Benefits Of Chicken Liver: Consumption Rate, Recipes

In almost any national cuisine, you can find dishes made from chicken liver. It is valued much lower than meat, but in fact it contains more nutrients and belongs to gourmet and dietary products.

In the article, we will consider the main health benefits of chicken liver, how to choose and deliciously cook dishes from it, as well as how much is optimal to consume to get the maximum benefit, and who should limit it in their diet.

Composition of chicken liver, vitamins, calories

There are so many vitamins in chicken liver that it is enough to eat only one hundred grams of it to almost completely satisfy the body's daily need for nutrients.

There is practically no fat in it, and in terms of protein, it is in no way inferior to chicken breast.

The product is rich in retinol, which is important for maintaining visual acuity, ascorbic acid, which has powerful antioxidant properties necessary to preserve youth and energy, nicotinic acid, which regulates oxidation and reduction reactions, and normalizes the functioning of the heart and blood vessels.

In the liver, there are a large number of B vitamins involved in the synthesis of blood cells, which have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the reproductive system.

It also contains choline, a nutritious vitamin-like compound that helps to process lipids, controls the normal level of cholesterol in the bloodstream, blocks the formation of plaques on the walls of blood vessels, and protects against cirrhosis.

What vitamins are included in the composition of the product in the highest concentration?

• retinol (A) - 15 mg;

• ascorbic acid © - 28 mg;

• thiamine (B 1) - 0.6 mg;

• riboflavin (B 2) - 2 mg;

• nicotinic acid (B 3) - 12 mg;

• choline (B 4) - 195 mg;

• pyridoxine (B 6) - 1 mg;

• folic acid (B 9) - 0.4 mg;

• cobalamin (B 12) - 0.02 mg;

• beta-carotene - 0.1 mg.

Chicken liver is rich in minerals.

It contains calcium, which is necessary for the proper development and strengthening of bone tissue and tooth enamel, potassium and magnesium, which have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the heart, phosphorus, which supports the normal functioning of the immune system, and improves mental performance.

The product also contains a large number of microelements that are important for the full functioning of the human body: iron, which is involved in the synthesis of hemoglobin, sodium, which regulates water-salt metabolism, copper, which controls hematopoiesis, fluorine, which prevents the destruction of bones and teeth.

In 100 grams of liver, minerals are in the following concentration:

• potassium - 30 mg;

• sodium - 26 mg;

• chlorine - 20 mg;

• phosphorus - 17 mg;

• calcium - 13 mg;

• magnesium - 4 mg;

• sulfur - 2 mg;

• iron - 1 mg;

• fluorine - 0.1 mg;

• copper - 0.05 mg;

• manganese - 0.03 mg;

• iodine - 0.01 mg.

Useful and medicinal properties of chicken liver

Cooks consider chicken liver to be a delicacy, and nutritionists recommend using it for health and medicinal purposes.

What are its main advantages?

1. The high content of iron in chicken liver helps to increase hemoglobin in the blood, and heparin keeps its clotting ability normal, which means it is ideal for the prevention of myocardial infarction, stroke and atherosclerosis.

2. Memory improves and brain activity is stimulated due to the choline contained in the liver, which eliminates the risks of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

3. The benefits of chicken liver in the content of selenium. It maintains the necessary amount of iodine in the body, which is useful for the thyroid gland, as well as for blood purification.

4. Thiamine is a strong antioxidant that protects the body from the harmful effects of heavy metals found in the environment.

1. The condition of the teeth and hair improves, and vision is strengthened due to the ascorbic acid that is part of the liver, and methionine prevents the appearance of malignant tumors.

2. The amino acid tryptophan is responsible for deep, restful sleep and for the processes of inhibition in the brain.

3. Those who want to lose extra pounds include liver in their diet because of its low calorie content.

4. Ascorbic acid increases resistance to external influences and helps the body fight colds.

5. Due to the fact that the product reduces the production of cortisol, its use helps to eliminate nervousness, insomnia, and physical overstrain.

6. strengthens teeth and bone skeleton, is a prophylactic against the appearance of osteoporosis and fractures;

7. renews the cells of the epidermis, prevents the appearance of wrinkles;

8. strengthens hair follicles;

9. the magnesium and phosphorus contained in it contribute to the reproduction of red blood cells and activate the defenses.

Doctors recommend regular consumption of chicken liver for people with health problems such as:

• overwork and fatigue;

• diabetes;

• anemia;

• lung diseases;

• nervous disorders;

• reduced immunity;

• metabolic disease.

But the most useful property of chicken liver is its help in restoring the patient's body after a large loss of blood that occurred, for example, during a major operation.

Thanks to the iron, retinol and cobalamin included in it, you can increase hemoglobin and improve blood clotting. For this reason, the product is often recommended for use in case of anemia, during pregnancy, after surgical interventions.

Chicken liver benefits men:

1. Promotes an increase in testosterone levels, thereby increasing the strength and endurance of the male body;

2. Regulates the work of the adrenal glands, which has a positive effect on the production of hormones necessary for the normalization of the reproductive function of men.

