablespoon per quart gives a light body and a soft set when chilled; two gives a broth that gels firmly. What it will not do is contribute any flavour, so a stock rescued this way tastes exactly as it did before, just with better texture and mouthfeel. Combine it with a well-browned stock or a splash of fish sauce if the broth is also bland, because thin and bland are two separate problems.
5Oxtail, beef knuckle or beef feet, for a rich broth
Different taste
Use the same amount by weight
The beef equivalents, all heavy in cartilage and connective tissue, for broths where beef flavour is welcome.
What changes
Best for
pho broth, beef bone broth, birria and Mexican consomme, sauce bases and demi-glace, hearty soups
These gel as strongly as chicken feet or more, and oxtail in particular is the classic choice for a broth that should coat your lips. Obviously the broth becomes beef broth, deep and dark and sweet, which suits pho, birria or a French sauce base and does not suit a chicken soup. They need considerably longer than chicken feet, four to six hours, and they benefit from roasting at 425F for forty minutes first if you want the dark colour, or being used raw if you want a pale, clean broth. Skim carefully in the first thirty minutes.
6Chicken wings or drumsticks, for dim sum phoenix claws, the honest least-bad option
Taste and texture differ
Use By count, 3 to 4 wing sections for every portion of feet
What to do when the recipe is braised phoenix claws in black bean sauce and there are no feet to be had.
What changes
Best for
black bean braised wings, dim sum style braises, sticky braised chicken pieces
State the truth plainly: there is no substitute for chicken feet in phoenix claws, because the dish exists to give you soft gelatinous skin and cartilage to work off small bones, and no other cut has that. What you can do is take the recipe's braise, the fermented black beans, garlic, ginger, soy, sugar, rice wine and star anise, and put it on wings, which are the closest thing in shape and the only other cut you eat by nibbling around bones. The result is a very good sticky braised wing, and it is not phoenix claws. Deep-frying the wings briefly before braising gets you a little closer to the puffed, wrinkled texture the traditional method produces.

What is Chicken Feet?

Chicken Feet is Chicken feet, sold at Asian and Latin markets and some butchers as chicken paws, are almost entirely skin, cartilage and small bones, which makes them the cheapest and most concentrated source of collagen you can put in a stockpot.

Cooking tips

Say the job out loud and the substitution becomes obvious: chicken feet contribute collagen, not flavour. Collagen breaks down into gelatin during a long simmer, and gelatin is what gives broth body, makes it set in the fridge, and makes a sauce coat a spoon. If your broth tastes fine but feels like water, that is a collagen problem, and any joint-heavy part or a spoonful of gelatin will fix it. If your broth is bland, that is a separate problem and no amount of feet will solve it.
The parts that gel a stock are the ones full of joints and cartilage, not the ones full of meat. Ranked roughly by gelling power for the money: pigs' trotters, chicken feet, chicken necks, chicken wings, chicken backs, then everything else. Boneless breast contributes essentially nothing, which is why a stock made from it tastes thin no matter how long you leave it.
Simmer, never boil. A bare tremble on the surface for three to four hours extracts collagen cleanly and gives you a clear stock; a rolling boil emulsifies fat and protein into the liquid and gives you something cloudy and greasy. This matters more with collagen-rich parts, because they release a lot of both.
Blanch first if you want a clear broth. Cover the feet, wings or trotters with cold water, bring to a boil for three to five minutes, then drain and rinse everything including the pot. You lose almost nothing in flavour and you remove the grey scum that would otherwise cloud the finished stock. This is standard practice in Chinese soup-making for exactly this reason.
Test for gel before you commit. Put a tablespoon of the finished stock on a saucer in the fridge for fifteen minutes. If it thickens or sets, you have enough body. If it stays liquid, either simmer another hour with more bony parts added, or whisk in a tablespoon of powdered gelatin per quart. Chicken feet themselves should be peeled of the tough outer skin and have the nail tips trimmed before they go in the pot.

Frequently asked questions

What can I use instead of chicken feet for bone broth?

Chicken wings are the easiest answer, at about a pound and a half of wings per pound of feet, since wings are mostly joint and cartilage too. Necks and backs are equally good and usually cheaper. A pig's trotter gels even harder if you do not mind a faintly porky broth. Any of these gives you the body and gel that chicken feet were there to provide.

Why do recipes add chicken feet to broth at all?

For collagen, which becomes gelatin as it simmers. That gelatin is what makes broth feel substantial in the mouth, stick slightly to your lips, and set to a jelly in the fridge, and it is the single biggest difference between homemade stock and the thin stuff in a carton. Feet are almost pure skin, cartilage and small bone, so pound for pound they deliver more of it than any other chicken part, and they are very cheap.

Can I use gelatin powder instead of chicken feet?

Yes, for the texture, and it works well. Bloom one to two tablespoons of unflavoured powdered gelatin in a little cold water for five minutes, then whisk it into a quart of hot finished broth off the heat. One tablespoon gives light body, two gives a firm set. It adds no flavour whatsoever, so if your broth is also bland you still need better bones, longer browning or more seasoning.

Is there any substitute for chicken feet in dim sum phoenix claws?

Not really, and it is worth saying so. The dish is entirely about the soft, gelatinous skin and cartilage you nibble off small bones, and no other cut has that structure. Chicken wings braised in the same black bean, garlic, ginger and rice wine sauce make an excellent dish, but it is a sticky braised wing rather than phoenix claws. If you want the real thing, most Asian supermarkets sell feet cheaply and frozen ones work perfectly.

Can I just leave the chicken feet out?

You can, and the broth will still taste of chicken, but it will be thin and it will not gel. If you skip them, add more bony parts in their place, wings, necks, backs or wing tips, or finish the broth with a tablespoon of gelatin per quart. Simmering longer without more collagen in the pot does not fix it, since there is nothing extra to extract.

Related substitutes

More meat & protein substitutes

Chicken Feet substitute

Other chicken feet substitutes

2Chicken necks, backs and wing tips

3Pigs' feet or trotters, or pork skin

4Unflavoured powdered gelatin

5Oxtail, beef knuckle or beef feet, for a rich broth

6Chicken wings or drumsticks, for dim sum phoenix claws, the honest least-bad option