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8 Comments This easy chicken liver recipe, featuring garlic and lemon, is both delicious and quick to prepare. Delicious with roasted cauliflower, crispy potato fries, or serve it as a quick appetizer for example.
How To Cook Chicken Liver
Chicken livers are best cooked quickly over medium-high heat so they stay tender rather than becoming dry and rubbery. For this easy chicken liver recipe, I sauté them with onion, garlic and herbs, then finish them with fresh lemon. The whole dish takes around 15 minutes and works as a quick lunch, appetizer or easy dinner. If you love chicken liver be sure to check out this air fryer chicken liver recipe which is great on toast. Or for a different flavor this chicken liver with mustard is also delicious.
Table of contents
Rich and Fresh at the Same Time
Liver can be daunting to prepare for a lot of people, but it is in fact quite an easy piece of meat to prepare. I love this dish as the lemon cuts through the richness of the liver perfectly. Combined with the garlic it is the perfect combination. It’s also really quick so perfect for serving on a weeknight.
Recipe Ingredients
This is a very simple recipe for chicken liver that is just a few ingredients. I’m giving some suggestions on what to serve with chicken liver below. As well as some trouble shooting tips and tricks in the FAQ.
- Chicken liver – make sure to use fresh liver that looks shiny and is not discolored or has a metallic smell
- Lemon – can be replaced with lime for a different flavor
- Onions – I love adding onions to chicken liver and they really enhance the flavor. Shallots would be great here too. This dish also works really well with caramelized onions.
- Garlic – fresh garlic cloves is best, but you can also use garlic paste if you prefer. Even garlic powder would work, although I would definitely go for fresh.
- Fresh herbs – you can vary with the herbs used. It goes well with thyme and oregano but fresh parsley or even basil can be used too
How To Make Chicken Liver With Lemon
Step 1: Clean the livers
Rinse the chicken livers under cold running water and check for any veins that look big. Remove those and drain the livers on a piece of paper towel. Sprinkle with pepper and salt to taste.
Step 2: Prepare onions and garlic
Chop the onions and the garlic and sauté these in a bit of olive oil until translucent and soft. Now add the chicken livers to the pan and brown quickly on all sides. Chicken liver is small and needs really a short amount of time. They do not need to be fully cooked yet as they will also simmer later. For a twist in this recipe, you can also use caramelized onions to go with the liver. Now add the fresh herbs and briefly sauté these too.
Step 3: Simmer
The final step is to simmer the chicken liver in the lemon and chicken stock mixture. Allow it to simmer for about 6 to 7 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Step 4: Serve
Serve the liver with fresh parsley and some extra slices of lemon.
Check for full details on the ingredients and quantities in the recipe card below.
How Long do Chicken Livers Take to Cook?
Chicken livers are pretty small and therefore cook pretty quickly. The exact timing is hard to give since it depends on the temperature and the size of your pan. For safety reason as this is poultry after all, make sure that the internal temperature of the liver reaches 165˚F/74˚C. That’s easy to check with a food thermometer.
The outside should be browned and the inside can be quite tender but of course still needs to be cooked through.
Storing Chicken Liver
While freshly cooked chicken liver is always best you can store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days. The main issue or potential problem with reheating is that they might overcook easily at this point.
Reheat chicken livers gently over medium-low heat until piping hot. Try not to cook them much longer than necessary, as reheating can easily make liver dry and firm.
I don’t recommend freezing this dish as the texture of the liver might change and become unpleasant.
Chicken liver FAQ
The total cooking time depends on the size of the liver. Chicken liver cooks quickly, but in this recipe it simmers for a while in the lemon juice/broth, which intensifies the flavor. Normally, about 5 minutes is enough to cook chicken livers.
Chicken livers are basically ready to eat. Sometimes there are some large veins on them that you can remove. There is also some connective tissue between two kidneys. You can remove that too. I always check them over, remove any unwanted parts, pat them dry with kitchen paper, and then fry them in a pan.
