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. 🙂

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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.

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.

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.

What is the most important meat in pâté? ›

Liver in pâté is as much a binding agent as an ingredient to add flavour. Soaked and seasoned, the foie gras usually blended with minced meat, herbs and truffle. Pork liver is also commonly employed for the more rustic Pâté Campagne.

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 I freeze home made chicken liver pate? ›

Chicken liver pate freezes very well and I always make a double batch using 500gms of chicken livers. What is this? 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.

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 good for your stomach? ›

Liver deserves its status as a superfood because it is the most nutrient dense part of an animal. It is ideal for those with inflammatory or autoimmune conditions to support gut healing. It is also supportive for your immune system, skin, gut and may help prevent bleeding gums.

How often can you eat liver pate? ›

This means: not eating liver or liver products, such as pate, more than once a week - or having smaller portions of these.

What cheese goes with paté? ›

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.

Are you supposed to eat the butter at the top of pate? ›

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.

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.

Why is pâté 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.

What is the best pâté for beginners? ›

For beginners, Daguin recommends pâté de campagne as a "pâté 101." This country-style pâté is traditionally made with coarse ground pork meat and pork liver with garlic, parsley and sometimes onion, rosemary and clove, making it a savory and easy intro to those unfamiliar with pâté's often unique texture and flavor.

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.

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.

How many days is liver pâté good for? ›

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.

How to tell if pâté is off? ›

Examine its appearance - if you see any mold development or changes in color (grey or green instead of the usual pinkish/beige), it's likely spoiled. Likewise, a sour or off-putting smell is another strong indication your Pate is not safe to eat.

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