Before you run away screaming, hear me out. I know, it’s chicken livers. They are crispy and spiced but, still, liver. There are some people who genuinely enjoy them, but I think it’s fair to say the majority of us just are not instant fans.
I know for me, I grew up around liver-loving people. Fried liver and onions, chopped liver, pate – they ate all of it, frequently, and loved it. I tasted and tasted but could just never acquire a taste for liver in any shape or form. Truthfully, it just grossed me out.
As we have gotten more and more into a real foods lifestyle, I can’t keep from hearing how nutrient-dense and amazing pastured chicken liver is for you. After hearing this mantra over and over for a year, I decided I was going to find a way to eat these things occasionally.
I experimented and tried a lot of recipes. I pureed livers into burgers (um, yeah, I don’t advise doing that!), made Pates and even tried my mom’s famous Chopped Liver with a new attitude and open mind. None of it really worked for me.
One day a couple of months ago, I was making my Paleo Oven Fried Chicken for dinner and as I was breading the chicken, it crossed my mind that this crispy, spiced crust might not only work on the chicken livers but make them tasty enough that even I would eat them once a month or so.
After playing around with the spice ratios and trying oven-baking vs. pan-frying, I developed this Crispy Spiced Chicken Livers recipe. I like to serve them hot with a side of Lemon Garlic Two-Ingredient Aioli for dipping.
If you are already a liver lover and haven’t had a crispy, spiced liver, I think you will love them. If you are in my camp and looking for a way to not only eat more livers but also ENJOY them, I am hoping you will at least give them a try!
NOTES:
- I used a combination of almond meal (ground raw almonds with their skins on) and blanched almond flour (finely ground blanched and skinless almonds). You can make your own almond meal if you have raw almonds and a food processor.
- Bob’s Red Mill sells “Almond Meal/Flour“, which is actually blanched almond flour. They also just released a new product called “Natural Almond Meal/Flour“, which is almond meal. Confusing right?
- I have reheated these and do they OK but are best when first cooked. I don’t suggest a microwave (the crust will get soggy) but rather a non-stick frying pan or a frying pan over medium heat with a bit of oil or butter in it to heat through and crisp them back up.
- Some people swear by soaking chicken livers in buttermilk to clean them. I tried that but with coconut milk mixed with apple cider vinegar (aka vegan buttermilk) and I didn’t notice any difference for this dish. It just added an additional step and wasted ingredients.
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
Crispy Spiced Chicken Livers. Paleo. Gluten Free. Offal Recipe.
- 1 pound pastured chicken livers trimmed and patted dry
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 cup almond meal
- 1/2 cup blanched almond flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3 Tablespoons virgin coconut oil
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Begin by trimming the chicken livers (strings) and cutting them into evenly sized pieces (2 to 3" long). Pat dry with paper towels and set aside in a glass bowl. Beat egg and pour over chicken livers. Gently mix until well distributed.
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Combine almond flour, almond meal and spices in a shallow dish that will be used for dredging. use a fork to mix until all spices are incorporated and all lumps are gone from the flour.
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Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium high heat. Once hot, add 1 Tablespoon of coconut oil (I used 3 Tablespoons total as I divided the 1 pound of chicken livers into 3 batches and used 1 Tablespoon of oil per batch.).
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Using your hands, dredge 1/3 of the chicken livers in the flour mixture until well coated and gently place one by one in the frying pan so that they are not crowded.[img src="http://www.everydaymaven.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_0486-533x400.jpg" alt="" width="533" height="400" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-11773"][img src="http://www.everydaymaven.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_0488-533x400.jpg" alt="" width="533" height="400" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-11774"]
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Cook, undisturbed, for 4 to 5 minutes. Gently flip and cook an additional 3 to 4 minutes on the other side. Try not to keep moving them around so you don't disturb the crust. Remove to a wire rack to cool and continue repeat until all of the livers are cooked.
TIPS: These cooking times are for the size I mentioned (2 to 3" long). If your livers are much larger or very thick, adjust the cooking time accordingly. Enjoy!
Did you make this recipe? Tag @EverydayMaven on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryDayMaven and please give a star rating below.
I made these with 2 exceptions. I didn’t have almond meal so I upped the blanched almond flour and fried them in butter. Holy moly!! They were so good. I’ve been wanting to find a good recipe that is low carb. This will be in regular rotation from now on. I also agree with previous review that it only took 10 minutes. Thank you very much!!
Hi Dawn! I’m so happy to hear this. Thanks for taking the time to comment and let me know. 🙂
Just a heads up, something is breaking your site making it almost impossible to scroll. Not 100% sure but I think it is the video player. It covers a good bit of the content, and there is no way to close it.
Yikes! Were you looking on mobile or desktop and what browser (so I can try to replicate it). Thanks so much for the heads up Jessica!!
These were really good! I ate them with kimchi pancakes and kale for dinner tonight and my belly and body are happy. Thank you.
That sounds like an amazing meal Susan!
Southern Boy here and I grew up loving fried chicken liver. Made these for my wife and kids and it was hit for sure.
LOVE!! So happy to hear it – thanks for taking the time to let me know!
Anyone tried using pork rind Pablo as a coating?
Hi Leslie,
I haven’t tried using pork rind. If you go ahead and try it, let me know how it works out!
Made these tonight using both almond flour and pork panko. They were delicious, but way higher in fat than I normally consume. I don’t have an air-fryer so next time I will just pan saute instead of deep fry. Followed steps above except double dipped in egg wash (once before almond flour mixture then again before pork panko).
Hi Leslie, I food processed some BBQ Pork Rinds and substituted them for the Almond Meal, cut back on the salt (the Rinds are salty) and fryed the Liver in Avocado Oil. It was SO GOOD!! 😋
That sounds amazing!!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Delicious! I was searching for a Keto-compatible recipe for chicken livers, so skimped on the almond flour & ground almonds; also used avocado oil to fry it in – but wow – what a terrific aroma and crispy texture – thank you!
Yay!! So glad to hear it Deborah – thanks for taking the time to comment and rate this recipe!
I can’t wait to try this recipe – I love chicken livers! Has anyone tried air frying them? I’ve recently become obsessed with my air fryer. .
Hey Brooke! I haven’t but I bet they would be awesome.