Chopped Chicken Livers Recipes

CHOPPED & CHILLED CHICKEN LIVER

Steps:

• Melt 1/4 cup oil in skillet.
• Add onions and saute' for approximately 10 minutes or until they are caramelized.
• Remove and set aside.
• Melt remaining oil in same skillet.
• Saute' livers for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Chop, or mash, livers to desired consistency.
• Add the onions and eggs and mix together.
• Add salt and pepper, to taste.
• Mix well and chill.
• Serve at room temperature.

CHOPPED LIVER

Steps:

• Prepare schmaltz and gribenes ahead of time, or purchase schmaltz from your local kosher market. Goose fat or duck fat can be used in place of schmaltz if desired. Prepare the livers by cutting off any tough pieces or stringy tendons. You should also cut away any pieces of liver that look discolored, yellow or strange. This is pretty much the worst prep job ever, as uncooked liver has a soft and slimy texture, so make sure this step is done by someone with a strong stomach.
• Add 2 tbsp schmaltz or oil into a large cast iron or nonstick skillet and melt over medium heat. Put half of the chicken livers into the skillet and fry them for 3 minutes on each side (about 6 minutes total). Season the livers generously with salt and pepper as they are cooking. *Note: If you plan to kosher your chicken livers by broiling them prior to making chopped liver, you will only need to sauté them in the skillet for about 1 minute on each side. Koshering the livers cooks them, so there is no need to sauté them for a long period of time. Be careful not to overcook or burn the livers, or they will become dry.
• After cooking, livers should be firm and browned on the outside while slightly pink on the inside. They will continue to cook internally after you remove them from the skillet; don't overcook them, or they will turn dry. When the livers are brown and firm, pour them into a medium-size mixing bowl along with the leftover schmaltz/oil from the pan. Add another 2 tbsp of schmaltz/oil to the skillet, melt it, and fry the remaining livers repeating the same process as above. Add the livers and leftover schmaltz/oil from the pan to the mixing bowl.
• The skillet should now be seasoned with schmaltz or oil, so you don't need to grease the pan again. Add the onion slices to the skillet and reduce heat to medium low.Cover the skillet and let the onion cook undisturbed over medium low heat for 10 minutes. Check once or twice during cooking just to make sure they are not over-browning or starting to burn. The onions should be softening, but not darkening at this point. This "steaming" process kick-starts the caramelization needed for sweetness in the chopped livers.
• Uncover the skillet, stir the onions, and continue to sauté them for another 30-40 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to keep the onions from burning. Ideally the onions should be deeply caramelized, tender and sweet - this is what gives Jewish chopped liver its trademark savory-sweetness.Don't try to speed up the caramelization process, it takes time-- and that's ok. Good things are worth waiting for. When the onions have reduced to about 1/3 of their original size and are soft, sweet, and golden, they're ready.
• Add the cooked onions to the mixing bowl along with 4 of the diced hard boiled eggs and the ½ cup of gribenes (optional). Season all ingredients generously with salt and pepper.
• Now it's time to chop all of the ingredients together into a blended mix. There are various schools of thought on the "right" way to chop liver. The old fashioned way is to chop it by hand with a knife, mincing and mincing until it resembles a rough pâté.
• Another popular method is using a meat grinder. I use a meat grinding attachment on my Kitchen Aid mixer on the fine hole setting. Works like a charm.If you want to take a more modern approach, fit your food processor with a metal blade. Place all ingredients into the processor and pulse for about 30 seconds, stirring once halfway through processing, until a roughly textured paste forms.
• Whatever method you choose, it's important to taste the chopped liver once it is ground. Add salt or pepper to taste, if desired. Be a bit generous with the seasoning, as the liver is best served chilled and the seasoning won't taste as strong after chilling.
• Chill the chopped liver in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Garnish with remaining diced hardboiled egg and minced parsley.

JEWISH DELI-STYLE CHOPPED CHICKEN LIVERS

Steps:

• Prepare the Schmaltz as directed in the recipe. Rinse the livers and pat them dry with paper towels.
• In a large saute pan set over meidum heat, heat 2 tablespoons of the Schmaltz and saute the livers until browned, turning once, about 2 to 2 1/2 minutes per side. They should be just barely pink inside. Don't overcook them or they will be dry. Transfer the livers to a cutting board to cool.
• Using the same pan, heat another 2 tablespoons of the Schmaltz and add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer the cooked onions and livers to the bowl of a food processor. Add the eggs, salt, pepper, and remaining 2 tablespoons of Schmaltz. Pulse 6 to 8 times, until coarsely chopped. Do not puree. Taste for seasoning and chill at least 2 hours before serving.
• Serve with toast, crackers, or mazto and cornichons.

