The best ever chicken liver pate recipe Drizzle and Dip (2024)

This is the best chicken liver pate recipe and I have been making it for over 2 decades. It has also become very popular on my site and you can see the positive feedback in the comments below. I love my original version but have also included a second recipe which uses a splash of cream and less butter. So choose which you prefer.

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I love to serve chicken liver pate with crispy melba toast and a dollop of something sweet. It’s silken smooth so it needs the crunch. The Marmalade offers a bitter-sweet flavour which is rather delicious and quite Christmassy too. If you want to be really wild, stir a splash of whiskey into the marmalade to give it that boozy edge.

I had the intention to make a clementine jelly to go with the pate, but that plan fell apart when I realised I was running out of the year. You know the feeling as you catapult towards Christmas in the silly season and suddenly realise you have bitten off more than you can chew? Literally and figuratively.

I once made jelly out of dessert wine which was delectable with this pate.

I had also planned on doing a few more Christmas recipes (as I do EVERY year) – but didn’t get it together. Note to self to be a bit more organised next year.

I love this season and the food that comes with it the most, so I always disappoint myself if I haven’t come up with something as innovative as my mince pie and frangipane tart, or my apple mince-pie crumble bars (My favourite ever), and my boozy cherry and Christmas pudding strudel with chocolate. These hot cross cinnamon sticky buns would be perfect for this time of year too. Ah well, there is always next year.

Here are a few of my favourite recipes for Christmas.

In the meantime, this is my best chicken liver pate which is so very easy to make. I always make a double batch and freeze off ramekins for later use. It’s so nice to pop in a basket for a summer picnic.

Can you freeze chicken liver pate?

Chicken liver pate freezes very well and I always make a double batch using 500gms of chicken livers.

I fill ceramic ramekins with the pate, top them with melted butter and a bay leaf and then wrap them tightly in plastic wrap to freeze.

To thaw chicken liver pate, leave it at room temperature for a couple of hours or thaw it in the fridge overnight.

I have made focaccia melba toast before, or actually melba toast from any good bread, and it’s also perfect with crispy flatbread, but for these little party canapes, I made them from very thinly sliced stale baguette. The marmalade is a very good quality store-bought Seville marmalade which has nice bitterness. I use free-range chicken livers here.

*UPDATED RECIPE WITH CREAM*

PS: I have a little recipe update in case you prefer to use less butter and like to use cream. For this I recommend doing a double batch:

  • 500gm free-range chicken livers
  • 125gm butter (and a bit extra to coat the top if desired)
  • 1 large onion (white), chopped
  • 1 – 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2 – 4 bay leaves
  • Thyme leaves from about 4 small stalks
  • 125ml cream
  • 80ml good brandy
  • freshly ground black or white pepper (I prefer white)

Follow the instructions above, just add the cream after you have added the brandy and allowed it to cook off for a couple of minutes. Then add the cream and cook for about another minute or two further.

The best ever chicken liver pate recipe

This is a really easy and delicious chicken liver pate recipe that will instantly become your favourite too.

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The best ever chicken liver pate recipe Drizzle and Dip (3)

Ingredients

  • 250 gm free-range chicken livers
  • 125 gm butter and a bit extra to coat the top if desired
  • 1 large onion white, chopped
  • 1 – 2 cloves garlic crushed
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 20 – 40 ml brandy
  • freshly ground black or white pepper I prefer white
  • Thinly sliced stale baguette for the melba

Instructions

  • Melt the butter in the pan and saute the onion for about 5 minutes until turning soft.

  • Add the chicken livers, garlic and bay leaves and cook over moderate heat, stirring until the chicken livers are just done – about 4 – 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the brandy just before finishing off and allow this to cook for a couple of minutes.

  • Remove from the heat and let it cool.

  • Remove the bay leaves and blend in a food processor until it is as smooth as it will go. It takes a few minutes. Season with salt and lots of freshly ground white pepper (to taste). Spoon the pate into ramekins or other serving dishes and cool.

  • When cool melt some butter (microwave is great) and pour over the pate which looks pretty decorated with a bay leaf. Cool in the fridge until serving.

  • To make the melba toast slice a stale baguette as thinly as possible and lay the slices out on a cooling rack which you have placed over a large baking tray. This allows for the warm air to flow under and over the bread to dry it out.Bake in an oven preheated to 150C for about 20 minutes until dried out and just starting to colour. They do not need to be golden brown. Store in an airtight container until you are ready to serve.

  • If you are making the canapes yourself vs allowing your guests to spread themselves, do so just before serving as the melba toast will soften quite quickly.

