Guyanese Chicken foot is one of those recess / school break snacks that grows with us into adulthood. It is made by frying seasoned dough until crunchy and often served with a spicy sauce/condiment known as sour. At every stage of my school life in Guyana (Primary to High School) there was a chicken foot street vendor that sold the "best" chicken foot and mango sour!
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Once we immigrated to the United States it took quite some time for us to find chicken foot that was worthy of that title. Still whenever, I go to Guyana my sister makes chicken foot and loads us up with bags and bags of it. And it is the best chicken foot, I've ever had! This is her recipe. She gave it to me reluctantly over the phone one day after I pressed and pressed. This is what she told me, " flour, curry powder, salt, geera, pepper. Mix it together to form a stiff dough, Cut in strips and fry."
I was actually surprised that her recipe didn't include ground split peas. Most chicken foot recipes include ground split peas but I've found that the addition of the split peas makes the chicken foot hard to chew. With just an ingredients list from my sister, I had to play around with the measurements. After a couple of tries I got the measurements right and now I am sharing it with all of you.
Making the dough for chicken foot
Making the chicken foot dough is quick and easy. Add all of the dry ingredients to a bowl, mix together well, then add water and knead into a stiff dough ball. When I first tried making chicken foot, I made the dough, then immediately rolled it out and fried it. That chicken foot was so hard (overly crunchy) we couldn't really enjoy it. Over time I learned that letting the dough rest is important. So now I let the dough rest for 30 minutes before rolling it out, cutting it into strips and then frying.
Toast the dough before cutting into strips
When I first attempted this recipe in 2013 and after a few attempts to keep the chicken foot strips from become disfigured during frying, my mother in law told me that I needed to toast the dough first. Toasting the dough makes it easier to cut it into strips and also prevents the strips from clinging together during frying. When the dough clings together they become disfigured and sometimes fry in a clump. I roll the dough out to a thickness that is about 3/16th of an inch thick. Then toast it on the tawa or skillet until both sides are no longer sticky but not cooked or brown.
This is what the toasted dough looks like (pictured above). It is not cooked all the way through but just enough that it is no longer sticky.
Making the chicken foot strips
I used a pizza cutter to cut the chicken foot strips and it makes the chicken foot making task so much easier. Cutting the dough into half also help to get strips that are not too long but just right. You can also layer your dough on top of each other and use a really sharp knife, but using the pizza cutter is my method of choice. Plus I can get my kids involve (supervised of course) and have them help with rolling the pizza cutter to make strips.
The Printable Chicken Foot Recipe
- 2 cup flour
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon roasted ground cumin or geera
- pinch of cayenne powder (optional)
- ¾ teaspoon salt or salt to taste
- 1 cup of warm water
- 4 cups oil suitable for frying (ISunflower, Avocado, Canola, Peanut)
- Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl
- Then add the water and knead together to make a stiff dough
- Cover and let rest for 30 minutes
- Then divide dough in half and roll out each piece of dough onto a floured surface until it is 3/16th inch thick
- Next place a tawa or skillet on medium heat and bring up to temperature
- When tawa comes up to temperature place dough on the tawa and toast for about a minute on each side or until most of the stickiness is gone from the dough
- Remove the dough from the heat and let cool for a few minutes
- Then using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut dough into strips that are about 3/16th of an inch thick
- Next add oil to a large skillet on medium-high heat
- When the oil comes up to temperature add the dough strips and deep fry until the strips are golden brown, be careful not to overcook or bun the strips
- Remove from the oil and drain on a few sheets of paper towel
- Repeat steps these steps as needed until all the dough has been made into strips and fried
- Allow to cool then serve with [url href="https://metemgee.com/2020/05/14/instant-pot-mango-sour/"]mango sour[/url]
Save it for Later
In a snack making mood? Try my other favorite snacks.
Egg Ball
Rowena says
My favorite post yet!
Metemgee says
Yummy.
Gale says
I wanna make this too. Lol
Metemgee says
Next time I make this, I'm going to try putting some split peas in the dough.
Honey Dew says
I love chicken foot....now going and try making it...thanks for the recipe
Sherry says
Instead of "cutting into strips" put the dough on the tawa (or griddle or something) let it cook for a couple of seconds (until stiff) and then use a scissors and cut it...its faster.
Metemgee says
Great idea. I'll try next time.
sarah says
i make mine with chicken cube,garlic n pepper gindup and borad leaf thyme n basil grind up(green seasoing) with the gera and instead of the curry powder i add yellow food colouring and a bit of pepper and salt and make it n put it on the tawa to bake n chip it with sissors too and fry it tastes really nicee u should try it...my granda usually say it doesnt need the green seasoning but i like it tht way it tastes really nicee
Metemgee says
Will try next time I make it. Thanks for sharing.
bruce says
if u use a pizza cutter to cut the strips its much quicker and easier
Metemgee says
Thats a greay idea
Tara. says
Yummy with a little grind split peas ..Thanks for sharing your yummy recipe..I do appreciate..
Tara. says
This is yummy I put in some grind split peas ,Pepper and garlic to the recipe and it was great..For the cutting the way to go is cutting with the knife then when it fry you get the natural look of the chicken foot that we are acustom to see.
Now if you do it on the tawa and cut with the scissors it's going to be straight..
Anyway it's the same taste..
Thanks very much for sharing your recipes.
Claire says
I use Gram Flour In my recipe adding pepper, garlic, and TURMERIC. I aslo use a pizza cutter which is easier on the hand because it roles to cut.
Roman bobb says
Wow. Thank you for this Recipe I’ve been craving chicken foot so long and I am stuck in the in the Bahamas and can’t go home Because of the coronavirus so I’m gonna try to make this today to feel at home