This well-seasoned chicken liver pâté is made with olive oil. It takes about 20 minutes to make, and then it needs to chill in the fridge for two hours.
Wonderfully rich, flavorful, and surprisingly easy to make, it's a great way to add liver to your diet.
If you're curious about offal and would like to give it a try, chicken livers are an excellent place to start because their texture is pleasant and their flavor is fairly mild. They're a better choice for beginners than beef heart or chicken hearts, which are more boldly flavored.
Turning the livers into pâté makes them even more palatable and is surprisingly easy to do. It's one of those restaurant-style dishes that you can easily replicate at home.
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Ingredients
Here's an overview of the ingredients needed to make this chicken liver pâté. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.
- Fresh chicken livers: I usually get them at Whole Foods. They are also available in many American supermarkets, such as Kroger.
- Extra-virgin olive oil: This is a departure from tradition, as most similar recipes are made with butter. But I love the flavor of extra-virgin olive oil, and I find that it enhances the flavor and texture of the pâté.
- Seasonings: I use kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, and allspice.
- Brandy: I wouldn't skip it in this recipe. It greatly enhances the flavor of the pâté.
- Heavy cream: Another important ingredient that adds creaminess and silkiness. I use ¼ cup.
Variations
The best way to vary this recipe is to use different types of fat for cooking the livers. Tasty options include melted butter, ghee, duck fat, and chicken fat. My favorite is duck fat - it's so flavorful!
You can also replace the onion powder with ¼ cup of minced shallots or onions cooked with the livers. It's delicious!
Instructions
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full instructions. Here are the basic steps for making this recipe:
Your first step is to clean the livers from the white connective tissue. Then, season them and cook them in olive oil. Transfer the cooked livers to your food processor.
Add the brandy to the skillet. Cook it on high to reduce it, then transfer it to the food processor.
Add more olive oil and a little heavy cream to the food processor. Cover and process on high until the mixture is creamy and fluffy.
Divide the mixture evenly among four individual ramekins. Cover and refrigerate the pâté for at least two hours before serving.
Expert Tips
- Don't overcook the livers. They should still be pink in the middle. Properly cooked chicken livers are tender and flavorful, while overcooked ones are tough and gummy. However, the CDC says they should be cooked to 165°F.
- The second tip is about when and how to enjoy the pâté. Definitely don't try to eat it as soon as it's ready! It's not good when it's still warm. It needs time to rest - at least 2 hours in the fridge. But it's actually best to make it a day ahead and refrigerate it overnight. This helps firm its texture and ensures that all the tasty flavors are melded together. If refrigerating overnight, remove the pâté from the fridge 30 minutes before serving.
Recipe FAQs
It's usually made with cooked chicken livers, shallots or onions, brandy, heavy cream, butter, and spices. My recipe uses olive oil instead of butter and onion powder instead of chopped onions.
Mousse should have a lighter, airier texture, achieved by adding more heavy cream and whipping the mixture for longer to aerate it.
Pâté is richer and heavier. I would say that my recipe better resembles a rich pâté than a light mousse, though it does have a rather mousse-like texture.
I don't rinse them. I trim the connective tissue and pat them dry with paper towels.
Serving Suggestions
This tasty pâté is excellent when served with any of the following:
- Toasted 90-second bread
- Toasted slices of almond flour bread
- Keto crackers
- Cucumber slices
- Plain pork rinds
- Cheese crackers
If you're not eating a low-carb diet, you can serve it with toast, as shown in the photo below:
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the pâté in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to three days. Remove it from the fridge 30 minutes before serving so it's not refrigerator-cold. I don't recommend freezing this pâté.
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Recipe Card
Easy Chicken Liver Pâté
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken livers
- 3 tablespoons olive oil - extra-virgin, divided
- ¼ cup brandy
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or ½ teaspoon of any other salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
Instructions
- Use a sharp knife to remove the white connective tissue from the livers and pat them dry with paper towels.
- Sprinkle the cleaned livers with kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, and allspice.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the seasoned livers. Cook them, turning frequently, until browned on the outside and barely pink in the center, 5-7 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked livers to your food processor’s bowl.
- Add the brandy to the skillet. Use it and a heat-resistant rubber spatula to scrape any bits stuck to the bottom of the skillet. Cook on high until it’s reduced to 3 tablespoons, about 1 minute. Turn the heat off. Use the spatula to transfer the skillet contents to the food processor.
- Add the heavy cream and 2 more tablespoons of olive oil to the food processor. Cover and process on high until the mixture is smooth, light, and fluffy, 1-2 minutes, stopping once to scrape the sides and bottom with a spatula.
- Divide the mixture evenly among four individual containers (such as small jars or ramekins). Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
Video
Notes
- The CDC recommends cooking chicken livers to 165°F, which is well done.
- Chicken livers will splatter and even burst if added to a too-hot pan. So make sure to use medium heat and don't wait too long before adding the livers to the pan.
- You can replace the onion powder with ¼ cup of minced shallots or onions, cooked with the livers. You can also replace the olive oil with butter.
- Don't try to eat the pâté as soon as it's ready! It's not good when it's still warm. It needs time to rest - at least 2 hours in the fridge. It's best to make it a day ahead and refrigerate it overnight. This helps firm up its texture and ensures that the flavors are melded. If refrigerating overnight, remove the pâté from the fridge 30 minutes before serving.
- You can keep the pâté in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to three days. Remove it from the fridge 30 minutes before serving so that it's not refrigerator-cold.
Nutrition per Serving
Disclaimers
Cup measurements refer to the standard American cup, which is 240 milliliters. Most of my recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate, and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using any of my recipes.
Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 
Christophe Boulianne
Hi, Can this be done using a pestle and mortar, I do not use food processors.
Vered DeLeeuw
Hi Christophe,
I only tested this recipe using a food processor.