Chicken Liver Pâté

Chicken Liver Pâté is rich, smooth, and bursting with deep, savory flavors. It’s a classic appetizer that’s perfect for spreading on toast or crackers. For more delightful starters, check out my range of appetizer recipes.

Forget the stereotype of lame 70s party food status. This recipe will prove that pâté has still got what it takes to tantalize the taste buds. 

You see, when it comes to pate, chicken liver is as good as it gets! So, read on to discover how to make this super simple, seriously delicious spread. 

Chicken liver pate recipe

This heavenly spread really doesn’t get the love it deserves. Once considered a classy, delicious delicacy, it’s now been relegated to cheap and cheerful spread status.

Something you’d grab from the store when you’re in a hurry and smear across a cracker for a quick snack. What a waste!

When made in the right way with the right ingredients chicken liver pâté tastes like a dream. It’s so easy to make, there’s really no excuse for ever buying the nasty stuff from stores. 

This recipe will show you how incredible a simple spread can be. When you make liver chicken pate the right way, you’ll have a luxurious, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth magnificent spread.

It’ll make the perfect Christmas party starter or Christmas mid-morning appetizer, as well as a sumptuous snack at any time of the year.

The key thing about this recipe is the roast butternut squash. The light sweetness really cuts through the heavy richness of the chicken livers, bringing a delicious balance that makes it stand out from other recipes. Chicken liver never tasted so good!

Best of all, it’s easy to make and you can easily store a big batch to be enjoyed later on. So, let’s find out how to make the perfect chicken liver pâté.

How do you make chicken liver pate?

To get this recipe right, you need to follow several simple steps. The first is to roast the key ingredient that makes this recipe stand out from all the rest.

It’s all about the butternut squash, roasted to perfection to achieve that subtle sweetness that’s going to take this plain old pate to the next level.

After you’ve preheated the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/gas 7, you’ll chop up your butternut squash in half, ready for roasting. If you’ve ever tried to chop up butternut squash before, you’ll know it can be a little tricky. 

It takes a fair amount of strength to get through these big heavy vegetables. So, be careful when chopping. Despite what you might think, the sharper the knife, the better.

Blunt kitchen knives are dangerous, as you need to put more pressure into the action. More pressure means less control and that’s when accidents happen. 

So, once your squash is chopped in half, you’ll need to deseed it and arrange both halves in a small roasting tin. Drizzle each with oil and roast for just over 30 minutes.

Next comes the chicken liver. Start by frying thinly sliced onions in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil for about 5 minutes or until they’re soft. In goes the garlic and chicken livers, which you’ll cook until nicely browned.

Pour the chicken liver mixture, roasted butternut squash flesh and cream cheese (or butter) into a food processor and blitz everything together. Then, add the thyme, salt and pepper, as well as any other spices that you want to throw into the mix.

If you want a thicker texture, just add more cream cheese or butter to the pate. Spoon the pate into ramekins and serve warm or cold with baguette slices. 

If you want some more suggestions of delicious recipes to pair with this pate, read on!

How long can you keep chicken liver pate?

Homemade chicken liver pate will have a shorter shelf life than the store-bought stuff – less additives and junk mean that it’ll go off sooner, the way it’s supposed to. 

Still, it should last for 3-4 days, keeping its taste and texture.

Can I freeze homemade chicken pate?

If you make too much to eat in 3-4 days, you can also freeze it. When you put it in the freezer, you can store it up to 3 months without losing any flavour. Just cut it into smaller pieces and put it in an airtight container.

Is chicken pate healthy?

Pate is high in fat and cholesterol. 

There, I said it. 

Now that the bad points are out of the way, let’s focus on the good, because there are plenty of health benefits to eating pate.

First of all, liver paté is an amazing source of iron and copper. A typical 100gm portion of pate contains about 5-10mgs of iron (around 10% of your recommended daily intake), which keeps up your energy levels and fights fatigue. For people who are iron deficient, liver pate is an especially healthy recipe. 

Recipes with copper are great for brain cells and building strong muscle tissue, as they activate enzymes called cuproenzymes. A 1-ounce serving of pâté contains 113 micrograms of copper, about 13% of your recommended daily intake.

Pâté also contains selenium, as well as vitamin A, B2 and B12. Vitamin A helps you to build a healthy immune system by building up white blood cells, crucial to keeping you healthy. One serving of pâté provides between 10-20% of your recommended daily intake. 

B2, also known as riboflavin, helps you break down nutrients into energy, while B12 is an essential vitamin that helps to build red blood cells. Pâté contains 0.91 microgram of vitamin B12, around 38% of your recommended daily intake.

How do you eat chicken pate?

Chicken paté has so much flavor – all you need is something simple to eat it with. Wholegrain crackers work great. Also, pâté tastes great when spread on bread.

Recipes like this savoury French toast and this homemade chia seed bread would go great with chicken pâté, as would a crusty baguette.

If possible, it should be served at room temperature. Don’t let it sit out of the fridge for too long – you should be okay for up to 3 hours – but it’s so much nicer when it’s not super chilled straight out of the fridge.

Serve your pâté with pickles, crudités (raw vegetables cut into small pieces) or any other kinds of crunchy, subtly flavored finger food. 

Another ingredient that tastes heavenly with pâté is chutney. Whip up your own fruity persimmon chutney, carrot chutney or runner bean chutney, for a delicious addition to this luxurious spread.

What other ingredients can you use to flavor pâté?

Some quality alcohol works great when cooked in with the livers. Don’t worry, you won’t taste the booze – it’ll evaporate in the frying pan. Try a cognac, brandy, port, madeira or sherry. It’ll add an incredible rich taste and aroma to the livers.

You could also experiment with different herbs and spices. Aside from thyme, oregano and rosemary would also work really well in this recipe.

Try using cayenne pepper or pinch of chili powder for an extra earthy kick. Ginger, nutmeg, cloves and mixed spice would also taste great in this recipe.

 You could also try different types of butter – why not try making your own garlic butter or your own macadamia nut butter?

You could even use different types of onions. Try raw spring onions to pack a punch, or even roasted shallots for a sweet and mellow undertone.

Try swapping the roast butternut squash for roast marrow. It’ll still bring an extra creaminess to the dish, just a little less sweet.

If you fancy a little extra decadence, use double cream in place of cream cheese or butter. It’ll add a touch of luxury to this already luxurious appetizer.  

If you want extra richness, you could also add half a teaspoon of anchovy paste to the final mixture. It’ll take this recipe to another level!

Other pate and terrine recipes

• Smoked salmon pâté – a classic recipe, this will go down perfectly during the holiday season. It’s supremely tasty and so very easy to make.
• Duck liver parfait – a delicious delicacy, recipes like this one add so much to Christmas parties and other festivities. The rich, butter, creamy taste just melts in your mouth. 
• Mushroom & black garlic pâté – if you’re a garlic fan, this recipe is the one for you. The black garlic intensity will blow you away and makes a perfect complement to the earthy mushroom taste.
• Salmon terrine – this elegant dish makes an amazing centerpiece to your Christmas party spread
• Chicken bacon pistachio terrine – rich, salty and delicious, this recipe makes the perfect lunch dish or appetizer.

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