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 makes a good 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 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.

Can you eat too much chicken liver pate? ›

People who eat liver or liver pâté once a week may be having more than an average of 1.5mg of vitamin A per day. If you eat liver or liver products every week, you may want to consider cutting back or not eating them as often.

Is chicken liver pate good for you? ›

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 most famous pâté? ›

Some of the most popular types of pâté in France include pâté de campagne, made with pork, pâté de foie gras, made with duck or goose liver, and pâté en croûte, which is baked in a pastry crust.

Is liver pate good or bad for you? ›

Liver is one of the most nutritionally dense foods on the planet, with significant amounts of iron, riboflavin, vitamin B12, vitamin A, and copper. Eating a single serving of liver can help you meet your daily recommended amount of most of these vitamins and minerals, reducing your risk of nutrient deficiency.

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.

Why is my liver pate bitter? ›

Splashes can potentially contain campylobacters, which can cross contaminate other foods that may be consumed without cooking. After the milk is removed from the refrigerator, it will be pink from the blood removed from the livers. Blood can give the pâté a bitter taste.

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.

Why is my chicken liver pate grainy? ›

If you're not familiar with cooking liver the temptation is to overcook it but this will cause your pâté to become grainy. The best thing to do is to not overcrowd the pan – this way the livers will get enough heat to colour and cook within 6 minutes.

What cheese goes with pâté? ›

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.

Can you eat too much pâté? ›

Liver is a very rich source of vitamin A. Do not eat liver or liver products, such as pâté, more than once a week. You should also be aware of how much vitamin A there is in any supplements you take.

Can I freeze home made chicken liver pate? ›

Yes you can freeze chicken liver pate. Wrap the dishes well and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and remove from the fridge an hour (less if its very hot) before serving to take off the chill off. Thank you so much!

Does liver pâté go bad in the fridge? ›

Freshly made pâté lasts for about a week in the refrigerator and is best consumed within the first 3-4 days after making. Commercially packaged pâtés differ from manufacturer to manufacturer: their shelf life can last from as little as just 3 months up to 24, depending on the recipe and preservation method (ex.

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

If the fresh meat pâté is spoiled, the tube is usually bloated (caused by germs and bacteria) and the smell of the product becomes sour, musty.

Does liver pâté go bad? ›

When does Pate expire? Unopened commercial Pate from the grocery store typically has a best before date printed that lasts around 1-2 years when kept in a cool, dry place like a pantry. Once it's opened, it should be refrigerated and consume within 3-5 days.

How long can you keep pâté in the fridge once opened? ›

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.

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