What To Cook From Chicken Liver: Recipes With Photos, Options For The Oven And Other Methods

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

What to cook from chicken liver: a selection of popular recipes

Liver can be used to prepare a wide variety of dishes. Extremely simple and aristocratic sophisticated. Hearty, capable of serving as a full-fledged dinner, and light, for a snack between main meals. There are many recipes: chicken liver can become a bowl of rich soup, a heap of pancakes, a brew that gurgles deliciously in a pot … But it will always and everywhere retain its main quality - it will remain incredibly healthy. True, the offal has a rather specific taste, which is not to everyone's liking. But this can be answered with the words of an old joke: you just don't know how to cook it!

Content

• 1 Useful properties of chicken liver
• 2 How to choose the right and where to store
• 3 How to handle

• 4 What to cook - step by step recipes

  • 4.1 Salads and snacks

    • 4.1.1 Liver pate from Julia Vysotskaya
    • 4.1.2 Chicken liver salad
    • 4.1.3 Snack tartlets
    • 4.1.4 Video: how to cook foie gras?

  • 4.2 First courses

    • 4.2.1 Flavored liver soup
    • 4.2.2 Video: Liver Cream Soup

  • 4.3 Second courses

    • 4.3.1 Raisin cutlets
    • 4.3.2 Liver pancakes
    • 4.3.3 Video: Creamy Chicken Liver Stewed in Pot
    • 4.3.4 Fried liver
    • 4.3.5 With vegetables
    • 4.3.6 Stew with mushrooms
    • 4.3.7 Video: Stricton liver in a multicooker
• 5 Cooking for the child: some important rules
• 6 Choosing the best side dish

Useful properties of chicken liver

Today it is difficult to imagine, but once the liver was considered a product of the poor, unworthy to appear on the tables of wealthy people. However, why is it difficult? Even today, one can hear the opinion: they say, this product is unhealthy and harmful, because in the body it is only doing what it does to cleanse the blood from all rubbish. Nothing like this! If, before being on your plate, the liver did not belong to a sick bird, there are practically no harmful substances in it. But vitamins, minerals and other "usefulness" - more than enough.

The liver contains many vitamins and minerals

Which ones?

1. In any liver, and especially in chicken, you will always find many minerals, the main of which is iron. It is thanks to him that doctors recommend this useful by-product for the nutrition of patients with anemia. Plus, it's full of selenium, which is essential for the normal functioning of the thyroid gland.
2. The liver contains a lethal amount of vitamin B9, without which the circulatory system cannot function properly. And also vitamin A, which is responsible for immunity, vision, hair, nails and skin. It also contains the most important vitamin C, E, and B for our body.
3. Heparin, which is also present here, helps to regulate blood clotting.
4. 200 g of liver contains the daily dose of amino acids necessary for humans.
5. Finally, chicken liver contains only 3% fat, so it has every right to be called a dietary product.

How to choose the right one and where to store it

In order not to rely on the conscience of sellers, which is not always crystal clear, remember a few simple rules. When choosing a product for your table, look at …

1. Colour. A good liver will be brownish with a noticeable red or burgundy tint. A greenish tint indicates the presence of bile, which will make the finished dish taste bitter, too light or yellowish - that you are dealing with the liver of a sick animal, orange - about re-freezing, and gray will tell you about the expired shelf life.
2. Smell. A healthy fresh liver smells subtle and slightly sweet, but a sour smell warns of a poor-quality product.
3. Condition. Smooth, shiny and free of suspicious stains or specks, this product is a worthy candidate for your dish. Sticky and dull - trash can contender.

Prefer chilled over frozen liver

When buying a liver on the market, do not hesitate to ask the seller for a certificate that his product has been verified by the veterinary service, and in the store do not forget to check if the product has expired and whether its packaging is intact. You can check the offal sold by weight in two more ways: press your finger on it and see if there are any dents, or ask permission to slightly cut the goods. If the inflowing blood turns out to be too thick and dark, refuse to purchase.

How to handle

Usually, chicken liver does not need to be soaked in milk or water - it already turns out to be quite tender and rarely tastes bitter. But if you want the perfect result, take a few minutes to process the product before you start cooking it.

