• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Metemgee
  • Meet Althea Brown
  • Recipes
  • Shop
  • Contact Me
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Meet Althea Brown
  • Recipes
  • Shop
  • Contact Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Meet Althea Brown
    • Recipes
    • Shop
    • Contact Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    "Home" » Snacks

    Guyanese Chicken Foot

    Published: Feb 13, 2013 · Modified: Mar 24, 2023 by Althea Brown · This post may contain affiliate links · 17 Comments

    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!

    Jump to:
    • Making the dough for chicken foot
    • Toast the dough before cutting into strips
    • Making the chicken foot strips
    • The Printable Chicken Foot Recipe
    • Save it for Later
    • In a snack making mood? Try my other favorite snacks.

    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

    [b]Chicken Foot[/b]
     
    Recipe Type: Vegan, Snack Food
    Cuisine: Guyanese
    Author: Althea Brown
    Prep time: 40 mins
    Cook time: 30 mins
    Total time: 1 hour 10 mins
    Serves: 6
    Seasoned dough cut into strips then deep fried to golden deliciousness
    Ingredients
    • 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)
    Instructions
    1. Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl
    2. Then add the water and knead together to make a stiff dough
    3. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes
    4. Then divide dough in half and roll out each piece of dough onto a floured surface until it is 3/16th inch thick
    5. Next place a tawa or skillet on medium heat and bring up to temperature
    6. 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
    7. Remove the dough from the heat and let cool for a few minutes
    8. Then using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut dough into strips that are about 3/16th of an inch thick
    9. Next add oil to a large skillet on medium-high heat
    10. 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
    11. Remove from the oil and drain on a few sheets of paper towel
    12. Repeat steps these steps as needed until all the dough has been made into strips and fried
    13. Allow to cool then serve with [url href="https://metemgee.com/2020/05/14/instant-pot-mango-sour/"]mango sour[/url]
     
    3.5.3251

    Save it for Later

    In a snack making mood? Try my other favorite snacks.

    Egg Ball

    Pholourie

    « Mango Sour
    Plantain Chips »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Rowena says

      February 13, 2013 at 5:13 pm

      My favorite post yet!

      Reply
      • Metemgee says

        February 18, 2013 at 9:44 am

        Yummy.

        Reply
    2. Gale says

      March 27, 2013 at 7:21 pm

      I wanna make this too. Lol

      Reply
      • Metemgee says

        March 27, 2013 at 8:23 pm

        Next time I make this, I'm going to try putting some split peas in the dough.

        Reply
    3. Honey Dew says

      May 01, 2013 at 11:07 am

      I love chicken foot....now going and try making it...thanks for the recipe

      Reply
    4. Sherry says

      December 24, 2013 at 11:48 am

      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.

      Reply
      • Metemgee says

        December 25, 2013 at 11:07 pm

        Great idea. I'll try next time.

        Reply
    5. sarah says

      February 05, 2014 at 5:23 pm

      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

      Reply
      • Metemgee says

        February 23, 2014 at 12:24 am

        Will try next time I make it. Thanks for sharing.

        Reply
    6. bruce says

      March 31, 2015 at 5:53 pm

      if u use a pizza cutter to cut the strips its much quicker and easier

      Reply
      • Metemgee says

        April 07, 2015 at 5:28 pm

        Thats a greay idea

        Reply
    7. Tara. says

      April 18, 2016 at 11:59 am

      Yummy with a little grind split peas ..Thanks for sharing your yummy recipe..I do appreciate..

      Reply
    8. Tara. says

      April 19, 2016 at 6:43 am

      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.

      Reply
    9. Claire says

      August 09, 2019 at 9:54 pm

      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.

      Reply
    10. Roman bobb says

      February 01, 2021 at 11:01 am

      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

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. Instant Pot Mango Sour - Metemgee says:
      May 14, 2020 at 5:30 am

      […] mangoes, herbs, spices and spicy hot pepper. It is paired with most savory Guyanese snacks, like chicken foot, pholourie and plantain chips. Traditionally the best mango sours are the ones where the mango is […]

      Reply
    2. Mango Sour - Metemgee says:
      May 19, 2020 at 4:52 pm

      […] want to add a little kick of heat and flavor to. It is most popularly eaten with snacks such as, chicken foot, channa and plantain chips. These are definitely school yard favorites. When I visit Guyana my trip […]

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Althea! I have a real passion for cooking, especially traditional Caribbean recipes with deep roots! I was born and raised in Georgetown, Guyana and now live in Denver, Colorado with my husband and 3 kids. I am a Whole30 Certified Coach and love sharing wholesome remixes to traditional Guyanese and Caribbean dishes.

    More about me →

    New Recipes

    • Malasadas (Guyanese Pancakes)
    • Non-alcoholic Guyanese Black Cake
    • Flan in a pan with a slice of flan on an aqua background. Orange and yellow napkins folded on a green background with a brass and black fork resting on top
      Pumpkin Flan
    • Cheese straws stacked in a plate on cooling rack with a cream and orange towel under the cooling rack
      Guyanese Cheese Straws

    Wholesome Faves

    • Boneless Brown Stew Chicken
    • Dhal in a wooden bowl with a red wiri wiri pepper floating on top
      Instant Pot Dhal {Whole30}
    • Gluten Free / Grain Free Guyanese Roti
    • parasad, pomegranate and dragon fruit on a gray plate
      Guyanese Parsad

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Meet Althea
    • Privacy Policy
    • Recipes

    Newsletter

    • Sign up to stay connected!

    Contact

    • Get In Touch

    Copyright © 2022 Metemgee, LLC