Instant Pot Chicken Feet Bone Broth (Easy & PERFECTLY Gelatinous!)
This gelatinous chicken feet bone broth is a great way to make use of chicken feet and is loaded with collagen and gelatin.
Not only is chicken feet bone broth a more sustainable and traditional food way of eating (think nose to tail), but it offers a load of health benefits and is EASY to make!
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As a Registered Dietitian and busy mom of 3 I’m always looking for EASY ways to add more nourishment to our meals and homemade bone broth is a great way to do that!
Ingredients for Chicken Feet Bone Broth
Ok, luckily, the ingredients for making chicken feet are simple and the same as making a general chicken bone broth if you are already used to doing that. Here’s what you will need:
- Chicken Feet – About 2 lbs or more with the yellow skin removed, but you can leave the toenails on (I do since I am straining it anyway!)
- Vegetables/Seasonings – Carrots, celery, onions, garlic, and bay leaf. Personally, I do not add salt/pepper to my broth but simply season my soup appropriately or salt my broth before I drink it.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – Helps to extract more nutrients from the bones and connective tissues, making the broth more nutritious and beneficial for your health.
- Water – I use approximately 10-12 cups, depending on what will fit. If making in Instant Pot be sure you do not go over the max fill line. If on a stove, you want to leave enough space that it will not boil over.
How to Make Chicken Feet Bone Broth
My favorite way to make chicken feet bone broth is in the Instant Pot. I love that it quickly gives me perfectly gelatinous best broth every single time! However, you can also make delicious and nutritious chicken bone broth in the slow cooker and stovetop.
Instant Pot Chicken Feet Bone Broth Instructions
1. Cut any veggies you want to use – carrots, onions, celery, and garlic.
2. Place the chicken feet, veggies, 1 bay leaf, and water in the Instant Pot pressure cooker.
3. Fill with water making sure you do not go above the max line. I am usually able to get approximately 12 cups in my Instant Pot.
4. Place lid on making sure the valve is closed and set to 240 minutes on soup setting.
5. Release steam and strain.
Once your instant pot runs through the 4-hour cycle, feel free to leave it on warm longer or strain it immediately. When you’re ready to strain it release the steam and remove the lid.
How to Strain Your Instant Pot Bone Broth
After cooking the broth, strain it with a mesh colander into a large stock pot or large bowl. Typically I strain it a couple of times to make sure all bones and small peices are removed.
Storing Your Chicken Feet Bone Broth
Refrigerator Storage
If I’m planning to use my broth right away, I will store it in a glass mason jar in the fridge. Once it is cooled and has been the fridge overnight it will be nice and gelled.
Storing Bone Broth in the Freezer
Some people love to use mason jars to store broth in the freezer. However, I’ve had terrible luck with winding up with cracked jars even when I leave space!
And honestly, I think I’ve found a way better and more convenient way anyway!
Enter SOUPER CUBES! If you have not used souper cubes, you need them. I love to buy the 1 cup portions, but you can buy whatever size you need. I find that with 1 cup I can thaw how much I need for my soup or what I’m making. I rarely need less than a cup and if I do I can simply drink the remains. 🙂
Where to Buy Chicken Feet for Bone Broth?
Honestly, I had wanted to add chicken feet to my broth for a few years before I finally made the jump. I was holding back simply because I wasn’t sure how to get them. Seems like such a silly reason looking back, because it turns out they are fairly easy to come by! If you aren’t sure where to get chicken feet, here are some places to start:
- Ask your local butcher, local farmers, or check your farmer’s market.
- Local co-op, health food store (especially small locally owned markets)
- I recently learned Azure Standard has a large box of “chicken paws” which is the feet but with most of the leg removed.)
- Asian Market – because chicken feet are more common in Asian cooking, check local Asian markets, as you may be more likely to find them there.
- Grocery Stores – My parents recently told me they saw chicken paws at Walmart!! Perhaps traditional eating is making a return? While I prefer organic local chicken feet you may check your local grocery store to see what options are available.
Do you need to peel the chicken feet?
Personally, I have been buying my chicken feet from a local farm sold at a local farm market in my town. They are already cleaned and have the yellow skin removed, which I love as it simplifies the process.
If your feet do still have the thick yellow outer skin (more likely if you get them from a local farmer,) then it is recommended to peel them as this will influence the flavor of your broth.
I’ve never peeled chicken feet before since I buy mine already peeled, but you can easily peel them at home before making your bone broth. Here’s the process recommended to peel chicken feet which basically involves boiling them before peeling them.
Instant Pot Chicken Feet Bone Broth
Ingredients
- 3 quarts Water Do not fill past max line
- 2 Lbs Chicken Feet
- 1 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar
- 1 Onion optional
- 2 Carrots optional
- 2 Celery optional
- 1 Bay Leaf optional
Instructions
- Add chicken feet and vegetables to Instant Pot.
- Pour water into Instant Pot careful to not fill past max line. You can add more or less water, just do not fill past max line. I typically use about 3 quarts.
- Put the lid on and ensure the valve is set to seal. Set the Instant Pot to Soup/Broth mode for 240 minutes and hit start.
- After the time is finished, the Instant Pot will automatically turn to low and your broth will continue to cook. Feel free to let it cook on low longer if you can't strain it right away.
- Release steam and turn off instant pot.
- Pour entire contents through a mesh strainer into a large stock pot or container.
- Discard the bones/veggies. Pour broth into souper cubes, mason jars, or other storage containers.
How to Use Chicken Feet Broth
Use your chicken feet broth just like any other kind of chicken broth or chicken stock! You can use your homemade bone broth to make nourishing homemade soups, cook pasta or rice to add extra nutrition or in any other recipe calling for broth.
Alternatively, you can enjoy a warm mug of bone broth by itself.
If you’re really feeling adventurous, you can make plain bone broth, leaving out all of the vegetables/spices/aromatics, and turn your broth into delicious BONE BROTH HOT CHOCOLATE! Yep, it sounds totally weird, but I promise my kids adore this, and I find it a great way to boost the nutrition in their hot chocolate.
Chicken Feet Bone Broth Benefits
Chicken feet are loaded with collagen. In fact, over 70% of the protein in chicken feet is collagen which is why they make such a perfectly gelatinous broth.
Collagen is a protein that provides structure to the skin, bones, and connective tissues. When you make bone broth using chicken feet, the collagen breaks down and releases into the broth, providing a rich source of nutrients, including amino acids, gelatin, glucosamine, and chondroitin.
If you try this recipe, please leave us a comment below and let us know what you think!! Or let us know if you have another creative way to use chicken feet!
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