Stir-fried Chicken Gizzards and Liver

Name: Stir-fried Chicken Gizzards and Liver
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 125 g Chicken gizzards (peel three sides, remove white tendons, score a cross-hatch pattern with parallel cuts, cut through every 3rd cut); 125 g Chicken livers (remove tendons, make 2 straight cuts to 80% depth, cut crosswise into 2 pieces); 25 g Shallots (trim tops, peel, cut into small wedge-shaped pieces); 50 g Carrots (cut into small wedge-shaped pieces, blanch in boiling water until tender); 5 g Shaoxing wine (for cooking); 15 g White sugar; 15 g Vinegar; 10 g Flour (5 g each mixed with gizzards and liver); 10 g Sesame oil (drizzled in for aroma); 500 g Rendered lard (for frying, about 50 g actually used); 25 g Soy sauce (5 g for coloring each, the rest for stir-frying)

A classic Zhejiang appetizer traditionally served with wine. This vibrant dish combines crispy-tender chicken gizzards and silky chicken liver in a balanced sweet-and-sour sauce.

35 min

Easy

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Ingredients

Chicken gizzards (peel three sides, remove white tendons, score a cross-hatch pattern with parallel cuts, cut through every 3rd cut) 125 g

Chicken livers (remove tendons, make 2 straight cuts to 80% depth, cut crosswise into 2 pieces) 125 g

Shallots (trim tops, peel, cut into small wedge-shaped pieces) 25 g

Carrots (cut into small wedge-shaped pieces, blanch in boiling water until tender) 50 g

Shaoxing wine (for cooking) 5 g

White sugar 15 g

Vinegar 15 g

Flour (5 g each mixed with gizzards and liver) 10 g

Sesame oil (drizzled in for aroma) 10 g

Rendered lard (for frying, about 50 g actually used) 500 g

Soy sauce (5 g for coloring each, the rest for stir-frying) 25 g

Instructions

Preparing gizzards and liver

Peel three sides of the chicken gizzards, remove the white tendons, then score with parallel cuts about 0.3 cm apart to roughly 90% depth. Rotate and score again perpendicular to the first set to form a cross-hatch pattern, cutting all the way through every 3rd cut. For the chicken livers, remove the tendons, make 2 straight cuts to about 80% depth, then cut crosswise into 2 pieces each.

Coloring and flouring

Place the gizzards and livers in separate bowls. Add 5 g of soy sauce to each for color, then add 5 g of flour to each and mix well.

Preparing the aromatics

Trim the tops off the shallots, peel away the outer skin, and rinse them. Cut the shallots together with the carrots into small wedge-shaped pieces, then blanch the carrots in boiling water until tender and set aside.

Deep-frying

Heat a wok over high heat and add the lard. When the oil reaches about 60% hot (approximately 132 °C / 270 °F), add the gizzards first and stir to separate, then add the livers and fry until they form a shell. Lift out with a slotted spoon. When the oil temperature rises to about 70% hot (approximately 154 °C / 309 °F), return the gizzards and livers to the wok for a quick fry, then drain through the slotted spoon.

Stir-frying and combining

Leave 15 g of oil in the wok, add the shallots, and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the vegetables and stir briefly, then add the gizzards and livers. Splash in the Shaoxing wine, add 15 g of soy sauce and the sugar, and stir-fry to combine evenly. Add the vinegar, drizzle in the sesame oil, toss to coat, then transfer to a plate and serve.