1. Rinse the liver with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Or leave it in a colander and wait until the water is completely drained.
2. Remove film knots, veins and ducts if found. But it is usually not necessary to peel off a thin whitish film from the surface of a chicken liver - it is too thin and, unlike beef liver, will not spoil your finished dish.
3. If you find greenish bile stains in your purchase, carefully cut them out. And at the same time, remove excess fat.
4. To prevent the appearance of a bitter taste, you can soak the chicken liver in milk or kefir for an hour or two. This is an optional condition, but it won't do any harm.
5. Option for gourmets: rub pieces of prepared offal with mustard and let them sit for 30-40 minutes. This will make the dish especially tender and savory in taste.
6. To rid the product of a bright recognizable smell, it is recommended to fry it with a thin slice of lemon.

What to cook - step by step recipes

The dishes that can be made from the liver are slightly less than the stars in the sky. Well, well, even if this is a slight exaggeration, but for many centuries mankind has really learned how to cook from an unpresentable by-product. Soups, salads, cutlets, browned pancakes, stews with vegetables, liver cakes snack bars … Whatever you plan - a modest family dinner or a festive dinner - the liver will always be in place.

The liver can be the highlight of the festive table

Salads and snacks

Let's start with the simplest: light snacks that can be placed on the table before serving the main course.

Liver pate from Julia Vysotskaya

This is not just a paste, but a real palette of flavors! Moreover, it is collected from the simplest, but ideally combined products: onions and peppers for spiciness, nutmeg for sophistication, cognac for piquancy, butter and cream for tenderness and depth of taste. And as a result - well-fed smiles of guests and a storm of applause for the hostess.

So, you will need:

• chicken liver - 300 g;
• cream - 100 ml;
• onion - 1 pc.;
• cognac - 100 ml;
• butter - 20 g;
• nutmeg - 1 tsp;
• red and black pepper, salt.

Cooking.

1. Peel the onion, cut in half and chop into thin half rings.

   

   Onion pieces can be of any size, they still have to go through the blender

2. Fry the onions in butter. It should become transparent and slightly golden.

   

   Butter will add an extra delicate flavor to the dish

3. Rinse the liver thoroughly, cut off excess fat from it and divide it with a sharp knife into medium-sized pieces. Send them to the bow.

   

   Do not forget to examine the liver for films and specks.

4. As soon as a nice dark crust begins to appear on the slices, add black and red peppers and nutmeg to the pan, and then finally salt.

   

   At this stage, you can add spices and salt

5. Further, Julia advises pouring cognac over the liver. If you have not cooked dishes with alcohol yet, be very careful at this stage: cognac can flash in a hot frying pan. It is not necessary to shoot down the flame, even more so to pour water. It will go out quickly by itself.

   

   Do not try to cover the flame with water! It will burn itself out

6. Reduce the heat and simmer the liver and onions for another 10-15 minutes, so that the liquid has time to partially evaporate, and then pour cream over everything.

   

   By this time, the liver will be almost ready.

7. Stir well the gurgling thickening mass, remove the pan from the stove and cover with a lid. Now you have to be patient and wait until your future pate cools down a little. Only then can the contents of the pan be transferred to the blender bowl and chopped until completely homogeneous.

   

   All ingredients must be carefully mixed with a blender.

8. Put the finished snack in the refrigerator overnight. During this time, the pate thickens, infuses and acquires the necessary consistency and rich taste.

   

   For serving on the table, select beautiful dishes for the pate

Chicken liver salad

If the minimalistic set of foods designed to set off the flavor of the liver in the previous recipe seems a bit scarce for you, make a salad. Everything will be here: vegetables, cheese, eggs. No one will be left hungry or disappointed.

You will need:

• chicken liver - 250 g;
• eggs - 2 pcs.;
• favorite cheese - 50 g;
• carrots - 1 pc.;
• pickled cucumbers - 2-3 pcs. depending on the size;
• onion - 1 pc.;
• garlic - a couple of cloves;
• dill;
• vegetable oil - 30 g;
• mayonnaise - 80 g;
• salt.

Cooking.

1. Put the liver in a saucepan, add salt, bring to a boil and boil until tender for a quarter of an hour.

   

   Chicken liver cooks quickly

2. Boil eggs hard-boiled and grate on a fine grater.

   

   You can chop the eggs into small cubes

3. Peel the onion, cut in half and chop into cubes, and either grate the carrots on a fine grater or cut into very thin strips.

   

   Prepare vegetables for salad

4. Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan and first fry the diced onion in it for 4-5 minutes, and then, for another 2-3 minutes, carrots. Finally, add the garlic cloves, peeled and pressed through a press or crushed with the flat side of a knife.

   

   The frying will be ready in a few minutes.

