An easy, classic chopped liver spread, smoked and grilled to bump up the flavor. Recipe courtesy of my father, Jerry Goldwyn.
My Dad, Jerry Goldwyn, died in 2005 at age 85. I turned out to be very much like him. He was a pugnacious serial entrepreneur with mixed results. Like him, I have started several businesses, some successful, some, not. My current one, thankfully, is a winner.
He served in the Pacific in WWII with the 346th Bomb Group and flew under Jimmy Doolittle late in the war. Immediately after the war he was a lifeguard on Long Island where he met my Mother, Norma Smollett, an artist. They were married in 1947, and he went on to Cornell’s Agriculture school in Morrisville, NY, on the GI Bill, majoring in food technology. That, too, I inherited.
If at first you don’t succeed…
When he graduated, he and his best friend opened a dog food factory. Failed. Then he went to work for Clarence Birdseye, the man who pioneered frozen foods. Then my Dad struck out on his own and opened a deli/butcher shop. Failed. Then he became an inspector for the USDA and was stationed in Maine inspecting blueberry factories. After blueberry season they sent him to St. Petersburg, FL, inspecting shrimp processors, but red tide shut down the plant. So they sent him to Sarasota to inspect an orange juice processor. He caught them adding water and sugar and shut them down, putting himself out of work. Tired of moving around, he bought a restaurant named after a beautiful flowering bush, The Oleander. Mom hung art from local artists on the walls. They let me bus tables and work the fountain as a jerk. Gahead. Say it.
They later discovered that oleanders are poisonous. The restaurant failed. So he became a stockbroker and the company sent him to Cocoa Beach to open an office during the earliest days of the space race. Boomed!
Grilling’s in my genes
Dad was also a grill man, and that’s where I got the bug. His specialty was flank steak. I hung out with him at the grill, and I loved the product. When nobody was looking, he might have let me have a sip of his beer. That just might have cemented my love of grilling right then and there.
Occasionally, he’d fiddle around in Mom’s kitchen, and chopped chicken liver spread was one of his specialties. It was great for parties, snacking, or on a sandwich just like you would with braunschweiger, the spreadable German liver sausage. I found his recipe card after he died. Dad made his chopped chicken liver spread indoors, but I make mine on the smoker, of course. I miss you and your cooking, Dad.
What is chicken liver spread?
Lowly chicken livers are much maligned, especially when chopped. So goes the old saw, “What am I, chopped liver?” But this recipe will surprise the haters. Chicken livers are rich and savory, and when chopped or pureed they taste like butter with more protein and flavor. They’re kind of a hidden gem. Chicken liver spread or “paté” is usually enriched with actual butter and seasoned with herbs like sage or thyme, onions or shallots, and a splash of alcohol like Cognac. I prefer sherry. I also toss in a little apple to balance all that savory with a touch of sweet. With all that creamy flavor, chicken liver spread tastes great on crackers, bagels, burgers…you name it.
Why you live this chicken liver spread
- It’s smoked: most chicken liver paté is just sauteed and pureed. Mine’s smoked. Rich organ meats take on smoke like an actor takes on a character.
- It’s pretty quick: Ready start to finish in just under hour, you can be noshing on this before company comes for the party.
- You can make it ahead: Chicken liver spread tastes best when chilled, which means you can make it days in advance to get a jump on things.
- It’s perfect party food: Dress it up with some herbs in a nice crock, and the protein lovers will be scooping this stuff all night.
- It’s versatile: A dip, a spread, a burger topping, a pasta sauce…with a little imagination you can easily come up with 50 ways to love your liver
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Chicken livers: These are usually pretty cheap, a blessing in an era when meat prices are going through the roof. You can also substitute turkey livers.
- Onion: The onion gets gently grilled right along with the chicken livers. You could use shallots if you prefer.
- Apple: Surprise! Most chicken liver recipes don’t include fruit, but I love the way a little sweetness from apple counterbalances the savoriness of the chicken livers and onions. Pears would be a delicious substitute. Either way, they are sauteed with butter and then hit with a splash of alcohol.
- Sherry: A little alcohol ties all the flavors together because alcohol molecules bind to both fat-based flavor compounds and water-based flavor compounds. Translation: alcohol make it taste better. Cream sherry is my preference here, but sweet marsala wine or even cognac would work.
