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.

Author: Sam Linsell

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

FAQs

Why put melted butter on top of pâté? ›

“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.

How healthy is chicken liver pate? ›

Liver and liver products, like pâté, are a rich source of vitamin A in the form of retinol, which is the 'active' form. Muscle meat is not such an impressive source and plant sources have to be converted to the active form in the gut, so that the body can use them.

What is the best bread for pâté? ›

Toasts are also a great partner with Pate. A grilled, properly spiky sourdough bread would be the ideal here, but any decent, thick-cut real white or granary bread will do. But also any type of fresh baguette, sliced toasted baguette, or crackers works very well.

Why is my liver pâté bitter? ›

Blood can give the pâté a bitter taste.

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.

Are you supposed to eat the fat on top of pâté? ›

Homemade pâté recipes, for example, often suggest pouring a layer of melted butter on top of the finished product to extend its shelf life, even though pâté keeps well in the refrigerator. If the extra fat bothers you, you can take it off the part of the pâté you'll be consuming at the moment, but it's not necessary.

Can I eat liver pâté every day? ›

This means: not eating liver or liver products, such as pate, more than once a week - or having smaller portions of these. taking no more than 1.5mg of vitamin A a day in supplements (including fish liver oil), if not eating liver.

Is liver pâté anti inflammatory? ›

Liver deserves its status as a superfood because it is the most nutrient dense part of an animal. It is ideal for those with inflammatory or autoimmune conditions to support gut healing. It is also supportive for your immune system, skin, gut and may help prevent bleeding gums.

Why is chicken liver pate pink? ›

Because this pâté is a mousse consistency, overcooking the livers would be disastrous. The pâté would have hard bits of seared livers. Undercooking will create pâté that “weeps.” The livers should be cooked slowly until the centers are still pink, with only a small amount of liquid coming out of them when pressed.

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.

What is the most popular French pâté? ›

Pâté de Campagne:

The most classic French pâté which is mostly made of pork, livers, onions, garlic, and parsley.

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.

What makes liver taste better? ›

This liver and onions recipe will turn liver haters into converts! It's very simple to make but the three things that will set your liver above all others are: 1) soak in milk, 2) turn the liver as little as possible when cooking, and 3) don't overcook.

Do you use a blender or food processor for pâté? ›

Any blender or food processor will do. Tip the sautéed mixture gently into the basin, using your spatula to scrape up any juices remaining in the pan. (These are crucial, and delicious; don't neglect them.) Pulse until the pâté looks even, without any lumps.

What is the layer on top of pâté? ›

Topping with a layer of butter is essential as it adds richness and moisture and helps keep the pâté perfect underneath. It also helps butter your toast as you spread it with pâté!

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.

What's on top of pâté? ›

An onion marmalade or caramelized onions are particularly good or you could serve it with raisins or sultanas steeped in Pedro Ximenez or sweet Marsala or Nigella's Rich Fruit Chutney from her book Christmas, which is made with dried fruits. Both types of pate are good with the sweet-and-sour flavours of chutneys.

How to thicken runny pâté? ›

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.

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