CHOPPED LIVER

Steps:

• Drain the livers and saute them in 2 batches in 2 tablespoons of the chicken fat over medium-high heat, turning once, for about 5 minutes, or until just barely pink inside. Don't overcook the livers or they will be dry. Transfer them to a large bowl.
• In the same pan, saute the onions in 3 tablespoons of the chicken fat over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, or until browned. Add the Madeira and deglaze the pan, scraping the sides, for about 15 seconds. Pour into the bowl with the livers.
• Add the eggs, parsley, thyme, salt, black pepper, cayenne, and the remaining chicken fat to the bowl. Toss quickly to combine. Transfer half the mixture to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse 6 to 8 times, until coarsely chopped. Repeat with the remaining mixture. Season, to taste, and chill. Serve on crackers or matzo.

CHOPPED LIVER

Steps:

• Melt all but one tablespoon of the chicken fat in a large, heavy skillet. Add the onions and saute over medium-low heat until they are golden and just beginning to brown around the edges. Stir the onions frequently so they will cook evenly. Remove the onions from the pan and set aside in a dish, draining as much of the fat as possible back into the pan.
• Trim the chicken livers of any connective tissue or membranes and pat them dry with paper towels. Saute the livers in the fat left in the pan over medium heat until they are lightly browned on the outside and no longer pink in the middle. Remove from heat.
• Combine the livers, including all the pan drippings, with the onions, hard-cooked eggs and cracklings (if you are using them) in a bowl. Finely chop all the ingredients either by hand, by putting them through a meat grinder or by placing them in a food processor and pulsing them briefly to a medium-coarse texture.
• Season the mixture to taste with salt and pepper and add the remaining tablespoon of chicken fat. Cover and serve within two hours or refrigerate but allow to come to room temperature before serving.

SIMPLE CHOPPED LIVER

Steps:

• Place the eggs into a saucepan in a single layer and fill with water to cover the eggs by 1 inch. Cover the saucepan and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, remove from the heat and let the eggs stand in the hot water for 15 minutes. Pour out the hot water, then cool the eggs under cold running water in the sink. Peel and chop once cold.
• Meanwhile, heat the canola oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, and continue cooking and stirring until the onion is very tender and golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes more. Place onion on a plate and set aside. Stir chicken livers into the same skillet. Cook until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear. Place chicken livers on the same plate as the onions and allow to cool completely.
• Place chicken livers and onion in a food processor. Process until desired texture is achieved. Place liver mixture into a bowl and season with salt and sugar. Stir in the chopped eggs. Chill before serving.

CHOPPED CHICKEN LIVER

Steps:

• Heat chicken fat in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions; cook, stirring often, until translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until caramelized, about 25 minutes more. Add livers. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt; season with pepper. Cover; cook, stirring often, until livers are cooked through, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
• Place skillet over medium heat. Add Marsala and thyme. Cook, stirring, until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Let cool completely. Pulse pan juices, onions, livers, and eggs in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Sprinkle with remaining teaspoon salt, and season with pepper. Serve with crackers.

RUSS & DAUGHTERS' CHOPPED CHICKEN LIVER

Steps:

• Drain chicken livers, rinse and pat dry. Remove any connective tissue. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the livers until they are firm and slightly pink in the center, about 5 minutes. (Do not overcook.) Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a plate to cool.
• In a clean, large skillet, melt the shortening over medium heat and add the onions. Sauté until onions are caramelized, 30 to 40 minutes, reducing heat to low as the onions soften.
• When the onions are ready, coarsely chop the livers in a food processor and place in a bowl (or chop livers with an old-fashioned manual chopper in a wooden bowl). Peel the eggs and mash with a fork in a bowl. Add to the livers. Add the onions and mix well, stirring in just enough of their cooking juices to moisten the mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cover the chopped liver and let mellow in the refrigerator for at least a few hours. Remove from the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving.