Learn how to cook chicken livers; it’s easy, delicious, and ready in minutes. Serve them with caramelized onions and mashed potatoes for a delightful meal.
Enjoy the rich flavors of tender chicken livers cooked with onions. This quick and easy chicken liver recipe uses simple ingredients and ensures a great weeknight meal that's both simple and utterly delicious.
Perfect for any mealtime, it's sure to become a family favorite. I've been a fan of liver all my life; I grew up eating them, and my grandma's chicken livers were amazing! Try other grandma recipes: Romanian Meatballs, Green Beans with Garlic, or Sarmale Recipe.
If you enjoy liver as much as we do, learn how to cook turkey liver, veal liver, and pork or beef liver with onions, too. Serve them with onions, creamy mushroom sauce for chicken, rosemary mashed potatoes, buttered rice, or crusty bread.
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😋Why should we cook more liver?
- Quick and easy: Cooking chicken livers is fast and uncomplicated, thus perfect for busy schedules.
- It's a versatile ingredient, suitable for various cuisines and cooking methods. Because the taste of chicken livers is relatively mild compared to the bold taste of other organs, they are an excellent option for those new to trying offal.
- Budget-friendly: Organ meat is inexpensive because it's widely available and simple to produce, but not many people enjoy it. As more people moved up the social ladder, they preferred other types of meat over organ meat. This decreased demand has led to lower prices in the US.
- Nutritious: The liver is a so-called superfood, rich in essential nutrients like iron, vitamin A, and vitamin B, and provides a great source of high-quality protein.
📋Recipe ingredients
- Chicken livers are tender, flavorful organs from chickens with a rich taste that pairs well with onions and mashed potatoes.
- You can use frozen (more readily available) or fresh chicken livers. If they are frozen, thaw them completely before cooking them. Try our Peri Peri Chicken Livers next time.
- Onions: Two large onions, cut into slices and sauteed until sweet and slightly caramelized; they are the perfect accompaniment for any type of fried liver.
- Tip: The sauteed onions are optional; you can cook them if you want to serve the livers with them and maybe Parmesan garlic mashed potatoes or BBQ rice. You can skip the onion-cooking step if you're going to serve them any other way (for instance, with yogurt dressing salad or other vegetables, such as buttered leeks).
- All-purpose flour to coat the outside and make it slightly crispy.
- Other ingredients: Vegetable oil, balsamic vinegar, fine sea salt or kosher salt, ground black pepper, red pepper flakes, or a tiny pinch of cayenne pepper.
- If desired, you can sprinkle them with a bit of flaky sea salt and chopped fresh parsley before serving.
- Alternatively, you can add other spices like garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, or coriander. Or you can use a chicken dry rub or seasoning mix. Try our Dry Rub for Wings.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
👩🏻🍳How to cook chicken livers?
Start with the onions; they need more cooking time. Try our Fried Onions and Potatoes next, another great side dish to serve with today's recipe.
Step #1: Halve and slice the onion halves.
Step #2: Heat the oil in a large skillet or frying pan. Add the onions.
Step #3: Sauté them for about 20 minutes until soft, golden brown, and caramelized. Add balsamic and adjust the taste. Remove them from the pan.
Step #4: Pat the livers dry with paper towels.
Step #5: Mix flour and spices in a bowl. Turn the pieces into the mixture to coat them lightly.
Step #6: Heat more oil in the empty pan. Cook the livers for 5-6, often turning them,
⏲️How do you know when the sautéed livers are done?
They should be brown and slightly crispy on the outside, yet they should still be slightly pink in the middle. Pink but NOT bloody. To be safe, check the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab); it should reach 165°F/ 74°F before serving.
Doneness test: To check if they are cooked through, cut into one of them; it should be firm but still slightly pink in the center. Avoid overcooking, as they will continue to cook slightly after being removed from the heat.
🔊Expert Tips
The most important tip: Don’t overcook them! Overcooked livers that are completely brown on the inside are dry and grainy.
