Chicken Liver Pâté
Good pâté is really a question of texture, and that comes down to two things: don’t overcook the livers, and blend them while still warm. Let them cool first and the butter won’t emulsify, leaving the pâté grainy. The layer of melted butter on top isn’t decoration either — it keeps the colour and the freshness.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Rest
- 4 h
- Total
- 4 h 35 min
- Servings
- 8
- Level
- Medium
- Per serving
- 290 kcal
Ingredients
Pâté
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What to use instead
Sour cream instead of single cream gives a slightly sharper, fresher pâté.
To seal
Makes: about 500 g, 8 servings
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Prepare the livers
Trim off membranes and tubes, rinse and pat dry. Halve any large lobes so they cook evenly.
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Step 2: Fry the vegetables
Fry the chopped onion and grated carrot in the oil for 8 minutes, until completely soft and sweet.
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Step 3: Cook the livers
Add the livers and fry over medium heat for 6–7 minutes, stirring often. Keep a faint pink blush inside — overcooked liver makes grainy, slightly bitter pâté.
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Step 4: Blend
Tip the hot mixture into a blender with the cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg and blend until smooth.
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Step 5: Beat in the butter
Add the softened butter in pieces, blending all the while, until the mixture turns glossy and silky.
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Step 6: Pass through a sieve
For a flawless texture push the pâté through a sieve — five minutes of work that changes the result noticeably.
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Step 7: Seal with butter
Spoon into a crock, level the top, pour over the melted butter and lay the thyme on it.
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Step 8: Chill
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, so the pâté firms up.
Tips & variations
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Tip
If the mixture looks loose, don't worry — the butter sets in the fridge and firms everything up.
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Variation
A spoon of brandy in the blender adds depth and that familiar restaurant note.
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Swap
Sour cream instead of single cream gives a slightly sharper, fresher pâté.
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Storage
Under the butter seal it keeps 5 days; without it, 2 days, as the surface darkens.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 8 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 290 kcal | 2,320 kcal |
| Protein | 14 g | 112 g |
| Fat | 24 g | 192 g |
| Carbohydrates | 4 g | 32 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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