Chicken Liver Pâté (Served with Red Onion Marmalade)

Chicken liver pâté is an elegant yet fuss-free dinner party starter and can be made up to two days in advance. It is one of my favorite starters/appetizers to serve on special occasions, especially when I want to spoil my dinner guests.

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 pâté with brioche bread and my homemade red onion marmalade. Although it doesn't look very appetizing, this French classic is full of flavour! 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.

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 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 blender, make sure the butter is soft but not melted.

• Serve your chicken liver 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.

Step by step instructions for smooth Chicken Liver Pate :

• Trim the fat and the stringy sinews of the chicken livers and pat dry.

• 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 few minutes until all sides are brown but still pink inside.

• Add garlic, thyme, capers and the seasoning, cook for another minute then add the brandy carefully. Brandy is very flammable especially when cooking on a gas hob so take extra care when glazing the pan. Cook the brandy until syrup consistency and take the pan off the heat.

• 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 ramekins. Let the pâté set in the fridge for few hours or ideally overnight.

I hope you enjoy the process of making this smooth and delicious Chicken Liver Pate as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂

Bon appétit! / Afiyet Olsun!

FOOD SAFETY

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

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Did you make this recipe?

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