how to cook chicken liver
and why we should be eating it.
liver has been one of our go-to, nutrient-dense superfoods since the beginning of human history. it’s only been in our recent modernization and commercialization of food that we’ve seen it disappear from most modern kitchens. but think back. you probably have parents, grandparents, or great grandparents that ate liver and other organs on a regular basis! this is part of our ancestral wisdom! liver is also a part of just about every cuisine, and every ethnicity, along with other organ meats.
our ancestors at the entire animal, nose to tail, and in many situations preferred the organs, brains and fat over muscle meat because of the nutrient density. they realized their life-giving properties, and incorporated organ meats as much as possible.
what makes liver healthy?
looking at any nutrition data system, we see many unique nutritional benefits. among many other things:
- an excellent source of high-quality protein, with a complete amino acid profile, that is very bioavailable.
- we see very large amounts of fat-soluble nutrients vitamin’s A and D, in naturally balanced amounts.
- large amounts of vitamin B12.
- all the other B-vitamins, including the bioavailable form of folate.
- high amounts of the bioavailable form of iron.
- it’s a great source of CoQ10.
- and then we even see a lot of “subjective” factors and anecdotes. most people that consume liver regularly notice more vitality, vibrancy, and virility! in some circles this has even been called the “anti-aging factor.”
but doesn’t liver store toxins?
the liver has THOUSANDS of functions inside the body. because it has so many roles, it requires many nutrients to support these roles, and therefore DOES store many nutrients, including vitamins A, D, E, K, B12, folate, and minerals such as copper and iron. these nutrients support all the liver’s beneficial roles.
one of the important roles is neutralizing toxins and filtering them, but it does not store toxins! it neutralizes, filters, and then excretes thru many pathways.
how to consume and how often?
because liver is such a nutrient-dense powerhouse, we’d recommend looking at it as an occasional superboost. taking an ancestral wisdom view, there was only 1 liver per animal kill. so liver was consumed less frequently than perhaps some of the other animal parts.
our rule of thumb would be to consume 1/4 – 1/2 lb of liver per week. chicken liver tends to be the most palatable and can be consumed even more frequently.
we’d recommend cooking liver in a skillet with healthy fats, adding additional optional things like onions, garlic, lime juice, hot sauce, salt and/or pepper. try liver by itself after cooking this way. if it still isn’t to your liking, you can always cut it up and mix it in with some other foods.
