A gizzard is a muscle that helps the chicken digest its food — so the chicken gizzard is basically the chicken’s stomach. It’s far from the fancy chicken breast you’re used to eating for its protein benefits, but it still packs a powerful nutrient punch.
Gizzards have a tough and chewy texture and taste similar to thighs, legs, and other dark parts of chicken meat. It makes for a tasty ingredient in many dishes, and it is especially seen in Asian cuisine. If you want to enjoy rich flavor and great texture with many health benefits, here are some chicken gizzard recipes you must try!
1. Braised Chicken Gizzards with Onions
Produce a gourmet meal by braising gizzards with onions, herbs, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, and spices. You can also add a dash of red pepper flakes to pack some heat into this tasty dish. Serve it with rice or farro and cucumber or carrot salad to enjoy a satisfying meal on hectic weeknights.
2. Chicken Gizzard
This Nigerian-style dish features fried chicken gizzards in a delectable homemade sauce that’ll tantalize your senses. The sauce gets its exotic flavors from bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, and chicken seasoning. It also packs heat with scotch bonnet and a herby flavor from thyme, which adds to its appeal. The best thing? It’s super inexpensive, making it a wonderful budget-friendly option.
3. Chicken Gizzard and Pepper Salad
Ready in just 40 minutes, this simple recipe is fancy enough to elevate any dinner spread. It calls for sautéing seasoned chicken gizzard in oil until it’s browned, then combining it with onions and bell peppers until they’re slightly soft yet crunchy. Finish it with mixed greens and garnish it with Parmesan to enjoy a crowd-pleasing appetizer.
4. Chicken Gizzard Soup — Carnivore, Keto, PSMF
This warm, comforting soup is an incredible keto meal and offers an easy way to cook a wholesome meal. All you need are chicken gizzards, chicken broth, and salt and pepper. Once cooked, you can garnish it with parsley or chives and enjoy it on its own or serve it with some keto noodles to fill your tummy.
5. Chicken Gizzards and Sriracha Stir Fry
In this stir-fry, spicy and sweet flavors are complemented with just the right hint of tang. Plus, it gets ready in 15 minutes! To prepare it, cook gizzards with herbs and spices until they have a chewy, caramelized texture. Let them cool, and stir-fry them with lime juice, honey, and Sriracha. Cook until the gizzards soak up all the sauce, and serve!
6. Chicken Liver and Gizzard Adobo
Cooked adobo-style, this classic Filipino meal is sure to be a hit with everyone at your dinner table. It calls for cooking a combination of chicken liver and gizzards in a rich and incredibly delectable sauce made with umami-flavored soy sauce and crisp white vinegar. You can rest assured this recipe doesn’t skimp on flavor!
7. Crispy Chicken Gizzards + Spicy Garlic Dipping Sauce
Crispy and crunchy yet surprisingly tender and chewy, these crispy chicken gizzards make for an excellent appetizer or game-day snack. You can serve them with chili oil-infused mayo and garlic dipping sauce for extra flavor. Enjoy them with a cold can of beer or soda if you’re serving them to kids.
8. Fried Chicken Gizzards
The appeal of fried chicken cannot be overstated — and you’ll feel the same about these fried gizzards once you try them! Start by simmering the gizzards in chicken broth to make them tender and infuse them with delectable flavors. Then, you toss them in a flour batter and seasonings and fry. It produces golden brown and crispy treats everyone will love!
9. Fried Korean Chicken Gizzard
This Korean-style recipe calls for boiling chicken gizzards, which makes them soft while retaining their prized chewy texture. Mix them with aromatics like ginger, garlic, and some curry powder, which will give them an incredible taste while diffusing the gamey smell. You can then stir-fry or deep-fry them to your liking. Serve hot!
10. Peppered Gizzard
This mouth-watering dish will tempt everyone to reach for a second serving. It uses vegetables like bell peppers, onions, and habanero peppers and spices like bouillon powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, salt, and thyme to produce a dish brimming with exquisite flavors. Serve it with leftover sauce and rice for a complete meal.
11. Sautéed Chicken Gizzards
If you’re a beginner at cooking gizzards, this 25-minute recipe is the perfect one to get you started. It combines gizzards with simple, everyday ingredients like bouillon powder, garlic, oil, onion, and salt to produce a soft and tender yet chewy, flavorful, delicious dish. It tastes excellent when paired with polenta or potatoes. Enjoy!
12. Southern Cornbread Dressing with Gizzards
This holiday specialty dish takes some time (and lots of effort!) to prepare, so schedule it for the weekend — and reserve it for special events! The cornbread dressing is made with gizzards, seasoning, and herbs like thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley, veggies, and unsalted butter. Layered with homemade cornbread, this is soul food at its finest!
13. Stewed Chicken Gizzard (Mollejas Guisadas)
Loaded with veggies and spices, this Dominican chicken gizzard recipe is both flavorful and healthy. Follow the instructions provided in this Molleja de pollo guisada recipe to create a wonderfully tender, juicy, and moist dish. You can serve it with rice, beans, or salads, and consider serving it alongside Agrio de Naranja if you can handle some heat.
14. The Classic Chicken Gizzards Gravy
This hearty chicken gizzard gravy is a fancy meal made with simple ingredients. It features veggies like onion and carrot, which make the dish heartier, and a few simple spices like salt, pepper, and bay leaves to flavor it. Serve it with mashed potatoes, quinoa, or potato gnocchi according to your preferences for a satisfying meal.
