What to do w/the innards of the chix

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ps8

Senior Cook
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Preparing my first ever roasted chicken. What can I do with the neck, gizzards, liver and heart? I hate to throw them away, but I know we won't be eating them. Would they make a good broth?
 
You're missing a good treat by not eating the heart and liver. Boil them up and give them a try.
 
I toss them into my stockpot with the bones...except the heart. I really have tried to like it, but I don't. Even our cats wouldn't eat it. :huh:
 
LOLing out loud HB, I was thinking cook 'em and feed 'em to the kitties. I guess not all cats are like ours.
 
Necks, Livers, Gizzards, & Heart

Sometimes it is easier to find a purpose for these parts if you separate them.

Necks: Ever count the pieces of chicken in a can of noodle soup? You have enough from that neck to make a case.

Livers: Do you like liver? Saute the liver until firm and use it as a salad topping by crumbling it.

Gizzards & Heart: Use these together as they are compitable in flavor. Remove the small meat from the gristle and slice the heart into 4-6 slices. Saute them then continue in the same pan making a white sauce or gravy.

Broth: Simmer your chicken parts with chopped onion, celery, and carrots until chicken is done. Debone neck and chop chicken parts and return to pot. Season to your liking.

It will be interesting to read what you did with those chicken parts. Don't ever never freeze them raw until you save up a few batches.
 
Alix said:
LOLing out loud HB, I was thinking cook 'em and feed 'em to the kitties. I guess not all cats are like ours.

LOL, our cats would play with it for awhile, carry it around for a few days and then I'd find it under a sofa cushion or the bed....never a mark on it. :LOL:
 
pdswife said:
You're missing a good treat by not eating the heart and liver. Boil them up and give them a try.
Honestly doesn't sound like a treat. I can see using them in something, like gravy or chopped chicken liver or some of the other suggestions on the thread. But for the life of me, I can't see just boiling them and eating them plain. I think I'd discard them quite happily before doing that. Just my two cents, of course.
 
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I put them in a sauce pan along with whatever skin/fat I trim off the chicken and simmer in enough water to fully cover the parts. Then I use the broth and cut up all the chicken parts to feed my doggies. They love it over rice for breakfast! (I don't salt or season it.)
 
I do the same thing, Callie, except I stick it in the microwave. I pierce the giblets with a cooking fork first, so they won't explode (hopefully) and cover bowl with a piece of waxed paper in case they do.
My cats are very picky, but they do like the livers. My pup will eat the rest. I throw away the neck once it's picked and boiled, though, as I don't want my animals getting choked on the little bones.

Now, if I'm frying the chicken, I fry up the liver and giblets, and my husband and I fight over them.
 
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Ishbel said:
I use them all for giblet (as we call it in the UK) gravy.
Me, too! I love the tasty bits in the gravy. Some I cook for think they don't like them, so I often strain half and don't tell them from what the gravy was made. :chef:
 
simmer all but the liver with aromatic herbs and vegetables for a broth for the gravy you will make with pan drippings. the liver fry up in butter or bacon fat and chop into your stuffing/dressing or just enjoy it on toast!
 
I toss all the parts into a pot with some water, celery, carrotts, onions, bay leaf, poultry seasoning, and let simmer for a couple hours, then strain all and use in a gravy with the stock from a turkey or chicken. I chop up the liver to add to the gravy.
 
The liver goes into a freezer bag and gets saved for a liver dish such as dirty rice or chopped liver. Everything else is saved for stock along with the bones and scraps.
 
Gosh, I suppose someone could start a whole thread on chicken offal.

Usually with one chicken, just saute up the liver and gizzard, the treat for the cook. Can also do so with the heart but that is not my favorite.

Or, as amber said, will take the heart, gizzard, and neck and make a quick stock with mirepoix and seasonings, and use for a sauce. You can get enough to serve with the chicken. Don't use the liver in the stock, don't like the taste it adds and besides, there is nothing better than a sauteed chicken liver.

I think that chicken insides are very overlooked as good eating. We can sometimes buy the livers or gizzards at the local supermarkets in plastic containers. Yum. But as I say, that could be a separate topic.
 

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