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.
Jon says
I followed this pretty precisely and could not achieve crispness. Is too little heat the likely culprit?
EverydayMaven says
Sounds like lack of heat or that your oil was not hot enough when you put them in!
Patti Accursi says
Made these last night as my hubby loves liver of any kind. Me not so much. I had picked up 3 packs of chicken livers recently so decided I needed to find a new recipe for them. I even loved these! So easy! Thanks!
EverydayMaven says
Hi Patti! So glad you BOTH loved them 🙂 Thanks for the feedback!
Sherry Ann Allen says
I love chicken livers! For many years I have gotten them at a tavern. They are crispy and delicious! When I have a chicken liver attack, I go straight to that tavern! I have never made them myself! Your recipe inspired me! I don’t think the tavern chicken livers had cayenne pepper, garlic powder or oregano, but the amounts in your recipe are small enough that they may add a lot of unrecognized flavor without overpowering the goodness of the livers!
I am going to try it! Stay tuned!
EverydayMaven says
Can’t wait to hear how they turn out Sherry!
Mark Shyman says
Great recipe! My chicken livers came out of the pan looking exactly like the illustration with a terrific, spicy flavor, Cajun-like. I intend to try this coating on fish and chicken fillets as well. I believe the recipe would work well with them also. Many thanks!
EverydayMaven says
So glad you enjoyed it Mark! The coating will definitely work on chicken and robust fish. I based it off of this recipe that I use for chicken!
MG says
Made this tonight. I didn’t have almond meal or almond flour so I painstakingly grinder almonds by hand. Even then, I only had 1/2 a cup max so I used seasoned breadcrumbs for the other half. (sorry to butcher your recipe!). Followed the rest of the directions — I don’t like liver but I made these for someone else and I actually really liked these. He liked these so much also.
EverydayMaven says
Glad you found a way to make this work for you and that you all liked them!! 🙂
Amanda@ChewTown says
Sweet breads crispy fried are always amazing! I’m not running from this recipe in fear of liver.
EverydayMaven says
Nice! If you make it, let me know what you think Amanda 🙂
Brittany says
I’ve been wanting to try liver because it’s so nutritious but I’ve been way too chicken (please excuse the pun)! This recipe for them looks so good that I think I’m ready to give it a try 🙂
EverydayMaven says
Let me know what you think when you try them Brittany!