Chicken Liver Pâté with Shallots. A smooth cooked-chicken-liver pâté with softened shallots, thyme and butter, chilled before serving. The formula and timing below are working estimates for a future kitchen trial, not a claim that a batch has been made.
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A small savory spread
Cooked chicken livers, soft shallots and thyme blend with butter into a smooth chilled appetizer. Eight small spread portions are proposed; the final volume and set need a kitchen trial.
The livers are poultry, so a rosy center is not an endpoint for this draft. Use the food thermometer and FDA guidance rather than borrowing a different pâté recipe's appearance cue.
Trim, sauté and measure
Trim visible tissue and keep the raw-liver work area separate from ready-to-eat crackers or vegetables. Soften shallots before adding livers so the aromatic base does not stay raw.
Turn thick pieces and measure their centers. All checked pieces must reach 165°F. Pan heat, liver sizes and batch crowding affect elapsed minutes; the fifteen-minute cook is a planning estimate.
Ingredients for 8 appetizer portions
| Ingredient | Amount | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken livers, trimmed | 1 pound | Fresh or properly thawed. |
| Unsalted butter | 6 tablespoons | Two for skillet, four for blending. |
| Shallots, finely chopped | 2 medium | Skillet. |
| Garlic, minced | 1 clove | Skillet. |
| Fresh thyme leaves | 1 teaspoon | Skillet. |
| Fine salt | 3/4 teaspoon | Adjust after blending. |
| Freshly ground black pepper | 1/4 teaspoon | Skillet. |
| Heavy cream | 2 tablespoons | For blending. |
Step-by-step method
- Trim any visible connective tissue from 1 lb chicken livers and pat dry. Keep raw livers separate from ready-to-eat foods and clean the surfaces and hands that contact them. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a skillet over medium heat and soften two chopped shallots for approximately four minutes; add one minced garlic clove and 1 tsp thyme briefly.
- Add the livers in a single layer and cook, turning as needed, until each thickest piece reaches 165°F on an instant-read food thermometer. Do not use pink interiors or an arbitrary minute count as a substitute for the measured endpoint.
- Transfer cooked livers and shallots while warm to a food processor with the remaining 4 tbsp butter, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and 2 tbsp heavy cream. Blend until smooth, scraping the sides. Taste only after all livers have reached the safe endpoint.
- Transfer promptly to a shallow covered dish, refrigerate and chill approximately two hours until set. Serve eight small appetizer portions with separately provided crackers if desired; crackers are not in the measured card. Record actual cooked yield, texture and chill time in a trial.
Blend while warm
The remaining butter and a small amount of cream help make a smooth spread. Blend the fully cooked liver and shallot mixture, then taste and adjust only after the measured endpoint is reached.
Good Food's pâté offers a culinary reference for a liver-and-shallot blend; this version uses independent quantities and no alcohol. Do not borrow its storage assumptions.
Chill before serving
Put the blended pâté promptly in a shallow covered dish and refrigerate until firm, approximately two hours. The chill is part of the total time, not an optional decorative step.
Crackers can accompany the spread but are not measured ingredients. Photograph the finished brown spread, not uncooked livers.
Storage and review
No shelf-stable gifting or exact storage-life claim is established. Finalize cooling, refrigeration and reheated-use notes against the tested batch and current guidance.
If another Chefly appetizer proves to be the same liver recipe in a broader post, revise that page rather than create a duplicate URL.
Pâté questions
Is the liver served pink?
No. The working method measures 165°F in the thickest pieces before blending.
Does this contain alcohol?
No. The measured formula uses butter, cream, shallots and thyme without wine or spirits.
Can I skip the chill?
The proposed two-hour refrigeration gives the spread time to set before serving.
Further reading and related Chefly recipes: Good Food's chicken liver pâté; FDA safe food handling. These are relevant references and other dishes, not evidence that this proposed formula was tested.
Recipe-card handoff — preview, not a native plugin card
Chicken Liver Pâté with Shallots. Category: Appetizers. 8 appetizer portions. Prep approximately 20 minutes; cooking approximately 15 minutes; additional cooling/chilling approximately 120 minutes; total approximately 155 minutes excluding preheat. Not kitchen-tested; nutrition not calculated.
Ingredients: 1 pound Chicken livers, trimmed; 6 tablespoons Unsalted butter; 2 medium Shallots, finely chopped; 1 clove Garlic, minced; 1 teaspoon Fresh thyme leaves; 3/4 teaspoon Fine salt; 1/4 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper; 2 tablespoons Heavy cream.
Instructions: Trim any visible connective tissue from 1 lb chicken livers and pat dry. Keep raw livers separate from ready-to-eat foods and clean the surfaces and hands that contact them. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a skillet over medium heat and soften two chopped shallots for approximately four minutes; add one minced garlic clove and 1 tsp thyme briefly. Add the livers in a single layer and cook, turning as needed, until each thickest piece reaches 165°F on an instant-read food thermometer. Do not use pink interiors or an arbitrary minute count as a substitute for the measured endpoint. Transfer cooked livers and shallots while warm to a food processor with the remaining 4 tbsp butter, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and 2 tbsp heavy cream. Blend until smooth, scraping the sides. Taste only after all livers have reached the safe endpoint. Transfer promptly to a shallow covered dish, refrigerate and chill approximately two hours until set. Serve eight small appetizer portions with separately provided crackers if desired; crackers are not in the measured card. Record actual cooked yield, texture and chill time in a trial.
Allergens: Milk; Check packaged livers and serving crackers separately. Review packaged ingredients and cross-contact before serving.
Print
Chicken Liver Pâté with Shallots
- Total Time: 155 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
About eight small spreadable appetizer portions of cooked chicken liver pâté.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Chicken livers, trimmed
- 6 tablespoons Unsalted butter
- 2 medium Shallots, finely chopped
- 1 clove Garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Fresh thyme leaves
- 3/4 teaspoon Fine salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons Heavy cream
Instructions
- Trim any visible connective tissue from 1 lb chicken livers and pat dry. Keep raw livers separate from ready-to-eat foods and clean the surfaces and hands that contact them. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a skillet over medium heat and soften two chopped shallots for approximately four minutes; add one minced garlic clove and 1 tsp thyme briefly.
- Add the livers in a single layer and cook, turning as needed, until each thickest piece reaches 165°F on an instant-read food thermometer. Do not use pink interiors or an arbitrary minute count as a substitute for the measured endpoint.
- Transfer cooked livers and shallots while warm to a food processor with the remaining 4 tbsp butter, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and 2 tbsp heavy cream. Blend until smooth, scraping the sides. Taste only after all livers have reached the safe endpoint.
- Transfer promptly to a shallow covered dish, refrigerate and chill approximately two hours until set. Serve eight small appetizer portions with separately provided crackers if desired; crackers are not in the measured card. Record actual cooked yield, texture and chill time in a trial.
Notes
Recipe-development draft; not kitchen-tested. Timing and yield are estimates. Nutrition has not been calculated.
Additional chilling, resting or cooling time: 120 minutes, included in the total.
Untested estimate: complete liver cooking about 10–15 minutes plus two-hour refrigerated chill; actual endpoint governs.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Chilling, resting or cooling: 120 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Appetizers
Nutrition
- Serving Size: Approximately two tablespoons, pending measured final volume