Deep-fried gizzards and livers have had a special place in my heart for several years, but only recently did I finally recreate them in my kitchen! I had seen a sign advertising this Southern specialty and always wanted to try them. Recently, one of my farmers sent the recipe and another farmer had a windfall of chicken offal available for me. Serendipitously, I was able to make this recipe a couple of times in the span of a few weeks to tweak and perfect it!
55 ST Harold’s and Fresh Lemonade
Back when we lived in Chicago, the most direct way to Midway airport was to take I-55 southwest, but often, due to traffic, I would get diverted. Google maps often sent me down I-90 to 55th Street, where I would cut west to reach the aiport. On the route, many times over many years, I would pass by the friendly-looking 55th St Harold’s and Fresh Lemonade, just east of Halsted.
And every time I did, I would see the sign on the window advertising the fried gizzards and livers, along with catfish and other choice items. Naturally, since I pretty much only went this route when I was going to the airport, I never had time to stop. Plus, I was sure they’d be frying in canola oil, whatever canolas are.
Thanks to google street view, from 1000 miles away, I was able to pull up this menu, which was always taped inside the front window:
Serendipity
In the meantime, one of my former Chicago farmers was recently promoting offal and included this grandbabycakes recipe for Deep-Fried Gizzards. The same week, my local farmer informed me of a poultry slaughter and I readily took all the organs.
This included the unprocessed gizzards which would otherwise be headed for the dumpster! Yes, I had to split them and remove the small sack of stones from the center, but the price was right. (Free.) In the end, I had nearly 8 pounds of cleaned gizzards! That would be plenty for experimenting!
Making deep-fried gizzards and livers
I actually made this recipe a couple of times and adapted the original to work for me. The first time, the pieces were fried perfectly, but too large and still too chewy. The second time, I trimmed a lot more of the connecting tissue, reserving the meaty lobes as separate, smaller pieces. I also let the marinade do it’s magic for much longer, to the tune of two and a half days.
The steps are recorded here.
Draining marinade from gizzards
Prep livers by sizing them to match gizzards
Breaded gizzards and livers (2x given recipe)
Deep pot of hot lard, with gizzards frying
Deep-fried gizzards and livers
In the end, I was reminded why I only deep-fry about once a year, or less. It’s a mess to clean up. The livers popped a lot more than the gizzards and run a real safety risk, especially if you’ve never deep-fried at home before. And of course, I got some small burns on my hands tending the pot. However, I made a double batch of this recipe and it was pretty much gone. If you happen to already own a deep-fryer, I would definitely recommend this recipe!
The gizzards still have a meaty consistency and require some chewing, but trimming them bettter and increasing the marinade helped a lot. Plus, the flavor was delicious! I served a Southern dinner of buttery corn bread and collards. The collards were long-cooked in broth with some bright lemon juice and olive oil drizzled over the serving platter. I wish I’d had a peach pie as well!
If I’m going to end up doing the work to deep-fry and clean, I guess I prefer it to be liver instead of doughnuts anyway! Enjoy!
Deep-Fried Gizzards and Livers with Collards and Corn Bread
Notes
Caution! Livers will occasionally pop in the hot oil (as they do even when sauteing). Try not to stand directly in front of pot and use caution. For me this meant, long sleeves (that could get oil stained) and keeping my side or back turned to the pot, and my face far away, as best I could when adding and removing livers. This is less of a risk with gizzards, but if there is any moisture remaining (not absorbed with the flour), they could pop a little as well. A deep-fryer is probably recommended, but I don't fry enough to really warrant this purchase and don't have one!
Note: wait time is not included for however long you allow the marinated gizzards to rest.
Ingredients
Advance gizzard prep
- 1 lb gizzards
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 t hot sauce (I used WildBrine's Spicy Kimchi Sriracha)
For the fried gizzards and livers
- 1 lb livers, trimmed and cut into pieces to match size of gizzard lobes
- 1 cup flour
- 5 t salt
- 2 t pepper
- 3/4 t paprika
- 1/2 t garlic powder
- 1/4 t cayenne
- lard for frying
Instructions
Advance gizzard prep
- Trim the gizzards to remove external fat strands and the thick connective pieces in between the meaty lobes.
- Place the gizzards in a bowl and cover with buttermilk. Add hot sauce and mix to combine well.
- Return to fridge to marinate for at least a few hours, up to 2 days. This marinade does help break down the tough gizzards and a longer marinade is recommended.
For the fried gizzards and liver
- Prep the livers by trimming any connective tissue, separating lobes and cutting larger lobes into two or three pieces to match the size of the gizzard lobes.
- Strain the gizzards and pour off the buttermilk marinade.
- Add flour, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and cayenne to a bowl and mix well.
- In small batches, add the gizzards and livers to coat well in the flour mixture. Reserve these on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Keep the gizzards and liver separated since you'll want to cook them in separate batches. When all the offal is coated with flour and on the baking sheet, optionally set the baking sheet in the fridge for 10 minutes to set the flour.
- In the meantime, heat at least 2 inches of lard in a small, high-sided pot (or a deep-fryer) on high heat. I used a 2-quart pot and about 3 cups of lard. When hot, use tongs or a frying basket to set the offal pieces into the pot to fry. Allow to fry until golden brown. Gizzards take a bit longer than livers, timing will depend on the heat of your oil. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels and serve hot.
- (Optional) Serve with collards, corn bread, and ideally, peach pie!
Looks delicious
Omg, Andrea, it was a great meal! Thanks!!
Some people soak the liver in buttermilk. Do you ever?
Hi Amber, I have soaked liver in the past, but find that I like how no-fuss it is and how quickly it cooks otherwise (and never noticed much difference in taste – however, I never tried buttermilk!). I guess i could have done it here with the gizzards, but didn’t even think of it! Thanks for asking – I might try that next time. If you experiment with it, let me know!
Hi Janine,
A recipe that I would love to try but like, I don’t have a deep fat fryer. I will not use an old fashioned Chip Pan with no thermostat since a friend of mine had a lucky escape from a house fire caused by one.
I may attempt to shallow fry them.
I will let you know how it turns out.
Paul, I’m glad you mentioned you may try this as I have an update to this recipe! And, Yes, a shallow fry could be great. I used to always make this with a long marinade… but now I typically slow cook the gizzards first and then marinate them for flavor (for less time – just a few hours before cooking or overnight). I think there is better contrast this way – even more tender inside if you slow-cook them first, but with the crisp exterior from frying. This is probably even better if just pan-frying instead of frying in deep fat (which, yes, as you mention – does come with considerable risk haha! Fortunately, so far so good over here 😉
Enjoy!