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Easy recipe for chicken liver pate blended with bacon, herbs, and spices for a delicious and nutrient-dense spread on crackers or toast.
Liver and liver pate is one food that some hesitate to incorporate into their kitchen routine. This may be the case even after making the changes required to transition to the wise ways of Traditional Cooking.
Not all liver tastes the same! In other words, just because one type of liver doesn’t appeal doesn’t mean that you will dislike them all. Â
Beef liver, for example, is rather unappealing to me due to its extremely strong flavor. I only consume it via desiccated liver capsules.
On the other hand, I absolutely love duck or chicken liver pate.
By the way, liver is one of the organ meats that is considered “giblets“.
In fact, if I was stranded on a deserted island and could only pick a single food to eat, it would be chicken liver pate both for its fabulous and highly enjoyable flavor as well as for its amazing nutrient density.
Liver was considered a sacred food in many Traditional Cultures and was used for boosting fertility and birthing healthy babies.
It contains ample amounts of both natural cholesterol and real Vitamin AÂ among other critical nutrients necessary for vibrant health.
**You will need to find a clean, pastured source of organ meats before attempting this recipe. Just any source of liver just won’t do!
I suggest this brand of organic chicken livers as acceptable if you don’t have a pastured poultry farm nearby (which would be the optimal choice).
Serving Suggestions
These homemade grain-free herbed crackers or this recipe for sourdough tortilla chips go deliciously well with this pate!
Chicken Liver and Bacon Pate
Easy recipe for chicken liver pate blended with bacon, herbs, and spices for a delicious and nutrient-dense spread on crackers or toast.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chicken or duck livers organic and preferably pastured
- 1 cup grassfed bacon chopped
- 1/2 onion finely chopped, preferably organic
- 1 clove garlic minced, preferably organic
- 1/4 cup butter melted, preferably grassfed
- 1/2 Tbl Sherry
- 1 Tbl dried cilantro
- sea salt
- pepper
Instructions
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Melt butter in a saucepan and lightly saute chicken livers until just pink in the center.
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In a separate saucepan, sauté the chopped bacon for a few minutes and then add the onion and garlic. Continue cooking until until the onion is slightly caramelized and the bacon is cooked through.
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Transfer the contents of both pans to a glass bowl and mix in sherry and cilantro. Let cool for 10 minutes.
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Transfer to a food processor and blend until very smooth. Taste. Add sea salt and pepper if needed and pulse the food processor a few times to mix.
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Transfer chicken liver pate to a small, glass bowl with a lid and chill for 1-2 hours until set.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
1-2 tsp fresh chopped cilantro may be substituted for the dried.
Spanish or white onions work best with this recipe.
**Reader tip: Mix the bacon drippings with the butter for extra bacon flavor in the pate!
Sarah,
I am going to try this recipe. It sounds great! Just wondering what you thought about using conventional onions, instead of organic? I thought onions were safe to buy conventional. Thank you.
I got lucky yesterday at the farmers market, the chicken lady had a whole bag of chicken livers frozen and gave them to me. There have to be at least 10 or so. Even though I had them in a cooler they all defrosted by the time I got them home.
Question is, can I make them all at once in one batch or should I do them separate and can I freeze the leftovers? Also is chicken liver ok to add to egg yolk for my 6 month old?
Thanks
Hi Sarah,
I grew up in New York with many Jewish neighbors who were always feeding me chopped chicken livers. I love them! Try substituting schmaltz for the butter for a real traditional treat.
Have you heard of the Shiksa in the Kitchen? She has a fantastic blog filled with recipes for traditional Jewish foods. Here is the link to her chopped chicken livers:
http://theshiksa.com/2010/06/07/chopped-liver/
Love,
Mary
Hi Sarah,
I also get livers (along with the other organs) out of the carcass of the whole chickens I buy at the Whole Foods store. Can I freeze the livers I get until I have enough to make a pate? Also, can I use the other organs that come in the pack in the chicken carcass? (I’m sad to admit, I don’t know exactly what they are! I have only used them for giblet gravy…)
Thanks so much Sarah,
Caitlin
Hi Sarah,
I also get livers (along with the other organs) out of the carcass of the whole chickens I buy at the Whole Foods store. Can I freeze the livers I get until I have enough to make a pate? Also, can I use the other organs that come in the pack in the chicken carcass? (I’m sad to admit, I don’t know exactly what they are! I have only used them for giblet gravy…)
Thanks so much Sarah,
Caitlin
I’ve got some duck livers (from local, healthy, happy ducks!) thawing in my refrigerator right now. I’m planning to make this Monday, but I’m going to have to purchase the sherry. I’ve never bought alcohol before, so I have no idea what to buy. Am I looking for a cooking sherry, or a something else? I figured I’d go to Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s for it, if that helps you be able to name a brand. Thanks!
I’m a few months late leaving a comment, but I just tried this recipe the other day. I’ve never eaten chicken livers before and was kind of hesitant. It tasted very good. Thank you.
Awesome! Liver is the most nutrient dense food of all. Eating it frequently is the best health insurance policy!
Turkey bacon would probably work ok. I'm not sure the flavor would be quite as good but I'm not sure as I haven't tried turkey bacon as a substitute before. Let us know how it tastes if you decide to try it out!