5. Chop the cucumbers as you wish.

   

   Cucumber can be taken salted or pickled

6. Cut the boiled liver into smaller pieces.

   

   Chopping the boiled liver is easy

7. Grate the cheese on a coarse grater.

   

   Choose hard cheese

8. Chop the dill.

   

   What's a salad without fresh herbs?

9. Put the liver in a salad bowl, smooth with a spatula and brush with mayonnaise.

   

   Flavor each layer with a little mayonnaise

   Put a layer of cucumbers on top in the same way, then vegetables, on them - eggs. Finally, sprinkle the salad with grated cheese and finely chopped dill and let it sit in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.

Snack tartlets

And this is a truly festive dish that looks dignified and tastes good. For him you will need:

• chicken liver - 300 g;
• champignons - 300 g;
• eggs - 2 pcs.;
• carrots - 150 g;
• onion - 1 pc.;
• greens;
• mayonnaise - 2-3 tbsp. l.;
• salt.

In addition, you will need to look in the store for packaging of ready-made tartlets. Or cook them yourself. For a dough base, stock up on:

• flour - 400-500 g;
• milk - 150 ml;
• water - 50 ml;
• dry yeast - 1 tsp;
• eggs - 1-2 pcs.;
• vegetable oil - 2-3 tbsp. l.;
• sugar - 1 tsp;
• salt.

If you decide to make the tartlets yourself, let's start with them.

Cooking.

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water.

   

   Take instant yeast, it will go faster

2. Add slightly warmed milk to the dough, beat in an egg, add vegetable oil, sugar and salt.

   

   Eggs should be at room temperature, milk slightly warmed

3. Pour in the sifted flour next and knead a soft dough, and then cover the bowl with a towel and let it stand in a warm place for 30-40 minutes so that the dough has time to come up.

   

   Instead of a towel, you can use cling film

4. Roll out the dough into a thin layer and cut into circles using a glass or cup.

   

   You can cut out circles of dough for tartlets with an ordinary glass

5. Arrange the blanks for tartlets in tins, prick them in several places with a fork and bake in an oven preheated to 180 ° until golden brown.

   

   If you prick the dough with a fork, it will not swell during baking.

6. Boil the liver in salted water for 15–20 minutes after boiling, cool and pass through a meat grinder.

   

   The filling will be tender and juicy

7. Peel the onion and chop into cubes, chop the mushrooms smaller.

   

   Try to make the pieces smaller, otherwise they will stick out of the baskets ugly.

8. Grate the carrots on a fine grater.

   

   Carrots will make the dish look like

9. Boil the eggs and also grind them with a grater.

   

   Eggs will make your snack tastier and more satisfying.

10. In vegetable oil preheated in a pan, sequentially, with a difference of 3-5 minutes, add the onions, then the mushrooms and at the very end carrots. By and large, it can be left raw, there will be more vitamins.

    

    This appetizing blend is a great liver supplement

11. Combine all the ingredients, salt, season with mayonnaise. Spread the filling in cooled tartlets and garnish as you like: chives, olives, chopped herbs.

    

    Agree, it looks great

Video: how to cook foie gras?

First meal

If you have mastered the preparation of simple dishes and managed to get into the specific, but interesting taste of the liver, take the next step. Try to make soup out of it!

Fragrant liver soup

To make this delicious recipe come true, you will need:

• liver - 400 g;
• potatoes - 4-5 pcs.;
• carrots - 3 pcs.;
• onions - 1-2 pcs.;
• flour - about 1 tbsp. l.;
• butter;
• parsley;
• pepper;
• salt.

Cooking.

1. Peel the onion, cut into neat cubes and bring to a pleasant golden hue in a deep oiled dish over medium heat.

   

   Onions will add flavor and flavor and color

2. Peel the potatoes and cut into even slices of the same thickness. Add to onions.

   

   Try to keep the slices medium - not too thin, but not too thick.

3. Do the same with carrots.

   

   Carrots are vitamins, satiety and bright color of soup

4. Process the liver - wash, dry, remove films and ducts.

   

   All unnecessary - fat, films - must be carefully removed

5. Fill everything with water, salt, pepper, cover and cook until the potatoes are soft, and light juice instead of blood begins to emerge from the pieces of liver when pierced.

   

   Liver soup has a very special taste and aroma

6. Fry flour in a dry frying pan. It should be lightly browned, but not burned, so turn on the smallest heat and remember to stir in the pan with a spatula.

   

   Make sure the flour does not burn

7. Dilute the flour with a few tablespoons of liver broth, stir with a whisk and pour into a pot of soup. Bring it to a boil again.

