“Learn how to cook — try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless and above all have fun.”
~ Julia Child
The Beginner Organ Meat Recipe
When Chris Kresser linked to my sweetbreads recipe and recommended it for adventurous cooks, I was honored that the mighty Chris found my blog. But he also made me realize that the organ meat recipes I’ve offered might be intimidating if you’re new to eating these nutritious meats. So, today I’m introducing the gateway organ meat: chicken livers. They’re mild tasting, require almost no prep and cook quickly. You don’t even need a recipe, really. You can just sauté them briefly in your favorite cooking fat, season with salt, and enjoy! But, if you want to get just a little bit fancier, and create a whole meal with chicken liver as the base, here’s a nice recipe that would be delicious for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Nutrition
Organ meats contain between 10 and 100 times the nutrition of muscle meats, and chicken livers are no exception. Just 4 ounces of chicken livers contain:
- 20 grams of protein.
- 248% of your daily need for Vitamin A. This essential vitamin is necessary for proper immune function, vision, reproduction, and cellular function. However, I want to focus specifically on its role in autoimmunity. Together with Vitamin D, it suppresses Th17 cells. What does that mean? Th17 cells produce inflammatory chemicals that are involved in the development and progression of autoimmune disease. Anything that calms these chemicals down is very helpful.
- Liver is also higher in B vitamins than almost any other food. You’ll get 308% of your daily need for B12, 164% of Folate, 116% of Riboflavin, 68% of Pantothenic Acid, 56% of Niacin, and 48% of B6. B Vitamins are brain food. To demonstrate their importance, here’s a powerful fact: vitamin B12 deficiency can mimic the symptoms of multiple sclerosis.
- Chicken liver is also a good source of K2, which is also known as “Activator X” for all of the ways it works as a synergist with other vitamins in our bodies.
- And let’s not forget the minerals. You’ll get 88% of your daily need for selenium (an essential antioxidant), 56% of iron (essential to red blood cell function), and 32% of phosphorous (needed for strong bones and teeth).
I also chose the vegetables for this recipe with nutrition in mind. Scallions have 120 times more antioxidants than other onions, provided you eat the greens as well as the white bulbs. Cauliflower is a sulfurous vegetable, recommended by Dr. Terry Wahls for its detoxifying properties. And the carrot is there for added color, because food just tastes better when it’s pretty, too.
Where to Buy Organ Meat
Local Harvest is a website that connects consumers with local farmers. They are great sources for organ meat, often at the lowest prices.
Can I Take a Supplement Instead?
This is one of my favorite recipes, but if you’re looking for an easier alternative, there is one available. Chris Kresser is a leader in the ancestral health and functional medicine communities, and he considers organ meat a superfood. However, after working with thousands of patients, he learned that many didn’t want to prepare organ meats at home. So, he created a high-quality supplement that combines 100% grass-fed liver, heart, kidney, pancreas, and spleen so you can get all of these nutrients easily. Learn more here.
Chicken Liver Fried “Rice” (Paleo, AIP, GAPS, Wahls, Whole30)
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. coconut oil (divided)
- 1 large carrot (peeled and diced)
- 1 bunch scallions (sliced thinly, both white parts and greens)
- 1/2 lb. chicken livers (cut into bite-sized pieces)
- 2 Tbsp. coconut aminos
- 1/2 large head cauliflower (cut into chunks & pulsed in the food processor until it reaches rice consistency)
- sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- This recipe is essentially a stir fry, so the steps move quickly. It's best if you prepare all of your ingredients in advance and put them in small bowls, ready to toss into the pan. (Look at the ingredient list, and peel, slice, dice and pulse as needed.)
- In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil over medium heat.
- Add the diced carrot and sauté 3 minutes.
- Add the white slices of scallion (saving the green slices for later). Sauté another 3 minutes.
- Add the livers and cook 2 minutes per side.
- Add the other tablespoon of coconut oil, as well as the coconut aminos, and toss until everything is coated evenly.
- Add the cauliflower rice and the scallion greens. Toss to blend. Cook 2 minutes. Use a spatula to flip the rice, cook 2 minutes more.
- Season generously with salt.
Notes
- Variations: This recipe lends itself well to adaptation. If you don't have any scallions, use onions, leeks, garlic or ginger instead. Do you have another favorite vegetable besides carrots you'd like to add? Go for it; just make sure it's diced small. Do you have an herb garden? Then feel free to add fresh herbs at the end.
- The cauliflower stem is edible and nutritious, too! Include it when making your cauliflower-rice.
- Time-saving tip: Many stores sell pre-chopped cauliflower rice in the frozen food aisle. 1/2 a large head of cauliflower is equivalent to about 3 cups of cauliflower rice.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Courses
- Method: Stovetop
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Recipe looks good . With respect, your statement under “Nutrition” reads as if you want low amounts of Th17 cells to reduce inflammatory chemicals when the data also states the higher amounts of these Th17 cells in mucosal surfaces fight inflammation. Balance is key, perhaps .
Hi Allison. Definitely balance in all things. Most people with autoimmunity have upregulated Th17, which is why I mentioned that here. For a more detailed discussion of the autoimmune process where we talk about regulation and balance, here’s a recent podcast episode. You are right – balance is key : Ep. 166: Autoimmunity 101
I kept thinking of a few cashews, lemon grass and ginger when I saw the picture. Or garlic and mushrooms, on another taste scale.