Food safety rules: Use a large pan or cook the offal in batches. Cook them for at least 5 minutes until no longer bloody. However, remember that color isn't always a reliable indicator of doneness. Even when fully cooked, they may still appear slightly pinkish.
Preparation: Before cooking, pat them dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture. This helps them brown properly and prevents them from steaming in the pan.
❓Recipe FAQs
You can use a nonstick, cast iron, or steel skillet. However, I recommend using a nonstick skillet. Since they are very delicate and coated in flour, a nonstick pan can easily cook them without breaking them apart. If you use a cast iron or steel skillet, you will need more oil to fry the pieces.
No. They have a milder flavor than beef or pork offal and don't require soaking before cooking.
Refrigerate them in an airtight container for about 2 days. Since they are still pink in the middle once cooked, I prefer not to keep them longer than that.
Reheat: Warm them gently in a skillet over low heat or the microwave at medium power, stirring occasionally to ensure even heating.
Reheat them in the preheated oven (325°F/ 160°C) on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper for 5-10 minutes.
Be careful not to overheat; they can become tough and dry if reheated too much.
🥗What to do with leftovers?
Turn your leftovers into another delicious meal like chicken liver pâté or chopped liver, make fried rice, stir fry, sandwiches, or serve them over salad.
- Pâté: Blend leftovers with butter, herbs, and spices to make a delicious spread for crackers or bread. Try our Deviled Eggs with Liver Pate.
- Chopped livers: Blend the chopped pieces with sautéed onions, hard-boiled eggs, and seasoning to create a traditional spread. Serve with crackers or bread.
🍽️What to serve them with?
📖Recipe
Easy Chicken Livers
Equipment
- Large nonstick pan Notes 1,2
Ingredients
Onions (Note 3):
- 2 large onions
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- a pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Chicken livers:
- 1 lb chicken livers 450 g, Note 4
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- a pinch of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- flaky salt and parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
Cook the onions:
- Slice onions: Peel, halve, and slice the onion halves.2 large onions
- Sauté onions: Heat the oil in the pan and add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook them for about 20 minutes, stirring regularly, until soft, golden brown, and slightly caramelized. Add a splash of water a few times during cooking to avoid the onions sticking too much to the pan.2 tablespoons vegetable oil + a pinch of salt
- Add balsamic vinegar and adjust the taste. Remove them from the pan and keep them warm while you cook the livers.1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Chicken livers:
- Prepare livers: Pat the livers dry thoroughly with paper towels.1 lb chicken livers / 450 g
- Season livers: Mix flour and spices in the bowl. Turn the livers into the mixture to coat them all over; shake gently to remove the excess flour.2 tablespoons all-purpose flour + 1 teaspoon fine sea salt + ½ teaspoon ground black pepper + a pinch of cayenne pepper
- Fry chicken livers: Heat the oil in the empty pan. Cook the livers for 5-6, often turning them until they are brown and crispy on the outside and slightly pink on the inside (Note 5). Don’t overcook them!2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Serve them sprinkled with flaky salt and chopped parsley if desired.
Notes
- Pan: A nonstick pan is the best choice due to the delicate nature of the chicken livers. If using a cast-iron or steel pan, you should use more oil to cook the livers.
- You can use the same pan to cook the onions and then the livers. Remove the onions once cooked, and keep them warm while you fry the liver.
- Onions: Making the caramelized onions is optional. You can just cook the livers and serve them with other sides or use them to make other dishes like pâté or chopped liver.
- Chicken livers: Fresh or frozen. If they are frozen, thaw them completely. The best way to do this is overnight in the fridge.
- Doneness test: Cut into one of them to check if they are cooked through; it should be firm but still slightly pink in the center. Pink but NOT bloody. Avoid overcooking, as they will continue to cook slightly after being removed from the heat. To feel safe, check the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab); it should reach 165°F/ 74°F before serving.
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