Chicken Liver on Toast

Name: Chicken Liver on Toast
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 6 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 medium-size red onion, peeled and finely chopped; 1 pound chicken livers, cleaned and trimmed; 1 dried chipotle, softened in hot water and finely chopped; 1 cup dry red wine; Salt and black pepper to taste

By Mark Bittman and Sam Sifton

Total Time: 1¼ hours
Rating: 4(122)
Notes: Read community notes

Back in 2012, Sam Sifton and Mark Bittman put together a feast for 15. The trick? Get it done in eight hours. Lobster and chopped salad, soubise and root vegetables, and a roasted chicken were all on the menu. And so was this recipe for chicken liver on toast. It may not have been the star of the show that night, but it served a critical purpose: keeping appetites satisfied in the lead-up to the meal. It can be an appetizer, or, paired with a salad, an exemplary light lunch or dinner.

Featured in: Feast in a Day

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

6tablespoons unsalted butter
1medium-size red onion, peeled and finely chopped
1pound chicken livers, cleaned and trimmed
1dried chipotle, softened in hot water and finely chopped
1cup dry red wine
Salt and black pepper to taste

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Melt the butter over medium heat in a large sauté pan. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until it is soft but not brown, about 10 minutes. Add the chicken livers and chipotle and cook until the livers are lightly browned, an additional 10 minutes or so. Add the wine, and cook until there are only a few tablespoons of liquid remaining, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Step 2
Transfer the liver to a food processor and pulse until the sauce is blended and a little lumpy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Step 3
Put the mixture into small ramekins and place, covered, in the refrigerator to cool and set.
Step 4
Spread on grilled or toasted peasant bread.

Ratings

4 out of 5

122 user ratings

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Cooking Notes

Irene Shepard6 years ago

Can I freeze the ramekins? Or must they be used within a week?

Christina Allen6 years ago

This freezes just fine. The texture sometimes changes a little, becomes a bit crumbly - but it still tastes delicious.

MS3 years ago

It was delicious! I was hesitant about the chipotle because I don't like smoked things much, but it was perfect here!

Hannah1 year ago

I made this on a whim(where I had a pound of chicken livers but no dried chipotle) and I subbed in about 1/2 a tbsp chiptole chili powder and it was pretty good.

L1 year ago

I’ve always enjoyed chicken liver but had never prepared it at home until this recipe—I was pleasantly surprised at how easy and tasty it was. I used chipotle powder and the flavor worked great.