- Herbs: I like dried sage with chicken livers, but feel free to use other savory herbs like, um, savory, or thyme or marjoram. Either way, they lend some top note aromas to complement the deep, meaty flavors.
How to make chicken liver spread
- Prep
Wash about a pound of chicken livers, cut an onion into chunks, and toss them both with a little oil in a bowl. Simple.
- Smoke-roast the liver and onions
Cook the liver and onions at about 325°F on the indirect side of a smoker or a grill with a 2-zone setup. It only takes 20 minutes, and they’ll pick up nice smoke flavor.
- Saute the apple
Meanwhile, chop up an apple, saute it in a pan with some butter, and then hit it with a splash of sherry and some seasonings like dried sage and black pepper for a sausage-like flavor.
- Puree
Dump it all in a food processor, season with salt until it tastes good and you’re done.
Chicken liver spread FAQs
Like other organ meats, chicken liver is high in cholesterol. But you only eat a little bit of chicken liver spread. Think of it like pesto. You’re not to eat a whole bowlful. Plus, chicken liver is an excellent source of iron, vitamin B12, folate, vitamin A, and choline. These nutrients are essential for maintaining healthy blood cells, immune function, brain health, and heart health.
Well, only a little. Yes, chicken liver is an organ meat, just like duck liver or goose liver. But foie gras only comes from the aggressively fattened livers of ducks or geese. No one is force-feeding chickens to fatten up their livers and make chicken liver pate as some kind of gourmet delicacy. At least, no one I know of.
Thankfully, no. These rich little meats are fantastic just sauteed and tossed with pasta. I like them even better smoked and pureed into this paté. They usually cost about $2/pound—a fraction of the cost of other meats. Why? Most people just aren’t aware of how good this cut of meat is. Lower demand = lower price.
If you like chicken liver spread, you’ll love…
- Grilled Marinara Sauce
- Soused Applesauce
- Charoses
- Chimichurri Sauce
- Basil Pesto
- Harissa Hot Pepper Paste
- Korean Ssam Jang
Makes:
2 1/4 cupsTakes:
Equipment
- Grill topper
- food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken livers and/or turkey livers
- 1 large onion
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 ounces unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 1 tablespoon dried sage crumbled
- 3 ounces cream sherry or sweet marsala wine
- 1 apple any variety
- 2 teaspoons Mortons Coarse Kosher Salt
- 1 pinch ground black pepper medium grind
- Grilled baguette slices, grilled garlic bread, pumpernickel thins, rye thins, matzoh, Triscuits, or any old cracker
These recipes were created in US Customary measurements and the conversion to metric is being done by calculations. They should be accurate, but it is possible there could be an error. If you find one, please let us know in the comments at the bottom of the page
Method
- Prep.Wash the livers, pat them dry with a paper towel. Cut off the two ends of the onions, cut them in half along the equator, peel them, and cut the halves again into chunks. Put them in a bowl with the 1 tablespoon of the oil and toss them around until coated.
- Peel, quarter, core, and coarsely chop the apple. Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the apple and cook for about 10 minutes until the chunks get soft. Add the sage and black pepper and cook for about 1 minute. Add the sherry and turn the heat to high. Cook another 3 to 4 minutes burning off the alcohol. Trust me you don’t want it. Remove from the heat and add the salt.
- Fire up. Start your smoker and aim for 225°F or set up a grill for 2-zone cooking, 325°F on the indirect side, and get some smoke rolling. Cook the livers on the indirect side until they turn dark on the outside and are no longer floppy. This will take only about 20 minutes. They may remain pink on the inside, but they will be cooked. At the same time grill the onion on the indirect side until the pieces are translucent, also about 20 minutes. Chop them into bite sized chunks.
- Dump the livers, onions, and apples into a food processor, and beat it up on a medium speed until it is a uniform paste. Go for smooth, but hey, a few small lumps won’t choke anyone. If you use a blender you will have to work in batches, but it should work. Taste and adjust salt and sherry as needed. Spoon into a bowl, cover, and chill. You can eat it warm, but I prefer it chilled.
- Spread it on everything: crostini, crackers, sandwiches, bagels, rye bread, burgers… Go nuts and top with bacon onion jam from my first book, Meathead. Use it to enrich pasta sauce. Stuff it into puff pastry or mushroom caps for baking. Serve it alongside charcuterie on a cheese board. That's 10 ways to use it right there. Get creative and you'll come up with at least another 40 ways.
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