Those would be great additions! This recipe definitely lends itself to variety. For anyone reading this who is still in the elimination phase of the AIP, skip the cashews until you’re ready to try reintroductions. But lemongrass, ginger, garlic, and mushrooms are all elimination-phase friendly.
I made this last night and flavor was good, but I think I overcooked the livers because they were pinkish on the inside, so I kept cooking them longer. The texture seemed kind of crumbly when I ate them. (Or maybe this is normal?) Are they supposed to be a pinkish tint on inside or brown all the way through?
Also, just curious…I think I read before that people eat liver earlier, because it can give you energy and disrupt your sleep. I did not seem to sleep as well last night and wondering if this could be it? Maybe I should eat my liver at lunch or breakfast? Or maybe it was just me thinking about it too much! lol
And thank you for this recipe! I’ve been trying to incorporate organ meat and have only tried pate so far, which I didn’t like. It always tastes sweet to me and I don’t like it. This was much more bearable! 🙂
Hi Melissa. Sorry for the delayed reply – I was out of town last week. You have some excellent questions! Liver definitely tastes best (and has the best texture) when it’s still pink on the inside. You don’t have to worry about undercooking it. It’s not like other cuts of chicken. As for the effect on sleep, Mickey from Autoimmune Wellness experiences that so it’s possible you do, too. For me, I don’t notice an immediate impact on my energy levels so I can eat it any time of day. It’s fun to tune in and see how food affects us. I’m so glad you liked the recipe. I’m not a big fan of pate either. 🙂
Thanks Eileen! I will make sure it’s not so well done next time…and stick with lunch (or breakfast!) 🙂
I realise you’re probably driven crazy with questions about substitutions but I was wondering if you’d have any suggestions for an alternative to Coconut Aminos, both in this recipe & in general. I’m allergic to coconut and the aminos seem to pop up a lot in AIP recipes. Thanks for your help & for all the wonderful information you share for those of us just starting out on our AIP journey.
Hi Miriam. They aminos are used to add a little “umami” flavor enhancement. You can try adding a little Red Boat Fish Sauce or Ume Plum Vinegar, instead BUT use far less. Start with a few drops – taste – add a few drops more. A lot of people love those sauces, too, but they are stronger flavors than the aminos. Enjoy experimenting!
I made this tonight for dinner and I have to admit that I was afraid to take the first bite! But I kept reminding myself of all the great nutritional benefits of liver and just went for it. I’m not going to say it is going to be one of my favorite meals ever but it was definitely more mild-tasting than I thought it was going to be. I think this is definitely a good recipe for newbies to organ meats 🙂 Thanks for the guidance!
Thanks so much for that testimonial, Ember. I so remember that hesitation when I first tried organ meat. It gets easier! Our taste buds do adjust. I actually like chicken liver now.
Thanks for your recipe! This was our first time having chicken livers. I also added some chicken hearts because I had them on hand. I thought it was pretty good. My kids weren’t crazy about it. But interestingly, my 5 year old son picked out all the pieces of the liver and heart and ate those first. He said that it was the best part. Then he finished the rest. thanks again for all you do.
I love that your 5-year-old did that! He has wise taste buds. 🙂
I’m only cooking for one and livers are new to me. Is it ok to save a serving for leftovers?
Hi Apelila. Yes, you can save the leftovers BUT you can’t re-heat liver in the microwave. It explodes (I learned that from experience). So re-heat this recipe in a skillet or toaster oven. Or you might want to try a liver pate instead, because that’s mean to be eaten cold or at room temperature and is perfect to eat throughout the week. Here’s one recipe: Chicken Liver Pate 101.
I don’t own a microwave so no worries there. I have a weird eating disorder that has to do with food textures, so no pate for me. 🙂 I just picked up some organic cauliflower and carrots so I’m going to give this a “go’. Thanks for you recipes & help.
I wonder if you could substitute chicken hearts in this recipe? It looks yummy!
They’re a little tougher, which is why I marinate the hearts, but I have a friend who simply cuts them in half and sautes them. She likes the chewy texture, so you could absolutely substitute them here and see how you like it.
wow…rockin’ cool recipe. I’m on it tomorrow. But what are coconut aminos?? I am in dire need of coconut oil for my brain power…and nerves.
I only did it for 3 days because I couldn’t handle the oil, but 3 days was enough!!! I am sold. 3 T. of coconut oil a day: I need suggestions on how to ingest it. Couldn’t ramp up fast enough and got tired of it in my eggs and in my tea.
No worries. No hurry but I’d love some extra ideas because I could tell the difference just after 3 days!
best! Thank you.
k
Hi Karen. Coconut Aminos are often used as a soy sauce replacement in the paleo diet. They add some extra flavor to food. Here’s a link to the product. It’s usually sold in health food stores. As for your other question, one way to eat more coconut oil is to eat more whole coconut or coconut milk. Both contain high amounts of the oil. This is a delicious recipe for caramelized coconut chips. And here’s an article with advice on how to consume more of the oil itself. (All the links are embedded in the text.) Let me know how you like the Chicken Liver Fried Rice. Happy Cooking!
Thank you so much for your response.
I’m on it and will try the coconut chips and get to the article for more suggestions on how to ingest the oil itself. Love your site and have sent it to lots of people who are suffering…without question, you are providing a service! Thanks again.
And, I will let you know about the Chicken Liver Fried Rice!