Y’all, I gotta admit…..I wasn’t too keen on the taste of livers. I think at first it was a mental thing, but honestly, I still wasn’t a huge fan. I really wanted to like them though! Mostly because chicken livers have so many health benefits which I dig a little deeper into below.

Things to Expect When First Cooking with Livers

This is just to help you manage your expectations a bit. Expect livers to be different than what you’re used to cooking. The more you eat them, the more your taste buds will adjust :)

• livers aren’t as chewy or even tough like most meat, but more soft once cooked
• livers tend to have a strong flavor
• they can be very juicy raw, so I like to blot the juice with a paper towel before preparing

One way you can make the liver’s flavor a tad milder is by soaking in milk or lemon juice a few hours before cooking. I know many people who simply pan fry in oil with onions. Others love making liver pate, which is more of a spread for crusty bread, crackers or even veggies. You can even fry livers in little bites… my dads favorite way.

But even after trying all these methods, I still wasn’t a huge fan, so I was excited when I read about cooking them in dirty rice! There are so many spices in dirty rice, I figured I’d give it a try and see.

I made the recipe below and I ate it two nights in a row!

I look forward to making similar dishes more often, hoping that I will like livers more and more as I incorporate them into our family’s meal plan :)

Hope you enjoy this recipe!

Dirty Rice N’ Chicken Livers

INGREDIENTS

• 3 1/2 cups chicken broth or bone broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
• 1 T bacon fat or olive oil
• 1 lb chicken livers, finely chopped
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 chopped celery rib
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped (add a chopped jalapeno for extra heat!)
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 t salt
• 2 t cajun seasoning (here’s a good homemade one!)
• 1/4 t. thyme

STEPS:

1. Set aside 1/2 cup of the broth and pour remaining 3 cups chicken broth in a medium saucepan. Add a bay leaf broken in half. Bring to boil. Add rice, cover and simmer 15-20 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed.
2. Heat bacon fat/oil in a cast iron dutch oven or large skillet. Add onion, celery, and green pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened. Add chicken livers and garlic and continue to cook 5 minutes.
3. Add salt, Cajun seasoning, and thyme.
4. Add reserved 1/2 c. chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the pan to release all the brown bits, if any. Let simmer 1 minute.
5. Remove bay leaf from rice and add rice to Dutch oven/skillet. Keep the heat on while you stir. Once it is combined well, remove from heat.
6. Serve with a fresh, tossed salad, enjoy!

*You can also mix ground beef with your chicken livers in this recipe and others. You can even mix some livers into your burgers for added nutrients!

Let us know if you give this recipe a try! What are some of your favorite ways to prepare chicken livers? Did you grow up eating them?