Chicken Liver Pate Recipe (Creamy & Easy!) - Wholesome Yum (2024)

Chicken Liver Pate Recipe (Creamy & Easy!) - Wholesome Yum (1)

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Table Of Contents hide

  • What Is Pate?
  • Why You’ll Love This Chicken Liver Pate Recipe
  • How To Make Pate
  • Storage Instructions
  • How To Eat Pate
  • Tools To Make The Best French Pate

My husband and I honeymooned in Paris. It was every bit as romantic and inspiring as you imagine it would be — and one of the things it inspired me to do was learn how to make pate. While I can’t deliver the Eiffel Tower to your backyard, you can make this chicken liver pate recipe at home and enjoy a decadent and delicious evening with the flavors of Paris right at your kitchen table. It’s deliciously smooth, creamy, and so versatile, yet often underrated as an appetizer or lunchtime companion. And it brings me back to Paris every time.

What Is Pate?

Pate is a type of luxurious and lavish spread usually made from livers of duck, chicken, goose, pork, or veal. It is a classic French recipe that has become increasingly popular worldwide due to its distinctive flavors and textures.

Why You’ll Love This Chicken Liver Pate Recipe

  • Slightly sweet, earthy flavor
  • Silky smooth, creamy, and luxurious
  • Simple ingredients
  • Surprisingly easy to make
  • Packed with all the nutrients of organ meat, including vitamin A, vitamin B-12, vitamin B-6, riboflavin, folate, iron, zinc, phosphorus, and protein
Chicken Liver Pate Recipe (Creamy & Easy!) - Wholesome Yum (2)

Ingredients & Substitutions

This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for chicken pate, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.

  • Chicken Livers – Traditional French pate recipes often use duck or goose liver, which you can do if you can find it. But since fresh chicken liver is much more accessible and less expensive, I went that route.
  • Unsalted Butter– I used grass-fed butter here, but ghee, schmaltz, chicken fat, or duck fat are totally fine to use instead if you choose.
  • Heavy Cream – When I tried pate in France, I realized just how creamy, smooth, and decadent it can be. The secret in this chicken liver pate recipe is heavy cream. You could also use coconut cream if you prefer.
  • Water – While this chicken liver pate recipe uses water to simmer, you can certainly swap out the water for Cognac (or any brandy) if you’d prefer a more traditional flavor.
  • Shallot– Similar to an onion, the shallot gives this chicken liver pate recipe a mild sweetness with just a hint of garlic flavor.
  • Garlic– I used fresh garlic for the best flavor, but you could use 2 teaspoons jarred minced garlic for convenience.
  • Seasoning – For the best chicken liver pate recipe, you’ll use fresh thyme leaves, sea salt and black pepper. If needed, you can also substitute 1 teaspoon dried thyme in place of the tablespoon of fresh thyme, or use other fresh herbs if you prefer.
Chicken Liver Pate Recipe (Creamy & Easy!) - Wholesome Yum (3)

How To Make Pate

This section shows how to make chicken liver pate, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.

  1. Trim the livers. Cut the white connective tissue from the chicken livers.
  2. Saute the aromatics. Melt a tablespoon of butter in askilletover medium heat. Add garlic and shallots. Cook until fragrant.
Chicken Liver Pate Recipe (Creamy & Easy!) - Wholesome Yum (4)
Chicken Liver Pate Recipe (Creamy & Easy!) - Wholesome Yum (5)
  1. Simmer. Add chicken livers, sea salt, black pepper, thyme leaves, and water to the pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover with a lid. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until livers are light brown on the outside and barely pink inside.
  2. Drain. Turn off the heat. Leave livers covered in the pan fora few minutes, then drain liquid from the pan.
  3. Puree. Transfer everything from the pan to ablenderorfood processor. Puree, gradually adding the cream and remaining butter, until smooth.

Chicken Liver Pate Recipe (Creamy & Easy!) - Wholesome Yum (6)

TIP: Want it creamier?

Simply add additional cream for more body and smoothness in the pate.

  1. Cover. Transfer liver pate to ramekins (or a bowl also works). Cover tightly withplastic wrap, with plastic touching the top of the pate (this prevents a film from forming), and secure with rubber bands.
  2. Chill. Refrigerate the pate until firm. I like to garnish with more fresh thyme.
Chicken Liver Pate Recipe (Creamy & Easy!) - Wholesome Yum (9)
Chicken Liver Pate Recipe (Creamy & Easy!) - Wholesome Yum (10)

Storage Instructions

Storing chicken liver pate properly is key for keeping it safe to eat. Like with many other cooked dishes, the best place to store chicken liver pate is in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep for approximately 3-4 days after preparation and should never be left at room temperature. Chilling not only lets it set, but also lets the flavors develop.

Can You Freeze Pate?

Yes, you can freeze pate, though the texture can change slightly. Thaw overnight in the fridge before enjoying.

Chicken Liver Pate Recipe (Creamy & Easy!) - Wholesome Yum (11)

How To Eat Pate

Liver pate is creamy and smooth in texture, savory and spreadable like a fine paste – the perfect canvas for crudité sticks or toasted breads. Here are some of my favorite ways to take this spread to the next level.

