Chicken livers are a giblet that can be made into pate.
Although different kinds of chicken and turkey giblets are packaged and sold separately, most consumers are familiar with them as little packages of odd-looking raw poultry tucked inside the cavities of whole chickens and turkeys. Since many cooks find their appearance and texture offensive or they don't know cook them, many giblets are discarded as trash.
Giblet Description
Chicken giblets consist of the liver, heart and gizzard of the fowl. When packaged with whole birds, the assortment typically includes the neck, which is not a giblet. The liver serves the same function in chickens as it does in mammals. It produces bile that aids in absorption of dietary fats and promotes the excretion of various waste materials. Chicken livers range in color from tan or yellow to deep burgundy. Yellow livers generally have higher fat content than other colors. The color of the liver is based on the most recent food consumed by the chicken and has nothing to do with its health or age. Chicken livers are soft, with rich flavors and creamy textures. Chicken hearts are tough and muscular since their function is to keep the chicken alive through pumping blood throughout its body. Gizzards act as a second stomach for chickens. They grind up the food after it passes through the stomach whole because chickens have no teeth. The hard work it does to grind and mix the bird's feed make it tough and chewy.
Handling and Storage
Keep giblets refrigerated or frozen to prevent bacterial growth. Thaw giblets in the refrigerator or in a container submerged in cold water. Do not thaw them at room temperature or in a microwave as these defrosting methods promote the formation of harmful bacteria in giblets. Rinse giblets under cold running water before cooking.
Culinary Uses
Use chicken hearts and gizzards to add flavor to homemade chicken stock recipes. Avoid using the livers as they disintegrate during long cooking and add bitterness to the stock. To make giblet gravy, simmer the giblets until tender, finely chop and add them to the cooked gravy right before serving. Chicken livers are good lightly floured and saut ed or wrapped in bacon and broiled and served as appetizers. They can also be cooked, pureed and seasoned to make pate.
Word Origin
The word giblets originated in Middle English as "gibelet" which came from the word "gibier," the Old French term for "game." Modern English linguists transformed the word into "giberet," which originally referred to a stew made from game.
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