Italian Chicken Livers Recipes

SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN LIVERS

Steps:

• Place the chicken livers in a colander, and rinse with water. Drain the livers well. Whisk together the egg and milk in a shallow bowl until well blended. Place the flour, garlic powder, and salt and pepper in a resealable plastic zipper bag, and shake to combine.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Place the chicken livers in the bowl of egg and milk mixture, and coat each liver. Place the livers, one at a time, into the plastic bag of flour mixture, and shake the bag to coat the each liver completely.
• Gently place the coated livers, a few at a time, into the hot oil. Cover the pan of oil with a frying screen to avoid getting burned by spatters of oil that will pop out as the livers fry. Deep fry the livers until crisp and golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes.

CHICKEN LIVER CROSTINI

Steps:

• Heat 4 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, anchovies and garlic. Sauté until onion is tender but not brown, mashing anchovies with fork, about 3 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Add chicken livers and sauté until brown, about 4 minutes. Add wine and cook until most of liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Add chicken broth and sage. Simmer until chicken livers are cooked through and liquid is reduced by half, breaking up livers with fork, about 10 minutes. Cool slightly.
• Transfer mixture to processor. Using on/off turns, process just until livers are coarsely pureed. Mix in lemon peel. Season pâté to taste with salt and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange bread slices on 2 baking sheets. Lightly brush bread with remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Bake until crisp and golden, about 15 minutes. (Pâté and toasts can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill pâté. Cool toasts; store airtight at room temperature.) Spread p•t over toasts. Arrange toasts on platter.

ITALIAN INN FRIED CHICKEN LIVERS AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Take the chicken livers you are preparing and dredge them in sifted salt, pepper, and flour. Shake off excess. Slice yellow onion in rings and add livers and onion slices to cast iron skillet. Fry until nicely browned and crisp. Then add Worcestershire sauce.
• This was the "secret" ingredient that set them apart from ordinary fried chicken livers. Fry them in olive oil, and be sure the oil and skillet are VERY hot before adding the livers and onions.

CHICKEN LIVERS AND ONIONS, VENETIAN STYLE

Steps:

• Mix the raisins and vinegar together and set aside.
• Trim the livers of any membranes or connective tissue. Cut the pairs in half, making all the pieces as uniform as possible. Pat the livers dry on paper towels.
• Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet. Add onions and saute slowly, over low heat, until golden and tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer onions to a bowl, draining as much of the oil as possible into skillet.
• Increase the heat to high, add the livers and cook them very quickly, moving them around in the oil, for three to five minutes until they begin to brown but are still pink inside. Season with salt and pepper.
• Sprinkle with sage and wine and the raisins and vinegar. Reduce heat to low, return onions to pan, mix them in to reheat. Serve liver and onions moistened with the pan juices.

CHICKEN LIVERS WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Put onions in a large skillet over medium heat. Cover and cook, stirring infrequently, until onions are dry and almost sticking to pan, about 20 minutes.
• Stir in a tablespoon of oil or butter and a large pinch of salt and a few grindings of black pepper, add rosemary and turn heat down to medium-low. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms release their liquid and it evaporates, about 15 minutes more. Remove vegetables from pan; set aside.
• Wipe pan with a paper towel, put it over medium-high heat and add remaining oil or butter. When oil is hot or foam from butter has subsided, add chicken livers. Keep heat high and cook livers quickly, turning them until brown and crisp on both sides but still pink on inside, about 3 or 4 minutes total. Remove from pan.
• Return vegetables to pan along with vinegar and 2 or 3 tablespoons water, just enough to deglaze; stir well to combine and serve with livers and crusty bread, or on toast.

ITALIAN STYLE CHICKEN LIVERS WITH ORZO

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions.
• Drain and set aside.
• In a skillet, heat olive oil.
• Add onion and garlic and cook until soft.
• Add chicken livers in a single layer and saute until firm, about 10 minutes, turning once.
• Add wine and seasonings.
• Cover and simmer on LOW heat about 5-10 minutes, or until livers are no longer pink inside.
• Uncover and continue to simmer until wine is reduced by half.
• Toss with pasta, warm through, and serve immediately with parmesan cheese if desired.
• (NOTE) This recipe just evolved, and I usually do not measure, so proportions are approximate.
• Add more or less wine if desired, and if it seems like too much pasta, then don't add it all.
• I'd taste it first before you add the cheese.
• You might like it without.

TUSCAN CHICKEN LIVERS

Steps:

• Wash chicken livers under cold running water. Dry well, and season with salt and pepper. Dust chicken livers with flour; set aside.
• In a large nonstick saute pan, combine olive oil, onion, sage, chopped garlic, red-pepper flakes, capers, and anchovies. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes. Add chicken livers, one piece at a time. Cook, covered, until evenly browned, about 3 minutes on each side. Add Vin Santo, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the saute pan. Cook until the wine has reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in tomato, and cook, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. (The dish should be slightly soupy. If it starts to become dry, add a little water.) Remove the saute pan from the heat, and stir in parsley.
• Rub the toasts with the whole garlic clove. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with black pepper. Spoon the livers over the toasts, and serve immediately.