chicken livers?

[kindkit]

Anybody have any good recipes for chicken livers? I like them, but I do find them rather strong, so recipes that tone down their flavor or balance it out with spices, etc. are especially welcome. Also, I'm not looking for recipes that call for wine, just because wine is expensive and I don't want to have to buy it (I do have sherry on hand, though--I keep it in the fridge and cook with it).



ETA: Thanks for the suggestions, and please do keep making them! In return, let me share this yummy sounding recipe I just found: Thai stir-fried chicken liver with spinach.

Comments

[james]

I think I've only ever eaten livers deep-fried, or pan-fried with onions. I never even thought about doing other things! Huh. I wonder what I've been missing?

[kindkit]

What I usually do with chicken livers is make dirty rice; I modify the recipe by adding the rice raw and cooking the whole thing like a pilaf. It's a tasty dish, especially with lots of hot sauce, but I'm looking for more options.

[klia]

My sister used to make somehing like this recipe, only without the nuts: http://lynnescountrykitchen.net/app/baconliver.html

[kindkit]

Oh, yeah, that's a classic but I never thought of it. Mmm, bacon.

[princessofgeeks]

How do you feel about pate? Which is served cold? And is spreadable?

[kindkit]

Sounds good! I'd love a recipe if you have one.

[princessofgeeks]

This is from the Silver Palate Good Times cookbook.

Fry 8 slices of bacon. Dry on towels. Saute a pound of chicken livers in the bacon fat, about 6 minutes. They should be pink on the inside. Pull from pan. Pour a half cup of brandy into the same pan and stir, scraping all the bits of liver and bacon from the sides and bottom. Heat at medium until bubbling. Pour in three quarters cup of heavy cream and let boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to simmer until the liquid thickens and reduces to about one cup. Remove from heat. Put the livers, one chopped onion, and the cream from the pan into a food processor and puree. This is the key step; the resulting liver should be smooth and spreadable. Keep processing and add spices: a quarter cup of mayonnaise, a pinch of thyme, a pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper, a third of a cup of walnuts.

Scrape out of food processor into a pretty serving bowl and garnish with the crumbled bacon and some parsely. Spread on rounds of french bread or crackers.

Very rich and indulgent!!!!

[kindkit]

That sounds amazing. I think I'll save it for Thanksgiving or Christmas as a treat. Thanks!

[the_rck]

It's not a cooking suggestion, per se, but I like chicken livers dipped in ranch dressing. I like the flavor combination. The dressing sort of softens the flavor.

This reminds me, I haven't had liver in forever. Nobody else in the household likes it, and it's too much to cook it just for me.

[kindkit]

When I roast a chicken, which isn't that often because chicken fat splatters all over the oven, I always try to get one with giblets. The other bits go in the gravy, but I like to pan-fry the liver and scarf it down.

[executrix]

Chopped liver! I was raised on the kind with chicken fat (schmaltz) and hard boiled eggs, which not only stretches it out but makes the flavor less strong. In my non-vegetarian days, I made a nice pate with bacon, chopped onion, and a bunch of parsley thrown in the blender with cooked chicken livers and a shot of bourbon--if you have sherry in the fridge already, though...

And chicken liver pate is a classic crostino, the bread tames the strong flavor.

[kindkit]

The one time I had Jewish-style chopped liver, I wasn't crazy about it. But I do like pate very much--I think the higher level of seasonings works better for me. Time to explore pate recipes, I guess.