Chicken, Mushroom & Bacon Pâté (half batch)
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 4 - 6. Makes a little over 1 1/4 cups (320 g / 11 oz) 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- ½ lb / 225 g chicken livers
- 3 oz / 85 g bacon (about 2 thick slices)
- 2 medium shallots
- 2 large cloves of garlic
- 4 oz / 115 g cremini or white mushrooms
- 2 tbsp / 30 ml bacon fat or lard, divided
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp dried rosemary
- 2 tbsp / 30 ml chicken broth
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt or Himalayan salt
Instructions
- PREP: First, drain and trim your chicken livers. You’ll want to cut off and discard any fatty pieces or stringy membrane between the two halves of each liver. Trim off any other little pieces of fat, fibers or bile you find and discard. Put your trimmed chicken livers into a bowl and place them in the fridge until you need them later. Roughly chop the bacon. Cut the shallots in half, then peel and slice them, discarding the tops and bottoms. Peel and lightly smash the garlic cloves with the back of your kitchen knife. Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp paper towel, then roughly slice them.
- SOFTEN: Add 1 tablespoon / 15 ml of the fat of your choice to a skillet over low-medium heat. Once the fat has melted and is hot, add the chopped bacon, shallots and garlic cloves. Cook, stirring often to avoid sticking, until the bacon is cooked through but not crispy and the shallots have softened. When you see that the fat from the bacon has rendered and the shallots have just started to take on a little color, remove the bacon and shallot mixture with a slotted spoon and transfer it to a bowl. Reserve for later.
- SAUTE: Add the remaining 1 tablespoon / 15 ml of fat to the skillet. When the fat is hot, add the sliced mushrooms, thyme and rosemary. Cook the mushrooms, stirring and turning them occasionally, until they are golden, glossy and reduced in size enough to almost form a single layer, about 10 minutes. Remove the browned mushrooms with a slotted spoon and transfer them to the bowl along with the bacon and shallot mixture from earlier.
- SEAR: Add the chicken livers to the skillet in a single layer. Cook, turning once, until each side is opaque, lightly browned and just cooked through, about 3 – 4 minutes per side. There should still be a little pink at the centers of the livers. You don’t want to overcook them as that will create an unwanted bitterness.
- BLEND: Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked livers to a food processor or blender. Add the chicken broth to the skillet and use the back of a spoon or spatula to scrape up any browned bits or herbs from the bottom. Pour the liquid and bits from the skillet into the food processor or blender, then add the reserved bacon & shallot mixture and the mushrooms reserved earlier as well. Process or blend, scraping down the sides a few times, until the pâté is smooth and creamy. Taste and add the salt, if needed.
- CHILL: Transfer the warm pâté mixture to a baking dish or assortment of small ramekins. You can either press a little plastic wrap into the top of the pâté or pour a little melted fat of your choice over the top to make an airtight seal. Refrigerate until chilled, about 3 hours.
- SERVE: I like to serve this Chicken, Mushroom & Bacon Pâté with super crunchy veggies like carrots, jicama and daikon, or refreshing veggies like cucumber and endive. It’s oddly lovely with sliced apples (I haven’t figured out why that works, but it does!) and of course it’s great with crispy things like plantain chips, plantain strips or sweet potato chips, too. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days or up to 5 days if sealed with a layer of fat.
Find it online: https://meatified.com/chicken-mushroom-bacon-pate/