This luxurious Chicken Liver Pâté is infused with aromatic herbs and a touch of truffle oil. Perfectly spreadable and irresistibly rich, it brings a taste of France to your table.
I love making this part of a full French appetizer spread by pairing with this Baked Camembert and these Puff Pastry Cheese Straws.
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Why Make This Recipe
Chicken liver pâté has been a favorite of mine since we lived in France—it’s a perfect match for charcuterie and French cheeses. There are two main ways of making this pâté: first, the way I show you in this recipe which is to sauté the livers, and second, the Jacques Pépin more traditional French method of simmering the chicken livers in water. I tested both, and normally I am not one to ever question Jacques, but I preferred the sauté method. I think you get better flavor and a heartier texture.
This pâté is perfect paired with a glass of wine at cocktail hour or served as an appetizer for a dinner party. It must be made in advance, so there is no last-minute prep, and you can freeze it as well.
🥗 Ingredient Tips
- Chicken Livers: Fresh chicken livers yield the best flavor and texture, but feel free to use frozen if that is your only option. Look for high-quality, free-range chicken livers, organic if possible. Make sure to thaw thoroughly if frozen and pat dry before cooking.
- Butter: Butter not only enhances flavor but also creates a smooth, spreadable texture. I prefer to use unsalted butter and adding salt to taste.
- Shallots: Try red onion or white onion as a substitute.
- Truffle Oil: Look for a truffle oil that has been flavored with real truffles. Most of the low priced truffle oils you find at the supermarket are artificially flavored—trust me, you can really taste the difference.
- Herbs: This recipe calls for a bay leaf and sage. You could also try rosemary or thyme.
- Heavy Cream: A splash of heavy cream makes this pâté even creamier. You can leave it out, but it really does make a difference.
🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions
Trim the fat and connective tissue from 8 ounces of chicken livers.
Finely chop 2 shallots—you should have about ½ cup total. Mince 1 garlic clove.
Add 2 tablespoons of butter to a medium skillet over medium-low heat and cook until melted. Add minced garlic, chopped shallots, 1 bay leaf, and 2 sage leaves to the melted butter. Sauté for 4 minutes, until softened but not browned.
Add chicken livers and 2 tablespoons water. Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Flip chicken livers over, add another 2 tablespoons of water, and cook for another 3-5 minutes until liquid has evaporated and livers are cooked through and barely browned. Turn down the heat and/or add more water if livers and shallots are beginning to brown too much.
Let cool for 5 minutes. Remove bay leaf and discard. Scrape the rest of the skillet contents into a food processor. Pulse until mixture is combined into a rough paste.
Add 6 more tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, and blend until well incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the food processor a couple of times as you do this. Add 1 ½ tablespoons heavy cream, 1 teaspoon truffle oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper, and blend until you have a creamy and smooth paste.
Taste, and add more salt, pepper, or truffle oil as desired. Scrape paté into ramekins or whatever serving dish you choose.
Refrigerate, covered with a piece of plastic wrap (pushed directly onto the surface) for at least 3 hours.
Remove from the refrigerator 15-20 minutes before you want to serve to soften it up a little.
Storage Tips
Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Keep covered with plastic wrap, or top your pâté with a thin layer of melted clarified butter so that it will last even longer (up to a week in the fridge).
🧐 Recipe FAQs for Chicken Liver Pâté
Yes! Pâté freezes well for up to 2 months. Store it in an airtight container and thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.
If you don’t have truffle oil, you can skip it entirely or replace it with a splash of brandy, cognac, dry sherry, or port for a slightly different, but equally luxurious, flavor. If you want to stick with truffle flavoring, try using truffle salt instead of regular salt.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
If you’re unsure whether your chicken livers are fully cooked or not, use an instant-read thermometer. Chicken should always be cooked to an internal temperature of 165° F.
Allowing the pâté to chill for at least 3 hours ensures the flavors meld and the texture firms up beautifully. Make sure to let it soften a little before serving to make it easily spreadable.
Truffle oil brands really vary in strength of flavor, so be sure to try a little bit first before pouring in the full amount. Then add more if your truffle oil is more mild in flavor.
If you want a more mild flavor to your pâté, you can try soaking the chicken livers in milk for 15 minutes before cooking. Pat dry well.
Want to get even more decadent? You can cook your chicken livers in melted chicken fat or duck fat rather than butter.
Wondering how to serve your chicken liver paté? I love it with some toasted baguette slices, but you can serve it with crackers or melba toast as well. It’s delicious paired with fig jam and caramelized onions. You could also add dried fruit like apricots or dates.
Good for you for trying a recipe with organ meat! Chicken livers are inexpensive and nutrient-dense, plus you are helping to ensure that all the meat from a chicken is used. Want to try another? This beef liver pate recipe gives you all the instructions you need to make this delicious nutrient-dense appetizer!
Other Delicious French Appetizers
I would happily make a whole meal out of French appetizers. You can find a list of options in my Top French Appetizers post. Start with one of these:
If you try this Chicken Liver Pâté recipe, I would love to hear from you! Please rate this recipe and leave a comment below—your feedback is invaluable to me.
And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter. I’d love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!
📖 Recipe
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Chicken Liver Pâté
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces chicken livers
- 2 shallots
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter room temp
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 sage leaves
- 1 ½ tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon truffle oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon reshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Trim the fat and connective tissue from the chicken livers.
- Finely chop shallots—you should have about ½ cup total. Mince garlic clove.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to a medium skillet over medium-low heat and cook until melted.
- Add minced garlic, chopped shallots, bay leaf, and sage leaves. Sauté for 4 minutes, until softened but not browned.
- Add chicken livers and 2 tablespoons water. Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- Flip chicken livers over, add another 2 tablespoons of water, and cook for another 3-5 minutes until liquid has evaporated and livers are cooked through and barely browned. Turn down the heat and/or add more water if livers and shallots are beginning to brown too much.
- Let cool for 5 minutes.
- Remove bay leaf and discard.
- Scrape the rest of the skillet contents into a food processor. Pulse until mixture is combined into a rough paste.
- Add the remaining butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, and blend until well incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the food processor a couple of times as you do this.
- Add heavy cream, truffle oil, salt, and pepper, and blend until smooth and creamy. Taste, and add more salt, pepper, or truffle oil as desired.
- Scrape paté into ramekins or whatever serving dish you choose.
- Refrigerate, covered with a piece of plastic wrap (pushed directly onto the surface) for at least 3 hours.
- Remove from the refrigerator 15-20 minutes before you want to serve to soften it up a little.
Notes
Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Keep covered with plastic wrap, or top your pâté with a thin layer of melted clarified butter so that it will last even longer (up to a week in the fridge). Expert Tips:
If you’re unsure whether your chicken livers are fully cooked or not, use an instant-read thermometer. Chicken should always be cooked to an internal temperature of 165° F. Allowing the pâté to chill for at least 3 hours ensures the flavors meld and the texture firms up beautifully. Make sure to let it soften a little before serving to make it easily spreadable.
Nutrition
Instagram Users: Now that you've made this pâté recipe, tag me @vanillabeancuisine or #vanillabeancuisine because I’d love to see your results!
More About Molly
Cooking healthy(ish) meals with seasonal ingredients is my passion. Trained as a French pastry chef, I spent over 10 years as a personal chef. Here you'll find well-tested recipes that you and your family will love!
Molly Pisula says
This recipe reminds me of our time in France. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!