I have always loved this pan fried chicken liver and onions recipe, even though I was fussy about what I ate as a child. There was something about the unique and almost sweet taste of this dish. Combine that with the soft texture of the liver, I very much looked forward to dinner every time I knew my mom or my grandma was cooking it.
If you are a frequent reader of my blog, you will know that in Romania we eat everything from the animals we slaughter. We don’t throw away the offal. Instead, we create delicious dishes, from appetisers to soups, and main courses to snacks. One of my all favourite Romanian soups is made using tripe and it’s delicious. But we will talk about that in a different recipe. In this article I want to show you how to make a Romanian classic dish, the pan fried liver with onions.
Ingredients for the Chicken Liver and Onions Recipe
This Romanian pan fried chicken liver and onions recipe is a very affordable one, especially because it only uses a few ingredients. 500 grams of chicken liver are enough to make two portions. The main ingredients for this recipe are chicken livers, onions and garlic. For more flavour, you can also add sweet red wine or brandy at the end of the cooking process. To flavour this dish I used sweet paprika, salt, pepper, and parsley.
How to Make the Chicken Liver and Onions Recipe
Making this recipe of chicken liver and onions is very easy. This is why it makes a dish for a quick dinner on a weeknight. It takes less than half an hour to cook this recipe.
The first step in making this dish is cleaning the liver. Mine was surprisingly fatty, so I cut all of the fat out. None of the pieces had the gallbladder, so I didn’t need to remove any extra bits. Make sure you wash the liver very well before using it, and put it in a colander to dry well.
Next, chop the onions and sautéed them for a few minutes in a pan with a lid, until they become translucent. Then, add the liver which you have previously cut in half or bite size pieces, the garlic, and the paprika. It’s important not to overcook the liver, as it will become hard. 7-8 minutes are enough for it to cook, on a medium-low fire, in the pan with the lid. Don’t add salt until the very end, as it will harden the liver, making it very hard and unpleasant to eat. You want a creamy and delicate consistency, not a shoe sole leather texture.
To finish the dish, take the lid away, should there be any extra liquid, allow it to evaporate for another minute or so. If you are using any brandy, add it now, and burn the alcohol for another couple of minutes. Then, turn the heat off, take the pan off the hob, and add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve the chicken liver and onions hot, on a bed of mashed potatoes. To finish, add chopped parsley, sprinkled on top.
Recipe Notes and Tips:
- To obtain a delicate and soft texture of the liver it’s important to cook it over a low-medium heat. Don’t add any salt until you have finished cooking this dish and taken the pan off the heat. Salt makes the liver hard and gives it a very tough texture that is not nice to eat.
- The brandy or sweet wine are optional. I like that it enhances the sweetness of the dish, but you can easily leave it out if you don’t drink or like alcohol.
- If you want a bit more freshness to this dish, you can also add dried thyme together with the salt and pepper. Also, the parsley at the end is optional.
Pan friend chicken liver and onions recipe
Ingredients
- 500 gr chicken liver
- 2 onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 tbsp sweet red wine or brandy optional
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika
- parsley
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Wash the liver well, drain it in a colander, and then clean it from any fat or the occasional gallbladder. Mine didn’t have any, but if you see a greenish looking sac attached, remove it, as it will make the dish very bitter.
- Chop the liver in bite sizes.
- Start by sautéing the onion in a pan until it gets golden over a medium heat.
- Add the chicken liver, mix gently, and put a lid over the pan.
- Add the chopped garlic and the paprika as well.
- Fry for 8 minutes, mixing from time to time and checking for the liver not to burn.
- Take the lid away and let the extra liquid evaporate.
- Then, add the sweet wine or the brandy, and let the alcohol evaporate as well for another few minutes.
- Turn the heat off and add salt and pepper. Don’t add salt before, as the liver will become very hard.
- Serve the chicken livers with chopped parsley on top, alongside mash potatoes, with plenty of the onion sauce.
FAQ:
How to store the leftovers of this Romanian chicken liver and onions recipe?
You can store the leftovers in an airtight container with a lid, in the fridge.
How long can you store the chicken liver and onions?
I don’t recommend storing the chicken liver and onions because it is a very delicate dish that will lose its creamy texture once you reheat it. In theory you could store it overnight in the fridge, but you have to be very careful when you reheat it. It has to be reheated over a slow heat, until it’s piping hot and reaches a temperature of 75 degrees Celsius inside.
For more delicious traditional Romanian food check out the following recipes:
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