How to Cook Chicken Offal- Chicken Liver, Chicken Gizzard and Chicken Heart

Chicken gizzards, livers and hearts in my kithchen.

Offal (pronounced "awful") are the organ parts of a slaughtered animal. In today's world, these parts of the animal are generally thought of as undesirable for eating. They are the stomach, liver, testicles, heart, tongue, intestines, eyes, etc. Some cultures around the world eat offal on a regular basis while others see it as a pauper's meal and something they don't want any part of.  In the United States,  some people eat it and some cringe at the thought of it.

Eating offal goes back to the time of using every part of the animal when it is slaughtered. Chicken feathers used to be made into pillows and used for stuffing mattresses. The skins of buffalo, cattle, goats, etc. were made into clothing and blankets. Their bones were carved into weapons and the bone slivers were used as needles to help create needed items. Every part of the animal was either used or eaten and that's where offal came from.

Rooster testicles.

Every animal that is processed has the potential for some wonderful offal dishes. For this recipe, we are going to be using the livers, gizzards and hearts of the chickens that my brother and I processed this spring. The collected organs on these chickens were larger, firmer and cleaner than what is purchased at the grocery store. We guessed it is because they are truly fresh, the chickens were treated and fed well and there were no additives to their feed, antibiotics or anything else that would hinder their natural growth.

If you have never tried chicken offal then this is a good recipe for a first time tasting. Since the pieces are dredged in flour, you aren't being reminded of what you are eating when you look at it. Each type has a different taste and texture. Chicken hearts are a little rubbery but they have a nice snap to them that is similar to a good sausage casing. Chicken livers are soft with a creamy texture that will literally melt in your mouth. Chicken gizzards have a bit of a bumpy texture to them. They are solid and unlike anything else that I have ever eaten.

If you have never tasted chicken offal, I highly recommend you try at least the chicken liver in this recipe.  You can usually pick up a pint of chicken liver at your local grocery store for less than $1.50 which also makes for a cheap meal.  Who knows, once you try it you may discover that it is in fact as good as I'm telling you it is.

Ingredients to Make This

• 1 pound of chicken liver, gizzards, hearts or a combination of any of them
• 1 cup of oil for frying, I use lard or a combination of butter/olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose white flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• salt and pepper to your taste

Some people also like to add a seasoning called hickory smoked salt to the breading which adds a fantastic flavor.  If you use the hickory smoked salt, omit the regular salt.

How Long Does it Take?

Prep time: 20 minutes    Cook time: 20 to 30 minutes depending on size of meat  Yields: 4 servings

How to Make This

First things first.  Measure out your flour and put it into a bowl.  Add the seasonings.  Crack the eggs into a separate bowl and wisk them.  This is the breading for the chicken pieces.  Ignore the speckled dog.  That's Spudward and whenever I'm cooking, he's never too far away. 

Pour your oil into the pan you are going to use to fry the pieces.  I always use a cast iron skillet because I think it cooks better.  Turn the heat on medium and keep an eye on the oil.

I start with the gizzard when I'm cooking a combination that includes them because they take the longest to cook.  Coat the pieces with the flour and gently shake off the excess.

Then drop each piece into the eggs, coating all sides.  Remove the pieces from the eggs and put them into the flour again, making sure that all of the pieces are covered with the flour.

Start putting the pieces into the hot oil.

Keep going until the pan is full.  Resist the temptation to start turning these.  If you play with them too much, the breading will start to come off.  Allow them to cook over medium heat until the bottom side breading is browned before you turn them over.

The breading will be brown when you give them their first turn.  Allow them to cook for about 10 minutes before turning them over again.

The finished offal!  It is dark and crispy on the outside and the livers are creamy on the inside.  The hearts have that little snap to them and the gizzards, well, the gizzards are really hard to describe but they are good.

I really do hope you give this a try.  It may seem a bit unusual to some but it's a great tasting, cheap meal that is extremely easy to make.