I first tried "boujie" chicken hearts at some fancy restaurant down on Fairfax in 2019, they served only unusual cuts of meat. Dooder and I ordered a $13 plate of chicken hearts only to recieve a very tasty but very tiny plate of hearts. I wanted to be angrier because it was certainly a rip off, but they were so delicious it had me fired up to cook them myself and I found a love for chicken liver in the process too!

Lovely Lemon & Herb Chicken Hearts
Serves: 2–4 (as a side or small plate)

1 lb chicken hearts, cleaned and trimmed

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (plus zest from 1 lemon)

2–3 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves 

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped

½ teaspoon chili flakes or black pepper (optional, for heat)

½ cup sweet yellow onion diced

Salt, to taste

1. Trim any fat or connective tissue from the chicken hearts. Halve then rinse and pat dry thoroughly.

2. In a bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, thyme, parsley, rosemary, chili flakes, and salt. Add the chicken hearts and mix well. (marinate in the fridgefor 30 min if desired)

3. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add a touch of oil. Once hot, saute onions until fragrant and slightle translucent. Add the chicken hearts in a single layer, sear undisturbed for 2–3 minutes per side until browned and just cooked through- over cooking can make them tough

4. Drizzle with a little extra lemon juice and sprinkle fresh herbs just before serving. Goes great over rice!

Optional: Want it a bit saucier? After the hearts have cooked through set them aside and add a 1/4c ish of chicken broth and a pat or two of butter and let reduce down with the drippings!

Having a hard time finding chicken hearts? I have found them from time to time in a mix with gizzards (I have yet to find a cooking method I like for those) at my local grocery store, but you can always ask the butcher directly, I find that higher end butchers are more likely to have them on hand.

 Would you try this recipe? Let me know if you do and if you are interested in other offal options!

Cheers,

Nurse Huckleberry