Chicken Gizzards

[Susie Q]

My mama used to make a great Dirty Rice with whole fried gizzards in it. Soooo good.

Haven't had it in ages but this thread has got me wondering. Now if I can just remember what all and what amounts she put in it.

Edited June 4, 2007 by Susie Q (log)

[ChrisOC]

There is an Amish stand at the farmer's market in Gilbertsville PA (Zern's) that keeps an electric skillet full of boiled gizzards and butter on the counter. They will fill a paper cup for you. Salt and hot sauce are handy. Great munching while you shop!

Also, when I was a kid, my mother would sometimes kepp a bowl of boiled gizzards in the fridge for snacking. We would sprinkle on a little salt and eat them cold. The bowl didn't last too long everyone loved them!

[sp1187]

Question: anyone know how long they last in a fairly aggressive freezer?

depends on how they are packaged:freezer bag,freezer wrap,vacuum sealed?

I have a bag of pheasant livers and a bag of gizzards left from my last hunt in February and they are still good.

[slo_ted]

In my usual grocery, the gizzards are packed with some hearts. I love them both. I like to braise them with onions and garlic and serve over rice. It is very simple and lean protein. How can it be so cheap?

[heidih]

Thank you for bringing up this topic. I have not had gizzards since they were the "kid's treat" when grandma made chicken soup. Picked up a pack at the Chinese market yesterday and simmered them with garlic and ginger really low for 2 hours. Just sliced some up and sauteed with garlic, green onion, small oyster mushrooms and a few peas. The gizzard bits and the mushrooms have a similar chewy texture. Very nice breakfast. Will experiment with the rest. The dog also is very appreciative!

[mizducky]

Y'know, even though I love gizzards, I don't think I've ever bought a package of just gizzards and cooked them as the main event. The gizzard was always the cook's treat along with the other contents of that bag of trimmings that come with a whole chicken or turkey--or, when I was a kid, the gizzard was one of the bits my mom and I fought over. Or it would wind up with the other giblets in the gravy for the Thanksgiving turkey. In any case, all I ever did to prepare it was to simmer it with some onion and/or garlic until it got tender--which, with a gizzard, does take awhile. Never bothered to trim off the silverskin--didn't know that was a done thing anywhere. If you simmer them long enough, evidently, the silverskin becomes not much of an issue. They'd still have some chew, but I liked that. This topic is reminding me that I really should just buy a bunch sometime try something a little more interesting with them.

[SheenaGreena]

I think I'm going to buy a package of gizzards, fry them up, and eat them with some white rice. Hearts are good too, but not as chewy as the gizzards

[Kent Wang]

I have two pictorial recipes for duck gizzard, which you can easily substitute with chicken gizzards.

Salt-pressed duck gizzard

Duck gizzard stir-fried with bamboo and soy beans

[Pam Brunning]

I went on line to find a recipe yesterday for chicken gizzards. Several said boil first so I tried a recipe chosen by voters on a site as 'best answer'. Boiled for 15 min then deep fried. They were good flavour but tough as old boots - can someone help? I have had them in restaurants and they have been tender and delicious.

[BadRabbit]

Soaking them overnight in buttermilk helps. I also have pressure cooked them in chicken stock to soften them before frying.

[BadRabbit]

Oh and my grandmother beat them with a hammer before soaking them. Hers were spectacular. I just remembered that and am wondering why I never do that on the rare occasions when I make them.

[docdix]

I have only tried them braised with liver and pork belly. They become tender after a few hours of braising. Not sure about fried gizzard.

[scubadoo97]

I've had fried tender gizzards but don't know how they got that way. For sure, you can not just batter and fry.

I've only done them braised and simmered in stock and both ways yield very tender gizzards. So that could be a tenderizing method before frying. Never beat them with a hammer but may try pounding them out before frying.

[heidih]

I just picked up 2 pounds for 59 cents a pound at the Chinese market and they look really nice. I am in a cooking frenzy and all the burners are busy so I think I will try the slow cooker (crock pot) with lots of seasonings and then experiment over the next few days with ways to use and finish them. Will report back.

[heidih]

I ended up simmering for almost two hours and I can report that it IS in fact possible to overcook them. They smelled great but were flavorless mush. No chew at all. Maybe from really young chickens? I will give it a rest and try again once the horrid taste memory leaves me.