   

   Make sure there are no lumps in the liquid

8. Serve the soup in portioned bowls, sprinkle with parsley and add 1 tsp. butter.

   

   Bon Appetit!

Video: Hepatic Cream Soup

Second courses

It's time for the second courses! Hearty, juicy and appetizing. And it is also desirable not too expensive, so that you can regularly pamper your home with culinary delights without spending astronomical amounts on it. And the liver will again help you perfectly with this.

Raisin cutlets

Many people love Ukrainian cuisine for its special "relish" and richness of taste. And also for simplicity - for example, you will have to spend half an hour of your personal time on cooking these cutlets. The refrigerator and oven will do the rest for you.

You will need:

• liver - 350 g;
• fat - 60 g;
• rice - 80-100 g;
• eggs - 1 pc.;
• onion - 1 pc.;
• butter;
• sour cream - 200 ml;
• any greens to taste;
• black pepper;
• salt.

Cooking.

1. Rinse the rice well, put it in a saucepan, cover with cold water and put on medium heat, and after 20-30 minutes after boiling, put it in a colander.

   

   Liver and rice will become the basis of future cutlets.

2. Pass the liver through a meat grinder or grind with a blender.

   

   Blender, meat grinder or food processor - any technique will do

3. Peel and chop the onion.

   

   Onions are a constant ingredient in liver dishes

4. Cut the bacon into cubes.

   

   The cutlets will really turn out savory

5. Place the bacon and onions in a skillet and sauté over low heat until the onions are transparent.

   

   And what aroma will be in the kitchen!

6. Chop the greens.

   

   Parsley, dill, green onions? Choose yourself

7. Combine all ingredients, stir in egg whisk, season with pepper and salt. Knead the resulting minced meat, put it in the refrigerator to stand - on average, it takes 1 hour.

   

   Some suggest adding greens at this stage, others prefer to add it to the sauce

8. Grease a baking dish with oil. Soak a tablespoon in water, divide the minced meat into portions, form cutlets out of them and place them in a mold at a short distance from each other. Bake for half an hour in an oven preheated to 200 °.

   

   Piping hot!

Liver pancakes

These wonderful pancakes can be cooked with semolina or ground oatmeal. In the first case, you will get a hearty dish, in the second - light, and if you prefer a baking pan and oven to a frying pan, then it will be completely dietary.

You will need:

• liver - 500 g;
• semolina or ground oatmeal - 80–90 g;
• egg - 1 pc.;
• onion - 1 pc.;
• sunflower oil;
• black pepper;
• salt.

Cooking.

1. Rinse the liver, remove all excess, and cut the pulp into pieces.

   

   Chopped liver is easier to grind

2. Peel and chop the onion.

   

   If you periodically wet the knife in water, your eyes will not pinch

3. Pass both ingredients through a meat grinder.

   

   The pancake base is almost ready

4. Add egg and semolina (oatmeal) to the minced meat and knead well. Season with salt and pepper, and then leave it alone for half an hour so that the cereal absorbs the liver juice and swells.

   

   The groats should get wet, so take your time to fry the pancakes

5. Put the prepared minced meat in portions in a pan with heated vegetable oil and fry on both sides until golden brown. Or bake the pancakes in the oven. 20-25 minutes at 200 ° will be enough for this.

   

   The best sauce for liver pancakes is sour cream with spicy garlic

Video: chicken liver in cream, stewed in pots

Fried liver

Simple and delicious. Just you, spices and a frying pan. And, of course, the liver. Where without it!

You will need:

• liver - 500 g;
• eggs - 2 pcs.;
• flour - a few spoons;
• vegetable oil;
• pepper;
• salt.

Cooking.

1. Rinse the liver, dry, inspect. If you find grease, films and similar "excesses", remove them with a sharp knife.

   

   The preparation procedure is standard: washed, examined, removed excess

2. Cut into slices slightly thicker than a finger. Season with salt and pepper.

   

   The piece should be 1-1.5 cm thick

3. Beat the egg with a whisk.

   

   Cooking breading

4. Pour flour into a flat plate.

   

   Can replace wheat flour with oatmeal

5. Dip each liver slice first in an egg, then roll in flour and fry in vegetable oil on each side.

   

   Serve the liver hot

With vegetables

Usually, a side dish is required for the liver - rice, potatoes, salad - which must be prepared separately. And you can combine useful with … no, not only pleasant, but even more useful and cook liver with vegetables. Fragrant, soft, and thanks to the marinade, it is additionally enriched with new flavor notes.

