People tell me that eating organ meats is “an acquired taste” and “a cultural thing.” As someone who was raised in Israel and enjoyed the cooking of two wonderful grandmothers – one of them an Israeli of Eastern European descent and the other Dutch – I was served offal from an early age, and I really liked it – as long as it was not overcooked.
INGREDIENTS
You’ll only need a few simple ingredients to make this chicken liver recipe. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here’s an overview of what you’ll need:
Onion: I like to top the livers with caramelized onions. The onions are wonderfully flavorful and they really enhance the livers. I would go as far as saying that if you don’t have onions on hand, it’s best not to make this dish at all.
Fresh chicken livers: I much prefer them to beef liver. They are milder in taste, they have a nice soft texture, and they don’t have the strong metallic taste typical to beef liver. I usually buy them at Whole Foods.
Olive oil: I use it for frying the onions as well as the livers. It’s delicious, but it does have a fairly low smoke point. Since I cook the onions and the livers over medium heat I believe it’s OK, but if you’re not convinced, you can use butter or ghee instead.
Kosher salt and black pepper: If using fine salt, you should reduce the amount you use, or the dish could end up too salty.
INSTRUCTIONS
So how do you cook chicken livers? Some recipes use a coating (such as flour or breadcrumbs), but I don’t. I simply fry them in olive oil. The detailed instructions for making this recipe are included in the recipe card below. Here are the basic steps:
Cook the onions. You start by peeling and slicing an onion, separating the slices into rings, then frying the onion rings in olive oil until golden. Remove the onions to a plate and cover them to keep them warm (or place them in the oven on the “keep warm” setting).
Prepare the livers. Pat them dry with paper towels, cut them in half, and trim and discard any visible fat or green parts.
Cook the livers. In the same skillet, add the livers. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Cook them over medium heat until browned but still pink in the middle, 2-3 minutes per side.
Note that if added to a too-hot pan, the livers will splatter and even burst. So make sure to use medium heat and don’t wait too long before adding them to the pan.
Serve. Divide the cooked livers between plates, top with the onions, and serve.
