Deli-style Jewish holiday recipe for Passover or Rosh Hashanah is a traditional recipe of chopped chicken livers with schmaltz and gribenes.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lbs chicken livers
  • 1/4 cup schmaltz, divided (see note below)
  • 2 large onions, sliced (for a sweeter chopped liver, use up to 4 onions)
  • 5 hard boiled eggs, peeled and diced (divided)
  • Salt, to taste
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 cup gribenes (optional – see note below)
  • 2 tbsp minced fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  1. Prepare schmaltz and gribenes ahead of time, or purchase schmaltz from your local kosher market. Goose fat or duck fat can be used in place of schmaltz if desired.
  2. Prepare the livers by cutting off any tough pieces or stringy tendons. You should also cut away any pieces of liver that are discolored, yellow or strange.
  3. Add 2 tbsp schmaltz or oil into a large cast iron or nonstick skillet and melt over medium heat. Put half of the chicken livers into the skillet and fry them for 3 minutes on each side (about 6 minutes total). Season the livers generously with salt and pepper as they are cooking. Note: If you plan to kosher your chicken livers by broiling them prior to making chopped liver, you will only need to sauté them in the skillet for about 1 minute on each side. Koshering the livers cooks them, so there is no need to sauté them for a long period of time. Be careful not to overcook or burn the livers, or they will become dry.
  4. When the livers are brown and firm, pour them into a medium-size mixing bowl along with the leftover schmaltz/oil from the pan. Add another 2 tbsp of schmaltz/oil to the skillet, melt it, and fry the remaining livers repeating the same process as above. Add the livers and leftover schmaltz/oil from the pan to the mixing bowl.
  5. The skillet should now be seasoned with schmaltz or oil. Add the onion slices to the skillet and reduce heat to medium low.
  6. Cover the skillet and let the onion cook undisturbed over medium low heat for 10 minutes. The onions should be softening, but not darkening at this point.
  7. Uncover the skillet, stir the onions, and continue to sauté them for another 30-40 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to keep the onions from burning. When the onions have reduced to about 1/3 of their original size and are soft, sweet, and golden, they’re ready.
  8. Add the cooked onions to the mixing bowl along with 4 of the diced hard boiled eggs and the ½ cup of gribenes (optional). Season all ingredients generously with salt and pepper.
  9. Chop all of the ingredients together into a blended mix. The old fashioned way is to chop it by hand with a knife, mincing and mincing until it resembles a rough pâté. If you want to take a more modern approach, fit your food processor with a metal blade. Place all ingredients into the processor and pulse for about 30 seconds, stirring once halfway through processing, until a roughly textured paste forms.
  10. Add salt or pepper to taste, if desired. Be generous with the seasoning, as the liver is best served chilled and the seasoning won’t taste as strong after chilling.
  11. Chill the chopped liver in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Garnish with remaining diced hardboiled egg and minced parsley.

Notes

You will also need: large cast iron or nonstick skillet with lid large enough to cover, kitchen shears, chef’s knife, food grinder or food processor.

Makes 3 1/2 cups chopped liver, serving size 1/4 cup. Calories calculated using 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.

Learn to make schmaltz and gribenes here.

Serve as an appetizer with crackers, matzo, on rye, or gluten free crackers. Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for 6-7 days. Chopped liver can also be frozen and served at a later date.Â