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The best ever chicken liver pate recipe Drizzle and Dip (2024)

FAQs

How long will chicken liver pate keep in the fridge? ›

Refrigerator: Refrigerate chicken liver pâté tightly covered for up to 1 week. To refrigerate it longer than 1 week but no longer than 1 month, pour a little melted lard or clarified butter on top to seal. Each time you dip into the pâté, you will need to reseal the top to preserve it.

What is the difference between chicken liver parfait and pâté? ›

Always a favourite on any menu is a terrine / parfait or a pate. They are all similar in their intent, but are different in their appearance and texture. A parfait is a type of pate that has a very smooth consistency, whereas a terrine is traditionally more chunky and a pate would be somewhere in between.

Why put melted butter on top of pâté? ›

I take the opportunity to add more booze, salt, and enjoy the tasting! “Seal the deal” with melted butter on the top of the pâté. It seals it up nicely for storing in the fridge, protecting the pâté itself from turning color and spoiling too quickly.

What is the best bread for liver pate? ›

A grilled, properly spiky sourdough bread would be the ideal here, but any decent, thick-cut real white or granary bread will do. Brown bread feels too worthy in this context. Likewise, limp, thin-sliced, industrially manufactured bread will not cut it in the regal presence of a paté.

Can you eat too much chicken liver pate? ›

Liver and liver products, such as liver pâté and liver sausage, are a good source of iron, as well as being a rich source of vitamin A. However, because they are such a rich source of vitamin A, we should be careful not to eat too much liver and liver product foods.

Why is my chicken liver pate bitter? ›

Blood can give the pâté a bitter taste. (Step 2) Livers soaking in milk under refrigeration. Using a sieve, separate the milk from the livers and allow the livers to drain for two minutes before rinsing them under a running tap to remove the last traces of milk.

What is the yellow stuff on top of pâté? ›

The fats will sink to the bottom of the pan, leaving you with nicely clarified butter on top. Using a small spoon, carefully spoon the yellow clarified butter only over the top of the pate until just covered. Return the pate to the fridge to set the butter.

Why is my chicken liver pate runny? ›

Assuming it's chicken liver pate, have you tried adding butter, cream or other saturated fat? This can thicken and so firm pate quite well. Or you could use some kind of meal - oat flour or matzo meal, breadcrumbs etc that would absorb the liquid.

What is a substitute for brandy in pâté? ›

Herbs and spices like bay leaves and chives and green peppercorns can be substituted or included to suit your taste. Bacon or smoked ham can be substituted for pancetta and different alcohols can also be substituted; brandy, sherry, dry muscat, port, red or white wine and champagnes work quite well.

What cheese goes with liver pate? ›

As the name suggests, hard cheese is firm and goes perfectly well with our creamy and decadent mousse pâtés. Often savory, hard cheese can be divided into two categories: hard (such as Parmesan), and semi-hard (such as Gouda). We suggest pairing the former with Black Peppercorn, and the latter with Chicken Liver.

What is the most important meat in pâté? ›

Traditionally made with liver, and mixed with wine and spices until it's cooked down into a spreadable texture, pâté can also be created with liver or other parts of pork, venison, chicken, fish, duck and other game, and even created with veggies on occasion.

Why is liver pate so expensive? ›

Pate Foie Gras is French for fat liver paste. It is a luxury item because few countries allow it to be made, due to the extreme cruelty involved. It is the cancerous liver of a duck or goose fattened by force in a process known as gavage. Birds spend their lives in semi-darkness.

How do you know if chicken liver pate is off? ›

If the liver paté comes into contact with oxygen and light, an oxidation process takes place and the product can turn grey or take on a green colour. Only the outer layer takes on the grey/green hue. If you cut the sausage strand, you can see the typical light pink colour in the middle.

Does pate go bad in the fridge? ›

Once opened eat within 7 days. The rillettes are preserved in fat and can last much longer, use your judgement. Unopened the pate can be stored for about 2 weeks. Pate can also be frozen.

How long is chicken liver good in the fridge? ›

For raw ground meats, poultry, seafood and variety meats (liver, tongue, chitterlings, etc.), refrigerate them only 1 to 2 days before either cooking or freezing. Beef, veal, lamb and pork roasts, steaks and chops may be kept 3 to 5 days.

Can I freeze home made chicken liver pate? ›

Keep the Chicken Liver Pate in the fridge for up to 3 days. Feel free to freeze this pate. Add to an airtight container and seal it. Keep in the freezer for up to a month.

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