Chicken Liver Parfait with Brandy

This French chicken liver parfait is packed full of flavours including thyme, brandy and allspice.

Perfect for an elegant starter or lunch, it's easy to whip up in advance and grab it from the fridge when you need it.

Easy to make and a doddle to serve, I guarantee that people will ask you for this recipe. It's seriously good!

Bon appétit.

Jump to:

• ❤️ Why you will love this dish
• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🍽 Equipment
• 🔪 Instructions
• ⏲️ Cooking Time
• 🥗 Side Dishes
• 🥙 Substitutions
• 📖 Variations
• 🍣 Storage
• 🍱 Prepare in Advance
• Top tips
• More French starter recipes
• 📋 Recipe
• French Appetisers
• Food safety
• 💬 Comments

In traditional French cooking, and in many other areas of the world, all parts of an animal is eaten to reduce waste. Hearts, gizzards, liver, kidney, tongue and even brains are readily available in supermarkets. Some of these organs are seen as a delicacy and are often used in starters in the form of salads or terrines.

While some liver can have a strong taste, chicken livers have a much more subtle flavour. They are quick to cook, tender and very budget friendly, which makes them a great ingredient to use.

This chicken liver parfait or pâté, is the perfect make ahead starter for an elegant dinner party or annual celebration, but is also perfect for a casual lunch or picnic.

❤️ Why you will love this dish

• Easy to make.
• Great as a gift.
• Make in advance.
• Perfect as a starter, snack, buffet or lunch.

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🥘 Ingredients

• Chicken livers - these are readily available at low cost in most supermarkets either fresh or frozen. Defrost ovenight in the refrigerator before using.
• Shallot - these are milder and sweeter than an onion. I prefer to use the long shallots, as they are much less fiddly to peel than the small round ones.
• Garlic - garlic cloves rather than powder or granules.
• Butter - ideally unsalted butter for the parfait and for the clarified butter. If you only have salted, take care to only add seasoning to taste.
• Thyme - fresh sprigs of thyme.
• Bay leaf - dried bay leave. Don't be tempted to use a fresh one if you have a tree as the flavour will be overpowering.
• Nutmeg - ideally freshly ground nutmeg.
• Allspice - ground allspice. This is a Jamaica pepper and not to be confused with mixed spice, which is normally used in sweet baked goods.
• Brandy - your choice of brandy or Cognac.
• Seasoning - flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

The printable recipe card with full ingredient quantities and instructions can be found at the bottom of the article.

🍽 Equipment

• food processor
• sharp knife
• chopping board
• kitchen paper
• colander / sieve
• frying pan or skillet
• small saucepan
• large bowl
• 4 serving dishes / ramekins

🔪 Instructions

1. Wash the chicken livers well in a colander or sieve. I don't normally rinse meat but offal always tends to be bloody so needs a good rinse.

2. Trim off any membranes and green areas.

3. Cut the pieces into an even size and leave to drain on kitchen paper.

⏲️ Cooking Time

4. Melt the butter in a large frying pan and add a finely chopped shallot over a medium heat for about 3 minutes. The shallot should be transparent and not coloured.

5. Add a minced clove of garlic, using a crusher is fine or just chop with a knife. Next, add the herbs and spices for one minute.

6. Tip in the chicken livers and stir regularly for 2-3 minutes. The chicken livers should still be pink inside, but not bloody.

7. Pour in the brandy and cook for a couple of minutes more until the liquid has almost evaporated.

8. Remove the thyme and bay leaf and season with the salt and pepper.

9. Put everything from the apn into a food processor and blend together.

10. Melt the butter in a small saucepan or in 10 second bursts at full power in the microwave.

11. Add to the mix with the motor running. You could also do this in a blender if you prefer.

12. Set a fine sieve over a large bowl and press the mixture through. I find it's easier to do this with a large metal spoon. This will take a few minutes.

If you find that you have some left over that won't easily go through the sieve then discard.

13. Pour the mixture into pots or ramekins and leave to cool before adding the clarified butter then refrigerate to set for an hour.

I've used 4 spring clip pots but you can use any container you like. If you want to serve this in slices line a container, such as a loaf tin with cling film and don't add the clarified butter.

How to make clarified butter

It's really easy to clarify butter, which is essentially butter with the water and milk solids removed.

In the past clarified butter was added to terrines and pâté as a seal to preserve it. When the butter is clarified it will last for months. You can put it in a pot in the fridge and use for at least three months.

Clarified butter, also known as ghee, has a high smoking point which means that you can use it like you would do a vegetable oil. Think of really crispy and buttery roast potatoes, creamy curries and delicious fried onions!

• Put the butter in a small saucepan and heat gently until it melts.
• Use a spoon to skim off any foam or bits that rise to the surface and discard.
• Next, pour the liquid butter into another container, being careful not to let any of the sediment at the bottom to go with it. I prefer to use a separating jug for this.
• The clarified butter is now ready to use.

In France we used to slather it on to pieces of baguette and eat it with brie. Delicious!

🥗 Side Dishes

• Red onion chutney
• Cornichons - these are small cucumber pickles
• Green salad
• Fougasse Bread
• Carrot and Celeriac Remoulade
• Fennel and Pear Salad with Blue Cheese
• Tomato and Onion Salad
• Pear and Rocket Salad
• Courgette Salad
• Broad Bean Salad

🥙 Substitutions

• Shallot - use a small sweet onion or red onion.
• Brandy - omit it or use sherry or Madeira wine.

📖 Variations

• Forestière - rehydrate some porcini mushrooms then drain, chop and add the chicken liver parfait before placing in containers.

🍣 Storage

• Refrigerator - store covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Freezer - store in an airtight container and freeze for up to a month. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator.

🍱 Prepare in Advance

• Make a day or 2 in advance and store in the fridge. Discard any leftovers after a total of 5 days.

🤔FAQs

Top tips

• If you want to make this in a rush you can omit passing the mixture through a sieve. Just blend it a little longer. The texture won't be as smooth but it will still taste amazing.
• Don't overcook the livers - they should still be pink on the inside. Liver has a tendency to become dry and tough if they are cooked for too long.
• Take the parfait out of the fridge for 30 minutes before serving to get the full flavour.

More French starter recipes

• Duck and Pork Terrine
• Chicken Terrine
• Game Terrine
• Salade Gourmande
• Chicken Wing Confit
• Tuna Stuffed Tomatoes
• Celery and Leek Soup
• Cream of Onion Soup
• Courgette and Tomato Soup
• Crab Pâté
• Prawn Tartare
• Lobster mayonnaise
• Smoked Salmon and Avocado Starter
• Prawn Crab and Lobster Bisque
• French Onion Soup
• Salmon and Asparagus Puff Pastry Parcels

📋 Recipe

Food safety

We sometimes take for a granted that we have years (or decades) of cooking experience, that the average visitor may not. Add to, or remove from, the list below with health and safety tips.

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

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