Equipment
Ingredients
Main
- 400 g chicken livers, trimmed of all connective tissue and green bile spots
Aromatics
- 2 shallots, finely minced
- 2 garlic, minced
- 2 g fresh thyme leaves, picked from stems
Liquids
- 45 ml brandy
- 45 ml heavy cream, room temperature
Fats and Seasonings
- 200 g unsalted butter, divided use
- 5 g kosher salt
- 1 g black pepper, freshly ground
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 279 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbohydrates
- 2 g
- Fat
- 25 g
- Fiber
- 0 g
- Sugar
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 284 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 15 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 7 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 233 mg
- Potassium
- 160 mg
- Calcium
- 20 mg
- Iron
- 4.7 mg
- Magnesium
- 13 mg
- Phosphorus
- 165 mg
- Zinc
- 1.4 mg
- Vitamin A
- 1845 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 10 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.1 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.0 mg
- Vitamin K
- 2 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.5 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 8.3 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.16 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.91 mg
- Niacin
- 4.9 mg
- Folate
- 298 mcg
- Water
- 52 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Thoroughly inspect the chicken livers. Cut away and discard any white sinew, connective tissue, or green spots (which are remnants of the gallbladder and taste extremely bitter). Pat the livers completely dry with paper towels.
Heat 50g of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once foaming subsides, add the minced shallots and cook until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and fresh thyme leaves, cooking for an additional 1 minute until fragrant.
Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the dried chicken livers in a single layer. Season with the salt and black pepper. Sear for about 2 minutes per side. The exteriors should be browned while the interiors remain slightly pink, reaching an internal temperature of 74°C or 165°F.
Remove the pan from the heat briefly to safely pour in the brandy. Return to medium heat and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release any browned bits. Simmer until the liquid has almost entirely reduced and absorbed into the meat.
Transfer the entire contents of the hot skillet into a food processor. Process for 1 minute until roughly pureed. While the machine is running, add the 100g of room temperature cubed butter piece by piece, followed by the heavy cream. Blend until completely smooth and emulsified.
Place a fine mesh sieve over a clean bowl. Use a flexible spatula to forcefully press the pureed mixture through the sieve. Discard any tough bits or fibrous strands left behind in the mesh.
Spoon the strained pate into ramekins or jars, smoothing the top surface flat. Melt the remaining 50g of butter and pour a thin, even layer over the top of each dish to completely seal the pate. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours until fully set.
Chef's Notes
- For the absolute best flavor, consider soaking your raw chicken livers in whole milk for 2 to 4 hours before cooking. The calcium in the milk draws out the blood and impurities, significantly mellowing the metallic organ flavor.
- Temperature control during the emulsification phase is crucial. The butter added to the food processor must be softened to room temperature. If it is too cold, the pate will break; if melted, it will be greasy.
- Pate benefits immensely from resting. While it sets in 4 hours, the flavors meld and deepen over 24 to 48 hours. Make this a day or two in advance for the best presentation and taste.
Storage
Refrigerator: 1 week — Must remain sealed under a layer of clarified butter to prevent oxidation.
Freezer: 1 month — Texture may slightly alter upon thawing. Thaw gently in the refrigerator.
Troubleshooting
Pate has a grainy, sandy texture
Cause: Livers were overcooked before pureeing, or the mixture was not passed through a fine mesh sieve
Fix: Cannot be fixed once fully set, though blending with an extra tablespoon of warm cream may slightly mask it before chilling
Prevention: Use a meat thermometer to ensure livers do not exceed 74C/165F, and always sieve the final mixture
The top layer of the pate turned unappetizingly grey
Cause: The meat oxidized from direct contact with the air
Fix: Scrape off the grey layer; the pate underneath is completely safe and delicious
Prevention: Ensure the clarified butter seal completely covers the surface edge-to-edge with no gaps
Pate tastes overly metallic or bitter
Cause: Green bile spots were left on the livers, or livers were not purged
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Meticulously trim livers and consider soaking them in milk for 2 hours prior to cooking
Cultural Context
Chicken liver pate is deeply rooted in French culinary traditions, originally developed out of necessity in rural kitchens adhering to a nose-to-tail philosophy. By blending highly nutritious, fast-spoiling organ meats with abundant dairy and spirits, cooks created a luxurious preservation method that evolved into a globally celebrated charcuterie cornerstone.