Apparently soaking liver in milk removes a gamey taste or a strong metallic taste. If the liver is fresh it shouldn’t even have those tastes to be honest and I never soak them in milk. And if the liver is old you shouldn’t eat it in the first place I think. So make sure you have a fresh liver to begin with.
The most common reason chicken liver turns tough or rubbery is overcooking. Chicken livers cook much faster than most cuts of meat, so keep an eye on them and check the internal temperature rather than simply leaving them in the pan longer. Also important are the following steps:
- don’t overcrowd the pan
- use a sufficiently hot pan
- cook them relatively quickly
- don’t keep cooking them “just to be sure”
- cut very large pieces to a similar size so they cook evenly
- pat them dry before cooking so they sear instead of steam
The best way to make sure the chicken livers are completely cooked is by using a instant read food thermometer. Make sure the temperature is 165˚F/74˚C.
Suggested Side Dishes For Chicken Liver
Chicken liver with lemon is an easy side dish for roasted vegetables or even for casseroles like cauliflower gratin. I love serving it with my recipe for perfect roasted potatoes and it works really well with jacket potatoes too!
Expert tip
The taste of the lemon and the wine will disappear in the dish. A reader commented below that the dish was too sour. In that case, it has probably not simmered for long enough. The taste is mildly lemon but it should not overpower the dish. If you’re unsure you can start with less lemon.
More delicious chicken recipes
Hungry and looking for more tasty chicken recipes? Check out the below!
Did you try the recipe? I would love it if you let me know through a rating or review on the recipe card below. And if you never want to miss another new recipe, make sure to sign up for the newsletter here and I will keep you up to date!
Chicken Liver Recipe Card
Chicken Liver Recipe With Garlic And Lemon
Ingredients
- olive oil for frying
- 2 onions chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- pepper and salt
- 500 gr chicken livers cleaned
- 1 tsp fresh oregano chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped
- 100 ml white wine or use chicken stock
- 75 ml lemon juice plus some slices for serving
- Fresh parsley to garnish
How to make this chicken liver recipe
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until nicely translucent. Then add the garlic and sauté until tender.2 onions, 4 cloves garlic, olive oil for frying
- Add the livers, salt, and pepper and fry until golden brown on all sides. This will take about 5 minutes. Add the fresh oregano and thyme at the end and sauté for a few minutes.500 gr chicken livers , 1 tsp fresh oregano, 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, pepper and salt
- Turn the heat down a bit and add the wine and the lemon juice. Let this simmer gently until most of the liquid has evaporated. About 7-8 minutes or so.100 ml white wine, 75 ml lemon juice
- Serve the livers with lemon wedges from the remaining lemon and fresh parsley on top.Fresh parsley to garnish
Notes
- Cooking Time: Cooks in about 5 minutes, but simmering in broth/lemon juice enhances flavor.
- Cleaning: Usually ready to cook; remove large veins and connective tissue if needed. Rinse, pat dry, and fry.
- Soaking in Milk? Not necessary if the liver is fresh—avoids gamey or metallic taste. If the liver tastes off, it’s likely not fresh and shouldn’t be eaten.
- Storing: This dish is best made fresh
Nutrition Information per portion:
Disclaimer:
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
I love this recipe! I make every time my local store has fresh organic chicken livers. I find it easy to make and fast.
Thanks so much Connie! Glad you like it!
If you love lemon and liver this is the dish for you! It’s quick to prepare and that makes it perfect for a weeknight meal
So wonderful! I LOVED it! I made it this morning and it exceeded my expectations. I used white wine instead of broth. The lemon was such a great addition. My mom makes it all the time, but I never attempted it. I’m sold!
Ah so great to hear Elena! And good idea on using wine instead of broth too. I might try that for next time!
2 lemons for 500gr of chicken liver? I trusted you and ruined my dinner!
Chicken liver is so frugal and so tasty! Be it in a pan of grilled, great for quick meal!
Yes! Totally delicious!