  • Crackers – The easiest way to eat liver pate is to simply spread it on some crackers. Choose your favorite kind. I like almond flour crackers (shown in the photo above), homemade cheese crackers, or flax seed crackers.
  • Charcuterie Board – Serve this luxurious liver pate as part of your charcuterie board. Since it’s keto-friendly, you could even place it on a low carb charcuterie board.
  • Bread – Spread thepateon bread or toast. For healthier options, try coconut flour bread, chewy almond flour bread, or toast some flaxseed bread.
  • Veggies – Pair pate with regular or pickled cucumbers, celery, or caramelized onions. Pate would also taste great in a cucumber sub.
  • Skillet– I like this skillet because it is oven safe, so you can use it for a variety of different recipes.
  • Food Processor– I recommend using a food processor to make the pate extra smooth, but a high-powered blenderwould work as well.
  • Ramekins – This size is perfect for this pate recipe.

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Recipe Card

Chicken Liver Pate Recipe (Creamy & Easy!) - Wholesome Yum (13)

4.96 from 24 votes☝️ Click stars to rate or click here to leave a review!

Chicken Liver Pate Recipe (Creamy & Easy!)

This simple chicken liver pate recipe is silky smooth and creamy, thanks to a secret ingredient. It's surprisingly easy to make!

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 25 minutes

Total: 40 minutes

Author: Maya Krampf from WholesomeYum.com

Servings: 4 (adjust to scale recipe)

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Ingredients

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Instructions

Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.

  1. Trim the white connective tissue from the chicken livers.

  2. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallots. Cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.

  3. Add the chicken livers, thyme, sea salt, black pepper, and water to the pan. Turn up the heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cover with a lid. Simmer for 4-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the livers are light brown on the outside and barely pink inside.

  4. Turn off the heat. Leave the livers covered in the pan for 5 minutes, then drain the liquid from the pan.

  5. Transfer the liver mixture to a blender or food processor. Puree, gradually adding the cream and remaining butter, until smooth. (Feel free to add additional cream to make it creamier.) Blend in additional sea salt and black pepper to taste.

  6. Transfer the pate to ramekins. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, with the plastic touching the top of the pate (try to avoid having air in direct contact with the top). Secure the plastic wrap around the ramekins with rubber bands to keep air out. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours, or overnight, until firm.

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Recipe Notes

Serving size: 1/4 cup

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories253

Fat22.5g

Protein10.3g

Total Carbs2.8g

Net Carbs2.2g

Fiber0.6g

Sugar0.7g

Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.

Course:Appetizer

Cuisine:French

Keywords:chicken liver pate, chicken liver pate recipe, chicken pate, french pate, liver pate

Calories: 253 kcal

© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead. 🙂

Chicken Liver Pate Recipe

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FAQs

How healthy is chicken liver pate? ›

Chicken liver is made up of about 25% protein, with a moderate level of fat and minimal carbohydrate. It is wonderfully high in B12 (100g provides 287% of the RDA), vitamin A, folate, vitamin B2, selenium and iron. It also contains good levels of phosphorous, zinc and copper.

How long does chicken liver pate last 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 is the difference between chicken liver parfait and pâté? ›

Always a favourite on any menu is a terrine / parfait or a pate. They are all similar in their intent, but are different in their appearance and texture. A parfait is a type of pate that has a very smooth consistency, whereas a terrine is traditionally more chunky and a pate would be somewhere in between.

How do you eat canned liver pate? ›

Pâté Rendezvous: 10 ways to relish pâté
  1. • French bread spread. For an elegant and tasty appetizer, serve any type of pâté with a fresh baguette, sliced toasted bread. ...
  2. • Eggs. ...
  3. • Sandwiches. ...
  4. • With cheese and fruits. ...
  5. • Stuffed into veggies. ...
  6. • As dip. ...
  7. • Tartines. ...
  8. • On meats.

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.

Can you eat too much liver pate? ›

If you take a supplement that contains vitamin A, do not take too much because this could be harmful. 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.

Do you eat the butter 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.

Is it OK to freeze 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.

What kind of bread goes with pâté? ›

A grilled, properly spiky sourdough bread would be the ideal here, but any decent, thick-cut real white or granary bread will do.

Why is liver pate so expensive? ›

It's that labor cost—coupled with a limited supply of fatty livers for the market—that makes foie gras so pricey.

Can you eat chicken liver pate everyday? ›

“Liver can be toxic if you eat a lot of it because it is so high in so many nutrients. Even if you are low in iron, we don't recommend having too much liver daily, although weekly is usually fine.”

Is chicken liver pate high in cholesterol? ›

Lean meat. Certain kinds of lean meat are high in cholesterol but low in saturated fat. These include liver (and liver pate), kidney, sweetbreads, heart, and tripe.

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.

What pairs well with pâté? ›

Food compliments for a pate are a good bread, some butter, and some pickles - sweet pickles or or salty or fermeated. Even pickled jalapenos or capers go well.

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.

Is eating liver pate good 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.

How often can I eat chicken liver pate? ›

Most people should eat liver no more than once a week, according to the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition. Those with severe vitamin A or iron deficiencies might get the OK from their doctors to eat larger amounts.

Is store bought liver pate healthy? ›

Liver pâté is a very nutritious product and its consumption can greatly improve your daily intake of certain vitamins and minerals like iron, zinc, and folate.

References

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