Chicken Liver Parfait (or Pâté) with brandy is an elegant yet fuss-free dinner party starter and can be made up to three days in advance. It is one of my favorite starters/appetizers to serve on special occasions such as Christmas or Thanksgiving, especially when I want to spoil my dinner guests.
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Same as Smoked Salmon Pate, this classic French dish is luxurious without being expensive and it doesn’t require much time and effort. I usually serve this soft and buttery Chicken Liver Parfait with brioche bread and my homemade red onion marmalade.
It is full of flavor and is perfect to snack on as part of lunch, on a charcuterie board, or serve as an appetizer/canape! And did I say it's very easy to make it?
Chicken Liver Pâté is a very rich dish and goes a long way. If you end up with some leftovers after your dinner party, don’t worry! You can keep the leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. It would keep even longer - up to a week- if you cover the top of the pate with some melted butter.
Alternatively, you can wrap them tightly with cling film and keep them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Why This Recipe Works
- This delicious appetizer is very easy to make, cost-effective, and perfect to serve as an elegant starter.
- It is perfect for entertaining, you can prepare it up to 3 days in advance, all you have to do is to portion and serve it when needed!
- The leftovers would keep for up to 3 days when refrigerated or 3 months in the freezer.
Difference Between Pate and Terrine
Pâté is a smooth paste and should include at least some kind of liver. It is spreadable so the best way to serve it is with some nice crusty bread or crackers and chutney or marmalade.
Pâté can be served either hot or cold, however, the taste develops after a day of chilling. Here in the United Kingdom, pate is called "parfait" which is a French dessert made by boiling cream, egg, sugar, and syrup to create a custard-like puree.
Terrine is similar to pate, however, they have a few differences. It is generally made from much chunkier meat and/or vegetables and is cooked in a mold shape of a loaf. It is not spreadable and is served at room temperature in slices.
Ingredients and Substitutes
- Chicken Liver - You can find fresh chicken liver from most of the large supermarkets or butchers. Make sure you clean the fat and stringy sinews before using them for a smooth pate.
- Brandy - It is traditionally used for making pate but you can use a port, sherry, whiskey, or red wine instead.
- Capers - It is an unusual ingredient for a pate that adds a sharp bite of brininess.
- Shallots - Lightly caramelized shallots in butter add sweetness to the paté.
- Butter - Good quality unsalted butter is necessary for both browning the shallots and blitzing the pate for a smooth texture.
How to Make Chicken Liver pâté?
Making the chicken liver pâté is very straightforward and there are a few easy steps that you need to follow to achieve the best results:
Trim the fat and the stringy sinews of the chicken livers and pat dry. Set them aside.
Fry the shallots with butter in a large frying pan over medium heat until soft and brown.
Turn the heat up to high before adding chicken livers. Cook them for a few minutes until all sides are brown but still pink inside.
Add garlic, thyme, capers, and the seasoning, and cook for another minute.
Carefully add the brandy and cook it until it reduces to syrup consistency before taking the pan off the heat. Brandy is very flammable, especially when cooking on a gas hob so take extra care when glazing the pan.
Let the mixture cool down for 10 minutes then pour into a food processor.
Give it a quick blitz to combine, then add the rest of the soft butter and double cream. Blitz for a few minutes until smooth.
Line a terrine dish with cling film and transfer the pate mixture in.
Alternatively, you can divide the mixture into small bowls or ramekins.
Let the pâté set in the fridge for a few hours or ideally overnight.
Top Tips From The Chef
- Trim the fat and stringy sinews of the livers - Although it’s a bit fiddly task, this step is necessary to achieve a smooth pâté and it totally worth the effort.
- Use high heat to cook the chicken livers - We want quick browning of the chicken livers on the outside while still pink inside, without overcooking them. The main reason to have grainy pate is overcooked chicken livers.
- Use soft butter - When blitzing the pâté mixture in the blender, make sure the butter is soft but not melted.
- Serve your chicken liver parfait - pâté at room temperature - This smooth and delicious pâté tastes much better at room temperature and it is much easier to spread it on your bread.
Recipe FAQs
The main reason for a grainy texture in pate is to overcook the chicken livers. They should be cooked just to brown the outside while still pink on the inside.
Another reason for a grainy pate is not to blitz the mixture long enough.
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. It would keep even longer - up to a week- if you cover the top of the pate with some melted butter.
Yes, they freeze beautifully! Simply wrap them tightly with cling film and keep them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Related Recipes
For more delicious appetizer recipes for your next dinner party why not try:
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this elegant and delicious Chicken Liver Parfait as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!
Chicken Liver Parfait (Pâté)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 500 grams chicken liver
- 90 grams unsalted butter (30 grams and 60 grams separated / at room temperature)
- 1 shallot (medium size, chopped)
- 1 clove garlic (finely chopped)
- 2 sprigs thyme (only the leaves)
- 2 tablespoon capers
- 60 ml brandy
- 60 ml double cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Trim the fat and the stringy sinews of the chicken livers and pat dry.
- Put 30 grams of the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat.
- Add shallots and cook for a few minutes until soft and brown.
- Add chicken livers and cook for a few minutes until they brown the outside but are still pink inside.
- Add the garlic, thyme, capers, and seasoning, and cook for another minute.
- Add the brandy carefully as it can flame up, especially when using a gas cooker.
- Cook the brandy until it has a syrup consistency and remove the pan from the heat, let it cool down for 10 minutes.
- Put them in a food processor when cooled down and blitz for a few seconds to combine.
- Add the rest of the soft butter and double cream, and blitz for a few minutes until smooth.
- Spoon the pâté mixture in ramekins or in a terrine dish lined up with cling film.
- Let the pâté set in the fridge for a few hours, ideally overnight.
Notes
- Trim the fat and stringy sinews of the livers - Although it’s a bit fiddly task, this step is necessary to achieve a smooth pâté and it totally worth the effort.
- Use high heat to cook the chicken livers - We want quick browning of the chicken livers on the outside while still pink inside, without overcooking them. The main reason to have grainy pate is overcooked chicken livers.
- Use soft butter - When blitzing the pâté mixture in the blender, make sure the butter is soft but not melted.
- Serve your chicken liver parfait - pâté at room temperature - This smooth and delicious pâté tastes much better at room temperature and it is much easier to spread it on your bread.
- You can keep the leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. It would keep even longer - up to a week- if you cover the top of the pate with some melted butter.
- Brandy is very flammable, especially when cooking on a gas hob so take extra care when glazing the pan.
Nutrition
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Ayla
Great recipe. It turned out sooo delicious, I highly recommend it.
Anna
This chicken liver pate is extremely smooth and rich. It's a lovely festive starter or appetizer and tastes delicious. Thank you so much 🙂