This spicy menoto /chicken feet recipe brings the Botswana street food into your kitchen for you to enjoy. This amazing appetizer doesn’t have much meat to it but it is packed with  exotic flavor. The use of fresh ginger, rosemary , Old Bay seasoning, and garlic add slightly western flare to this dish. Instead of wings for your next dinner party, try this chicken feet recipe that your guests are sure to love!

Ingredients 

2lbs  chicken feet ( you can get some from Walmart )

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon of tomato paste

1 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger

1 teaspoon pepper flakes

½ tsp rosemary

½ tsp parsley

1 tbsp Old Bay Seasoning

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 tbsp salt 

1 cup water

  2 cups of vegetable oil for frying the chicken feet

Preparation:

Clean the Chicken Feet

1. Bring a large pot of water to the brink of boiling on your stove top. 

2. Drop the chicken feet into the water for approximately 30 seconds. While you can do more than one chicken foot at a time if your pot is not large enough to comfortably fit them all into the pot without overcrowding, separate them by half or thirds. Set each chicken foot aside to cool.

3. Once all chicken feet have been dipped, start peeling off the skin one at a time.You may find it easier to peel the top layer of the nails first before removing the skin from the rest of the foot, but either way is fine. The goal is to remove the top layer of skin and nail.

4. Proceed to fully cut the nails off of each chicken foot at the first joint.

Make the Recipe

1. Gather the ingredients.

2.Rub chicken feet with salt and let stand for 10 minutes, rinse in cold water.

3. Place feet into a pot of rapidly boiling salted water, blanch for 5 minutes and drain well. Chicken feet can be set aside and refrigerated for a day until you need to cook further.

4.Place a 14-inch sauté pan over high heat. Add the chicken and dry-sear to lightly brown.

5. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook, covered, for about 10 minutes.

6. Uncover, and simmer until the pan is almost “dry,” tossing frequently to coat the feet as the sauce reduces.

7. Serve, garnishing with parsley .

Tips

• Before you start this recipe, prepare the chicken feet for cooking by cleaning them thoroughly and removing the top layer of the skin, as well as the top layer of nails. The scaly skin and nails are unusable and should be discarded. 

• Many people clean their chicken feet up to a day prior to actually preparing them for a meal. 

• Chicken feet freeze well and will keep for at least six months as long as they are wrapped air-tight to protect them from any freezer burn.

Now that you have tried this recipe. Are there any other spices you recommend for me to try instead of Old Bay? Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below.

See you in my next post.

-M