This silky and luxurious Marsala wine chicken liver pâté is not only delicious, but also packed with nutrition! Easy to make, it only requires a handful of ingredients and it will make the perfect appetizer addition to your table! In my humble opinion, organ meats such as livers, are so underated, but they represent a nutritionnel powerhouse. Consequently, making this fancy dish is very budget-friendly! Organ meats can have a strong taste. However, when prepared adequately, that taste is removed as all the succulent aromatics take over. They become so flavorsome and you will enjoy every bite of it!
Ingredients you need:
Chicken livers: If you can find pasture raised chicken livers at your grocery store, I recommend spending the extra bucks because they contain more iron than the conventional ones. Consequently, they will also have a stronger metallic taste so you will have to soak them in milk a little longer.
Marsala wine: Marsala is a fortified wine coming from the village of Marsala in Sicily. I love cooking with Marsala, especially to make this liver pâté because its sweet and rich aromas will remove any remaining metallic taste of the livers. You can also use Porto wine in this recipe if you have that on hand.
Milk: Some people cook chicken livers without the soaking. Although they taste “milder” than veal livers, I still recommend soaking them with milk for a few hours to remove the smell, metallic and bitterness taste of livers. Especially if you have a highly sensitive sense of smell like me, you will need to do this step!
How to make Marsala chicken liver pâté
- Transfer chicken livers to a strainer and run them under water to wash them thoroughly. Cut and discard all veins and connective tissues.
- Transfer cleaned livers in a bowl and add enough milk to cover. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Remove from refrigerator, rinse the chicken livers and dry well with paper towels. PRO TIP: This will remove the strong metallic taste of liver. If you bought pasture raised chicken livers, I recommend to soak it for an additional 2 hours or overnight because of the higher iron content.
In a sautee pan or skillet, heat olive oil on medium-low heat and sweat onions, carrots, minced garlic for about 10 minutes or until the onions become translucent. Add livers and sautee until they become pinkish brown. PRO TIP: These aromatics will help further remove the strong liver taste so it is important you cook them well so they release all their flavors.
Add Marsala wine and bay leaves. Reduce until the alcohol evaporates. Decrease heat to low, add chicken broth/stock and partially cover for 10 minutes. If, after 10 minutes, the mixture becomes too dry, you can add a bit more chicken stock, one tablespoon at a time. Remove bay leaves and transfer the chicken liver mixture into a food processor or blender. Pulse/stop by adding 1 tablespoon of butter at a time. Pulse until a smooth puree is obtained.
Transfer pâté in an airtight container and refrigerate. Since the pâté is still hot, it is expected that its consistency is more pourable thick puree than spreadable at this point; it will firm up once refrigerated for at least 2 hours.
Frequently asked questions about this recipe
How long can I store this spread for? You can keep this pâté in an airtight container in the fridge up to 5 days.
What can I serve this pâté with? The traditional way is to use the chicken liver pâté on a piece of French baguette. Additionally, I love to pair it with a fruit jam, such as apricot or strawberry, because the sweetness of the jam makes a great complementary contrast to the pâté!
If you enjoyed this recipe, try out my other appetizer recipes!
Crispy Seasoned Fried Calamari
Guanciale Asparagus with Holllandaise Sauce
If you’ve tried this Marsala Chicken Liver Pâté recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can let me know how it went by commenting in the comments section below and don’t forget to leave a rating!
Equipment
- Skillet or sauté pan
- Strainer
- Food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 1 to 1 ¼ lb chicken livers
- 1½ to 2 cups milk
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup onions diced
- ½ cup carrots diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ½ cup marsala wine
- ½ cup chicken bone broth/stock
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 3 bay leaves
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Transfer chicken livers to a strainer and run them under water to wash them thoroughly. Cut and discard all veins and connective tissues.
- Transfer cleaned livers in a bowl and add enough milk to cover. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
- Remove from refrigerator, rinse the chicken livers and dry well with paper towels.
- In a sautee pan or skillet, heat olive oil on medium-low heat and sweat onions, carrots, minced garlic for about 10 minutes or until the onions become translucent. Add livers and sautee until they become pinkish brown.
- Add bay leaves and marsala wine. Reduce until the alcohol evaporates. Decrease heat to low, add chicken broth/stock and partially cover for 10 minutes. If, after 10 minutes, the mixture becomes too dry, you can add a bit more chicken stock, one tablespoon at a time.
- Remove bay leaves and transfer the chicken liver mixture into a food processor or blender. Pulse/stop by adding 1 tablespoon of butter at a time. Pulse until a smooth puree is obtained.
- Transfer pâté in an airtight container and refrigerate. Since the pâté is still hot, it is expected that its consistency is more pourable thick puree than spreadable at this point; it will firm up once refrigerated for at least 2 hours.
- Serve cold on bread with jam.
I’m delighted to find your blog.
Fabulous recipes and no ads.
Thank you so much!