🐔 Phoenix Claws (Dim Sum Chicken Feet)

Name: Phoenix Claws (Dim Sum Chicken Feet)
Total time: 150 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: China · Guangdong
Ingredients: 1 kg chicken feet, nails trimmed; 2 tbsp fermented black beans, rinsed; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 1–2 red chilies, sliced; 3 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tbsp sugar; 2 tbsp oil; 500 ml water

Origin: China · Guangdong

210kcal

per serving · 150 g

140kcal

per 100 g

20 gProtein13 g / 100 g

12 gFat8 g / 100 g

6 gCarbs4 g / 100 g

Phoenix claws are a Cantonese dim sum classic: chicken feet that are fried or blanched, then braised and steamed in a sauce of fermented black beans, garlic, chili and soy sauce. The skin turns soft, puffy and gelatinous and soaks up the savory, slightly spicy sauce. They are served hot in small bamboo steamers and eaten by nibbling the meat and skin off the bones.

Diets

✓

No porkfor halal, the meat must be halal-slaughtered

✓

Dairy-freeno milk, cheese, butter or yogurt in a typical recipe

✓

Keto-friendly4 g carbs per 100 g

✓

High protein13 g protein per 100 g — 37% of the calories

Not vegetarianbecause of: chicken feet

Not veganbecause of: chicken feet

Contains glutenbecause of: soy sauce

Allergens

Contains (in a typical recipe):

⚠ Gluten ⚠ Soy

What it is made of

chicken feetblack beanschili peppergarlicsoy sauce

Recipe

4 servings150 min

Ingredients

1 kg chicken feet, nails trimmed
2 tbsp fermented black beans, rinsed
4 garlic cloves, minced
1–2 red chilies, sliced
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp oil
500 ml water

Method

Blanch the feet for 5 minutes, drain and dry well.
Fry in hot oil until blistered (or skip for a lighter version), then soak in cold water for 1 hour so the skin puffs.
Fry the garlic, black beans and chili in 2 tbsp oil, add soy sauce, sugar and water.
Braise the feet in the sauce for 30–40 minutes until tender.
Transfer to small dishes and steam for 15 minutes before serving.

How to make it lighter

Skip the deep-frying step and simply blanch, braise and steam — it saves a lot of absorbed oil.
Use reduced-salt soy sauce and taste before adding more.
Pair a portion with steamed greens instead of fried dim sum.

History

The dish belongs to the Cantonese yum cha tradition of Guangdong and Hong Kong, where the poetic name 'phoenix claws' is used for chicken feet on menus. Today it is a staple of dim sum restaurants across southern China and Chinatowns worldwide.

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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →