Vietnamese Chicken Liver Pâté Gan Gà

My Vietnamese chicken liver pâté makes the perfect appetizer with its almost mousse-like texture, mild sweetness, and slightly metallic undertone.

Around the holidays I like to make a batch of pâté for our charcuterie board. My mom usually makes a pork liver version but I prefer chicken liver since I can’t find organic pork liver. When cooked, pork liver has a rougher texture while chicken liver will be softer and taste a bit sweeter. Slightly different from her version, I’m excited to share my Vietnamese chicken liver pâté recipe with its almost mousse-like texture, mild sweetness, and slightly metallic undertone. The chicken liver pâté is quite versatile and a lot cheaper compared to the store bought ones. It can be used as a spread with crackers and bread, in banh mi, and bánh pâté sô.

Ingredient Notes

• Chicken livers: for this recipe, I used organic chicken livers. Get quality organic livers from a good source. Look for livers that are plump, shiny, and springy with no smell. Discard any livers that are green-tinged indicating that bile from the gallbladder may have leaked onto the livers resulting in a bitter and unpleasant taste. If possible, get paler chicken livers which have a mellower, richer flavor compared to deep-red ones. Defrost them in the fridge overnight if they come frozen. I get mine from Whole Foods and Lazy Acres. 
• Alcohol: for the alcohol, I like to use sherry or port. Cognac or brandy also works. The alcohol adds a subtle flavor to the chicken liver pâté. However it’s completely optional.
• Herbs: I used thyme but feel free to substitute with tarragon or oregano.

How to Prep the Chicken Livers

Soak the livers in milk overnight to remove the bitter taste and any residual odor. You can use either milk or buttermilk for this step. Drain and pat dry with kitchen paper. Remove any connective tissue with a sharp knife before cooking.

How to Cook the Livers

• Heat 2 tablespoons of butter to a large saucepan on medium heat until melted
• Add chicken livers and thyme leaves and saute them for 5 minutes until slightly cooked through but still pink in the middle. Remove from the pan and set aside. Do not overcook the livers or the mixture may become dry and somewhat grainy when pureed.
• Add another 2 tablespoons of butter and let it melt.
• Add the shallots and cook until they are softened and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
• Transfer livers and juices back in pan along with sherry and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

• Transfer the liver mixture to a food processor.
• Add sea salt, pepper, egg, and heavy cream. Process until smooth.

• Add in remaining butter in two batches and process until pâté is smooth.

• Strain mixture through fine mesh sieve.
• Discard all the solids.

How Long to Bake Pâté

• Transfer mixture to loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Cover loaf pan tightly with foil.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Place loaf pan into a larger baking dish. Pour enough hot water into baking dish to come up halfway up the side of loaf pan. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

How to Seal Pate

• While the chicken liver pâté is baking. Prepare the clarified butter.
• Melt 4 tablespoons of butter on low heat until melted. The butter will separate into three layers: foam, thick yellow layer, and a milky white sediment at the bottom. Skim off the foam. Carefully pour the yellow clarified butter over the pâté. Discard the sediment.

What to Do if You Don't Want to Seal with Butter

If you are not sealing the pâté with melted butter, cover it with plastic wrap while still hot. Place the plastic wrap directly on to the surface of the pâté to prevent it drying out and changing color.

What to Serve Pâté With

The chicken liver pâté makes a great appetizer for a charcuterie board. use it as a spread for cracker and toasted bread. It also works well in sandwiches and banh mi.

Storage

Refrigerate chicken liver pâté tightly covered for up to 1 week.