You will need:

• liver - 700 g;
• tomato - 1 pc.;
• bell pepper - 1 pc.;
• egg - 2 pcs.;
• onion - 1 pc.;
• lemon juice - 2 tbsp l.;
• parsley;
• soy sauce - 3 tbsp l.;
• vegetable oil;
• sugar - 1 tsp;
• black pepper and other spices;
• salt.

Cooking.

1. Peel the onion, cut in half, and then cut into small pieces.

   

   Chop the onions into rings and then chop them into cubes

2. Beat the eggs.

   

   Chop the yolk well

3. Combine soy sauce, lemon juice and beaten eggs in a deep bowl, add onions, season with sugar, spices and salt. Submerge the liver in the marinade and refrigerate for 1–2 hours.

   

   Any spices are welcome

4. Peel any remaining vegetables, remove the core and seeds, and cut the flesh into cubes.

   

   The dish will turn out juicy

5. Remove the liver from the marinade and, along with the vegetables, into a preheated and oiled skillet. Fry the juiced mass until the liver is tender. Serve with fresh herbs.

   

   Healthy and delicious dinner ready

Stew with mushrooms

Another way to make a great meal that can feed a horde of hungry men. Mushrooms and cheese will make sure that eaters are not tormented by hunger for a long time, and the liver, as usual, will supply the body with useful substances.

You will need:

• liver - 700 g;
• canned champignons - 200-300 g;
• cheese - 100 g;
• onion - 1 pc.; - 200 ml;
• flour - 100 g;
• sour cream - 200 ml;
• vegetable oil;
• any spices;
• salt.

Cooking.

1. Cut the washed and prepared liver into medium-sized pieces.

   

   Liver that is not completely thawed is easier to cut

2. Peel the onion and cut into half rings.

   

   A tart onion sets off the taste of any dish

3. Grind the cheese with a fine grater.

   

   Don't spare the cheese

4. Champignons, if whole, cut into pieces or slices as you wish.

   

   Often canned mushrooms are already cut into slices

5. Combine flour with salt and spices. It is best to do this with a sieve, so everything is mixed as evenly as possible.

   

   Make sure everything blends well

6. Roll the liver slices in the resulting breading and send the mushrooms to the pan with heated oil. Fry each piece on both sides, place on a paper towel and then on a plate.

   

   Chicken liver is fried no more than 8-10 minutes

7. Fry the onion and mushrooms in the same pan.

   

   An appetizing smell will gather in the kitchen all household

8. Return the liver to the pan, top with sour cream, sprinkle with cheese, cover and keep on low heat for a few more minutes.

   

   This liver is especially great with mashed potatoes or rice.

Video: liver in a Strictone style in a slow cooker

Cooking for the child: several important rules

Enough has already been said about the benefits of the liver, therefore, I think, no one will doubt that this product must be included in the diet of the smallest family members. And starting from a very young age! For example, doctors believe that the liver can be used as complementary foods for babies as early as 7-8 months. But this must be done according to certain rules.

1. Feed your babies exclusively with chicken or veal liver. All other types of it have a high fat content and are less useful.
2. Purchase a product from large manufacturers where quality control is higher. Or from hands, but only from well-known owners, about whom you know exactly, in what conditions they raise their livestock, what they feed and how they treat.
3. Of course, the liver should be fresh and free of all kinds of films and veins.
4. At first, give your baby liver feed no more than 1 time per week. At this time, it is especially important to monitor the baby's condition - whether he will have an allergy or other unpleasant reaction to the changed menu.
5. The ideal form of serving the liver for children is mashed potatoes, soufflés or pate with the addition of boiled vegetables, ground meat, eggs and other products already known to the crumb.

Choosing the best side dish

Preparing a worthy accompaniment to a dish of offal is not a tricky business. The liver goes well with almost all kinds of garnishes, and it also plays a great solo - take the famous foie gras, for example. Choose what you like best:

• boiled, stewed or fried potatoes;
• vegetables in all kinds;
• mushrooms;
• pasta;
• cereals - buckwheat, oatmeal, rice.

It is impossible to adhere to the principles of smelting nutrition and neglect liver dishes. This ingredient must appear on the table of every health-conscious person 1-2 times a week. So you will be doing your body a favor, slightly offloading the budget, since this product is inexpensive, and enriching the family menu with new tasty dishes. You already have plenty of recipes for this, and you can find even more on the Internet.