Cajun Blackened Chicken Livers with Lemon and Garlic
In recent years, nose to tail eating has been embraced by celebrity chefs and gourmands, but it’s hardly a new idea. Eating an entire animal, not just the prime cuts of meat, is seen by many as a way to respect the animal that has been butchered, not to mention it’s darn practical. “Waste not, want not” is something many grandmothers preached long before terms like “sustainability” were being thrown around. Speaking of grandmothers….for many of us, the savory aroma of liver frying in a pan brings us right back to her kitchen. If your grandmother was like most, liver was either fried up with onions or chopped up with hard boiled eggs. It was not done up Cajun-style and served over a bed of greens, but we’re thinking if it was, we just might have eaten more of it.
Cajun Blackened Chicken Livers with Lemon and Garlic is the first offal recipe for the Primal Blueprint Reader-Created Cookbook, and for those of you a little hesitant to venture into the world of offal, this is a safe and delicious place to start. Nicola Aylin’s easy and richly flavorful recipe combines an array of spices with chicken liver and fresh greens doused in lemon, garlic and butter. As far as liver goes, chicken liver is quite mild and has a smooth texture. The spicy seasoning blend sprinkled on top dominates the dish and gives the liver a crispy coating that contrasts with the smooth, rich middle. Laying the liver on a bed of salad greens lightens up the dish and makes Cajun Blackened Chicken Livers with Lemon and Garlic the perfect summer lunch or dinner.
Liver is possibly the animal organ eaten most often in the U.S., as it’s easily found in grocery stores, takes little time to prepare and is very affordable. Most people who buy liver might not even realize they’re picking up an excellent source of protein, vitamins and minerals. Liver contains vitamin A and several B vitamins, is a source of folic acid, iron and copper and contains CoQ10 for cardiovascular function.
It doesn’t get much better than that and an offal recipe doesn’t get much easier than Nicola’s tasty Cajun chicken livers, a recipe that proves eating offal isn’t so awful after all.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound chicken livers
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or less, depending on how spicy you like it)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon white pepper (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
- 6 cups spinach leaves, lettuce leaves or half a head iceburg lettuce, shredded
Dressing:
- 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
- Juice of one lemon
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
Instructions:
Trim chicken livers, discarding connective tissue and separating larger livers into two lobes.
To make Cajun seasoning, mix together paprika, cayenne, garlic and onion powders, black and white peppers, thyme, oregano and salt.
Add livers to the seasoning mixture and toss to coat then brush livers with either melted butter or olive oil.
Choose your cooking method:
a) Preheat broiler to highest setting. Place liver on a rimmed baking sheet and on top rack in oven, broil under high heat. Turn once, until blackened on outside and centre of thickest part is pink, about 8 minutes.
OR:
b) Place chicken livers in a cast iron pan pre-heated to medium and cook on both sides, about 2-3 mins per side.
Place hot chicken livers on lettuce or spinach. Combine dressing ingredients in a hot pan until garlic is very lightly browned, then drizzle over livers and greens as a warm dressing.
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Posted By: Worker Bee
it blows my mind that so many persons have not ever eaten any liver.. goose liver is an exquisite hor’s deuvre (sp?) known as pate (FR) calve’s liver is excellent, even if you merely serve it with sauteed onions, in same skillet….chicken livers are great, especially as ramaki (wrapped in bacon and roasted in 375 oven 22 min.
I love them myself merely coated in nothing but flour and salt and pepper and fried quickly in some great fat (I use olive oil)and fried briefly (5 min)
in a hot skillet
We love liver – I used to cook it with onions and make a thick gravy… mmmm with mashed potato and greens. But since we have gone paleo, I found another recipe where you stir-fry it with red peppers, leeks, chilli, oregano and finely sliced greens – wicked!
I prefer pigs liver but will eat any kind. Not so keen on ‘foie gras’ because of the geese being force fed.
just made this recipe. I didn’t have oregano so used basil and dill. Still turned out great!
like liver nuggets.
How many servings does this recipe make?
Tried this today- first time eating liver. I used chicken liver from my farmer’s market.
Turned out great. The cajun seasoning was delicious. This turned out to be a good transition recipe into consuming chicken liver.
I LOVE this! My mom used to make spicy chicken livers all the time – I grew up on this stuff (although I had a regular Greek diet, not primal by any means). I’m going to make some and experiment on my toddler…I’ll keep my fingers crossed that he’ll like it. I have to remember to dial down the spice for him a bit. **Variation: since it’s fact that bacon makes everything yummier, try wrapping the livers in bacon and cooking in a hot pan or broiling. Amazing!!
Thanks for the recipe! I’d purchased some chicken livers and was looking for something Cajun style to do with them. This was excellent. Broiled them, seasoned per recipe but with less cayenne, served them over greens with dressing as given, and with sliced, ripe tomatoes on the side. Great dinner.
I like chicken liver much more than beef, although I eat both. As a child, my parents and grandparents ate all parts of the animal, they were 1st generation. So I learned to love liver, kidneys, sweetmeats, chicken feet, cockscomb, even veal brains, even though you can’t really get it anymore. I never developed much liking for pigs feet or ears.
OH. MY. This was divine. First time eating offal and I think I’m in love. Thank you for such a gloriously delicious and simple recipe! I can’t wait to explore more with tasty organs. Mmmmm….
I made this today to try and get my husband to try liver again after over 30 years. My kids and I LOVED it. He tried it but did not care for it. Oh well. Me and the kids sure will get to enjoy it more often since this recipe is a keeper and I will be making it again soon! Thanks!
These are delicious! Even though I’m the only one home tonight, I went ahead and made the whole lb. I’m having them with a cup of chicken stock, baked kabocha squash, & I guess I’ll shred some Romaine and drizzle a little olive oil, lemon, and garlic granules over it. I don’t plan to eat them all tonight (leftovers with eggs, shrooms, and ramps in the morning sounds pretty good), but I’ve already put a pretty good dent in the pile…, so we’ll see!
this is my first time to eat liver. The flavor was excellent, it’s the texture I will have to get used to. But I do have to say, it wasn’t as bad as I expected
I hate the taste and texture of liver. I found a recipe where everything is ground together in the food processor. Onions, liver and can’t remember off hand what else.
The taste of liver is still there, (I drown it in Frank’s hot sauce so I can eat it) but the objectionable texture is gone.