PICKLED CHICKEN FEET RECIPES

Steps:

• Rinse feet well, pat dry with paper towels and place in a large saucepan. Add enough water to cover and stir in 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to low and simmer for about 4 to 5 hours or until the meat falls off of the bones.
• Remove meat from bones and place in a shallow dish or bowl. Set aside. Drain saucepan, reserving 2 cups of cooking liquid. In the same saucepan combine the reserved cooking liquid, remaining salt, vinegar, cloves, peppercorns, star anise and pickling spices. Bring to a boil and boil for 35 minutes.
• Strain liquid and reserve. Pour reserved liquid over the top of the meat. Cover and refrigerate. Chill for at least 10 hours before serving.

Steps:

• 1. To make the stock, prepare the stock by placing the whole chicken (plus any additional bits: feet, necks, wingettes etc) in a large stock pot, with the vegetables, herbs and vinegar. Cover with cold water.

  2. Cook at a strong simmer, partially covered, for roughly 90 minutes. The chicken will be ready when the meat starts to separate easily from the bone.

  3. Remove the carrots and celery from the cooking pot and discard. Drain liquid from the meat and set aside (you can keep the onions and herbs in the stock).

  4. Separate the meat from the bone and set aside 2 cups of shredded chicken for your soup (any leftovers can be used in chicken sandwiches).

  5. Measure out your stock – you should have roughly two litres. If you have more, you can reduce the liquid. If you have less, just add extra water. Now you are ready to make your soup.

  6. To make the soup, add the finely chopped celery, carrots and a dash of olive oil to the bottom of a cooking pot on a medium heat. Let it saute for 3-5 minutes or until the vegetables soften.

  7. Add your stock to the cooking pot, together with the chicken meat. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 5-10 minutes or until vegetables soften further.

  8. Add the garlic and spices and simmer for another minute or so. Season generously with sea salt. Remove the pot from the heat and stir through the coriander and parsley. Serve immediately.

  Frugavore's tip: After removing the meat from the bones you can make another batch of stock by covering the bones with water, adding some thyme, celery, carrot and onion and simmering for a further two hours on the stove-top. Use this as a base for your next batch of soup.

  Time saver: As a short-cut you can buy ready made stock and use chicken breast or leftover roast chicken. However, using a whole chicken is more economical and also provides leftovers for the next meal.