Dim sum dish explainer

Chicken Feet in Black Bean Sauce (豉汁凤爪 / 豉汁鳳爪)

Braised chicken feet in fermented black bean sauce. This page explains what it is, how to order it, how to eat it, and what dietary signals to check.

Quick definition

Chicken Feet in Black Bean Sauce (豉汁凤爪 / 豉汁鳳爪 · chǐ zhī fèng zhǎo) is braised chicken feet in fermented black bean sauce.

What it is made of

Chicken feet, fermented black beans, soy sauce, garlic, chile, sugar, and braising aromatics.

Flavor and texture

Dimension What to expect
Flavor Savory, garlicky, slightly sweet, and rich with fermented black bean depth.
Texture Soft skin, cartilage, and tendons. It is eaten for texture as much as flavor.
Category Braised

How to order it

Order if the table wants a traditional dim sum texture dish. It is not a neutral first-timer dish.

How to eat it

Use chopsticks, nibble around the bones and cartilage, and leave bones aside. It is slow food.

Dietary and allergy signals

Contains chicken, soy, fermented black beans, and possibly wheat in soy sauce. May be mildly spicy.

For serious allergies or religious dietary requirements, ask the restaurant about fillings, sauces, wrappers, broth, cooking wine, lard, shared steamers, shared fryers, and shared prep surfaces.

Quality signs

Good versions are tender but not falling apart, with sauce that clings rather than pools thinly.

Related dim sum dishes

Har Gow

Steamed shrimp dumplings with a thin, translucent wrapper.

Siu Mai

Open-topped steamed dumplings, usually made with pork and shrimp.

Char Siu Bao

Steamed or baked buns filled with sweet-savory Cantonese barbecue pork.