Saturday, June 26, 2010

Chicken Liver and Onions

I don't recall my mother ever making liver and onions when I was a child, although my father and I enjoyed eating them. My grandmother used to make chicken livers coated in bread crumbs and fried, the top them with some sauteed onions. Very tasty, but I have never actually made them that way myself.
I actually started making chicken livers this way after reading Patti LaBelle's book "LaBelle Cuisine". She had an amazing recipe in her book for calves liver with onions and a nice, beefy gravy. I made it several times in the past, and then decided to try making it with chicken livers and chicken broth (her recipe used beef broth). Her recipe also called for sauteeing the onions first, but I prefer to sautee the onions AFTER the liver, so that the browned bits of liver flavor the onions.
I made this for my father one day, and at first he looked at me like I was crazy.. he had never eaten liver and onions with a gravy! But, once he tasted it, he was hooked, and I have made it for him several times since. I LOVE to eat this with some white rice smothered in the gravy! Bon Apetit!
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 lbs. chicken livers
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup flour
1 large onion, thinly sliced
14 oz can chicken broth

1. Season the chicken livers with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour until well coated.
2. In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil over medium heat. Brown chicken livers, about 2 minutes per side.
3. Remove liver from the pan.
4. Add onions to the pan, saute, scraping up the browned bits as you go, stirring often.
5. Add remaining Tbsp. of oil to the pan.
6. Add 2 tbsp. flour to the pan, stir until the oil absorbs it.
7. Add liver back into the pan.
8. Add chicken broth slowly, stirring constantly.
9. Lower heat, cover and allow to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often.
Serve immediately with white rice