Quickly cooked in olive oil and topped with onions, sautéed chicken livers are a surprising delicacy. They have a mild flavor compared to other internal organs, so they are a good choice for those who venture into eating offal for the first time.

If, like me, you grew up eating chicken livers (both my grandmothers cooked them often), you know that as long as they’re not overcooked, they are delicious. In this easy recipe, the sautéed livers are topped with onions. The sweetness of the onions greatly elevates this dish, so I highly recommend using them.

Sauteed Chicken Livers

Ingredients and Variations

Onion: I like to top the livers with sautéed onions. The onions are wonderfully flavorful and greatly 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 prefer them to beef liver. They are milder in taste, have a soft texture, and don’t have the metallic taste typical of beef liver. I usually buy them at Whole Foods.
Olive oil: I use it to cook the onions and liver. You can substitute butter or ghee for the oil.
To season: I usually season the livers with just salt and pepper, but in the photo below, I added ½ teaspoon of garlic powder, ½ teaspoon of paprika, and ¼ teaspoon of ground cumin. It was delicious!

Chicken livers were seasoned with garlic powder and paprika.

Instructions

The detailed instructions and step-by-step photos are included in the recipe card. Here’s a quick overview.

Saute the onions in olive oil until golden. Remove them to a plate and cover them to keep them warm.

Pat the livers dry with paper towels, cut them in half, and trim and discard any visible fat or green parts. Add the livers to the same skillet in which you cooked the onions. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Cook them over medium heat until browned but still pink in the middle, 2-3 minutes per side.

Divide the cooked livers between plates, top them with the onions, and serve.

Recipe Tips

The livers should still be pink in the middle when you’re done cooking them. If you cook them until they’re well done, they’ll be dry and grainy. But when properly cooked, they have a wonderfully tender mouthfeel and a mild flavor. Having said that, the USDA recommends cooking poultry internal organs to an internal temperature of 165°F.
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.
You can top the livers with sautéed onions or caramelized onions. Caramelized onions require more time and effort, so I typically use them only when I have leftovers that I can quickly reheat in the microwave. The photo below shows livers topped with leftover caramelized onions.