Hearty Chicken Gizzard Stew is an enchanting dish for those bold enough to explore. Dark, rich, and warming, it's built on a base of Guinness and a colorful mix of vegetables that come together to create a deep, full-bodied flavor. But the real surprise? That's the star ingredient: chicken gizzards.
Before you say, "Oh no, gizzards? That's not for me," I invite you to read on. Because chicken gizzards are not what you think-and I'll explain more about that later in this article. Then you can still decide for yourself whether to embark on this culinary adventure… or not. By the way, you can substitute the gizzards with stewing beef. That'll give you a tasty stew-but it won't be magical.
hearty chicken gizzard stew
Ingredients
- 400 grams chicken gizzards
- 50 grams butter
- 500 ml Guinness
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 100 ml water
- 3 large potatoes
- 3 tomatoes
- 2 carrots
- 2 spring onions
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 red chili pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika powder
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 1 onion
- 0.5 eggplant
- salt
Instructions
Cutting the vegetables
- Trim the ends off the onion, halve it, and remove the hard skin. Then cut the onion into rings.
- Remove the stem from the chili pepper and cut it into rings. You can remove the seeds, if desired.
- Peel the carrots and remove the ends. Halve them lengthwise and then cut them into half-moons.
- Trim the ends off the spring onions. Then cut the white part into rings. Also cut the green part into rings for garnish.
- Remove the top and bottom from the bell pepper. Then cut the seeds and remove the stem. Then finely chop the bell pepper.
- Cut the tomatoes into quarters. Then cut these into several pieces as well.
- Remove the ends from the eggplant and halve it lengthwise. Wrap one half in plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator. Cut the other half into small pieces.
Searing the chicken gizzards
- Rinse the chicken gizzards well and pat them dry. Then dust them with flour. Melt the butter in a large pan and sear the chicken hearts in it. Set them aside.
- Deglaze the pan with water and scrape it up. Set this aside as well.
Making the hearty chicken gizzard stew
- Now heat some more butter or oil in the same hot pan. Sauté the onion, chili pepper, and white part of the spring onions in it. Also add the mustard.
- Then add the carrots, bell pepper, eggplant, and tomatoes. Let this simmer for a few minutes.
- Now add the Guinness, chicken gizzards, and potatoes. Also add the scraped parts you put aside before.
- Stir the stew regularly and add the herbs: bay leaf, paprika, salt, and other spices to taste.
- Serve in deep bowls and garnish with some green rings of spring onions.
Nutrition
How to make a hearty chicken gizzard stew?
The preparation of this magical chicken gizzard stew isn't all that different from a classic stew. First, we chop the vegetables. Then we prepare the chicken gizzards and sear them. After that, all the ingredients go into the pot together and simmer for an hour and a half.
Cutting the vegetables
So, we begin by chopping the vegetables. First, we remove the ends of the onion. Then we cut it in half so we can easily peel off the outer skin. After that, we slice the onion into rings.
From the chili pepper, we remove the stem. Do you like it spicy? Then slice the pepper into rings right away. Prefer a milder flavor? Cut it lengthwise and remove the seeds. Then chop the flesh into small pieces.
We peel the carrots and remove the ends. Then we cut them lengthwise. Finally, we slice them into half-moons.
From the bell pepper, we remove the top and bottom. That makes it easy to get rid of the seeds inside. We also remove the stem and then chop the pepper into small pieces.
We cut the tomatoes into quarters, then chop those into smaller chunks.
We remove the roots and the top part of the spring onions. Slice the white part into rings. Slice the green part into rings as well-those will be used later to finish off the magical chicken gizzard stew.
From the eggplant, we remove the ends and chop it into small pieces.
Finally, we're left with the potatoes. We peel them and cut them into large chunks.
Searing the chicken gizzards
The easiest option is to buy pre-cleaned chicken gizzards. That saves you some cleaning work. In any case, rinse them thoroughly to make sure no residue or bits of dirt remain.
Next, sprinkle some flour over the gizzards and coat them well, so they're covered in a light layer of flour. Melt a generous knob of butter in a large pot and sear the gizzards until browned. Then remove them from the pot.
Deglaze the pot with 100ml of water and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom. Set that aside-we'll be adding it back into the stew later.
Making the hearty chicken gizzard stew
Now heat some oil or butter again in the warm pot. Sauté the onion, the white part of the spring onions, and the chili pepper with the mustard for a few minutes, until the aromas are released.
Then add the bell pepper, carrots, eggplant, and tomatoes. Let this stew for a few minutes.
Now we open the bottle of Guinness. But we're not going to drink it. No, we're adding it to the stew. The dark Guinness brings something magical, something Celtic to the dish. It's also a big nod to an Irish stew. Of course, you can use another dark beer instead-like a Belgian Westmalle Dubbel, for example.
Finally, the chicken gizzards and potatoes go into the pot, along with the browned bits scraped from searing the gizzards. Mix everything well and let it simmer for an hour and a half. Stir regularly and add some spices: bay leaf, salt, paprika powder-or other herbs to taste.
Thanks to the flour and the starch from the potatoes, the sauce will thicken nicely. If needed, you can add a bit more water (or beer).
Serve in deep plates and finish with the leftover green rings of the spring onions.
What are chicken gizzards?
A chicken's stomach is also known as a gizzard. And that brings us straight to the key difference between it and the stomach of a mammal. Unlike mammals, chickens don't have teeth to chew their food. They simply swallow everything whole. The gizzard then acts as an internal grinder that crushes the food. This breaks down the cell walls of seeds and grains, releasing their nutrients. So it's actually a working muscle-and what we're really talking about here is actually muscle meat.
Moreover, eating chicken gizzards is a sustainable choice. It fits the growing trend of consuming all parts of an animal to avoid waste. Plus, it's an inexpensive cut that would otherwise be sorted out as slaughter byproduct.
Read more about chicken gizzards in the following articles:
- Understanding chicken gizzards: anatomy, nutrition and cooking (Feathered farm life).
- Uncovering the hidden nutritional benefits of chicken gizzards: are they actually healthy? (Meatcheftools).
- 18 healthy benefits of gizzard - why they are so good for you (Sensational seasonal).
- What are chicken gizzards and how to prepare them (recipes.net).
More surprising.stews
A delicious stew in autumn or winter makes everyone happy. That slow simmering fills the house with wonderful aromas. So be sure to try the following surprising dishes as well:
- North African lamb stew.
- Beef roulade stew with winter vegetables in port.
- Creole stew.
- Stew with pointed cabbage and Schupfnudel.
- Stew of chicken hearts with pumpkin.
If you speak Dutch, you can find the Dutch version of this recipe on gerechtenweb.blog.
toondebacker says
A delicious and cheap stew for the autumn