Useful properties for children:

• in terms of protein content, it is comparable to chicken breast - it contributes to the intensive development of muscles;

• the liver contains folic acid, which is crucial for the hematopoietic system and helps to increase immunity;

• rich in iron, in combination with vitamin B9, it helps to cope with anemia;

• useful for the gastrointestinal tract - since this product is soft and tender, it has a gentle effect on the organs of the digestive system;

• thanks to selenium and iodine improves the condition of the thyroid gland;

• contains vitamin C, which provides an antioxidant effect.

At what age can chicken liver be given to children?

The first time to give the baby a liver is allowed at the age of 8–9 months, after meat has been introduced into the diet. Before giving a child a taste of chicken liver, it is recommended to offer beef or calf liver.

It is recommended to start with a one-component puree; industrial dishes are best perceived due to a special grinding (homogenization) technology. Offer it to the baby in the morning - quite a bit, 1/2 teaspoon is enough, and make sure that during the day the baby does not develop a rash or other manifestations of allergies, and the stool is normal.

If the tasting went without problems, the next day the portion can be increased by 2 times. So you will gradually bring it up to 50-60 g (the norm is designed for 12 months). Later, in addition to the liver, you can add vegetables, such as carrots or onions, to the puree.

If you offer your baby ready-made liver puree, always give preference to a small package, since the maximum shelf life of an open product is only 24 hours. Pay attention to the ingredients: high-quality baby food should not contain modified starch, rice flour, etc.

Recommendations for cooking chicken liver for a child:

• at least up to 3 years, do not offer the baby fried liver - this can cause overweight and harm his health;

• rinse the product thoroughly under running water, carefully cut out all the fat - there is no use in it;

• do not exceed the cooking time of the liver - no more than 15 minutes, otherwise it will become tough.

The rate of consumption of chicken liver

Chicken liver can be consumed even daily, but it is important that the amount of liver is reasonable.

For benefit and to avoid harm, it is best to limit chicken liver consumption to 300 grams per day.

The best time to eat is lunch.

Benefits for weight loss

Many nutritionists include the liver in diets for weight loss.

Why? It has a low calorie content and the ability to suppress appetite.

If you periodically use it with side dishes of vegetables, you can achieve a noticeable weight loss.

Due to the protein, the product is useful for athletes who need an increased amount of protein to build muscle mass.

Thus, nutritionists advise including chicken liver in the diet for weight loss for the following reasons:

1. The product saturates cells with useful substances, improves the functioning of many organs, strengthens the immune system due to the fact that it contains B vitamins, ascorbic acid, tocopherol, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium

2. Improves the functionality of the digestive organs, speeds up metabolic processes, enhances intestinal motility.

3. Contains a lot of protein. The ratio of BJU in the liver: proteins - 58%, fat - 37%, carbohydrates - 2%. It preserves muscles from destruction, accelerates their growth with the loss of adipose tissue.

4. It has a low energy value. 100 g of the product contains no more than 140 kcal.

Selection and storage rules

Chicken liver is sold chilled and frozen. The best option would be to purchase a chilled product. And when buying, you should pay attention to the following points:

• chicken liver has a smooth surface without any inclusions;

• the color of a quality product is brown with a burgundy tint;

• it is not allowed to acquire a chicken liver of a loose consistency - this means not only about the “old age” of the product, but also about improper storage;

• if the product in question is orange, this means that the chicken liver has been frozen / thawed several times;

• the color of the liver is greenish - when processing the chicken liver, the gallbladder burst, and the product will be very bitter.

When using chicken liver, one should take into account the extremely short shelf life of this offal fresh: at room temperature - no more than 12 hours, in the refrigerator - 2-3 days.

Since when choosing a liver, the main indicator of quality is color, it is not recommended to buy frozen. Under a layer of ice, it can be impossible to see which liver is in color. But if you still decide to buy frozen, you need to remember:

• The cut of a high-quality frozen liver is even, with a thin layer of ice, which, when pressed with a finger, should melt in 15 seconds.

• A sign of repeated freezing is pink ice crystals on the liver. Don't buy this one.

• Pieces of ice in the package indicate that the manufacturer pumped the product with water before freezing to increase its weight. Refuse to buy.

Freezing is fine for long term storage. At the same time, defrosting of chicken liver should be carried out gradually, without exposing it to aggressive thermal effects.

Chicken liver can be an excellent addition to the usual diet, enrich the dietary table. The main thing is to learn how to choose the right product and cook correctly.

For cooking, it is recommended to give preference to a chilled liver, avoiding its freezing.

When choosing a product, you need to pay attention to its appearance, smell and color. Fresh chicken liver has a characteristic brown color, a slight smell of raw meat, and also does not contain a large amount of separated moisture.

Before cooking any dish with the addition of chicken liver, the offal must be soaked for 30–40 minutes in drinking water or milk.

In order to preserve the juiciness of the chicken liver, it should be fried over a fast fire for several minutes. But choose oils suitable for frying, such as coconut, avocado, olive, and grapeseed.

To make it tender, it must be salted at the very end of cooking.

Thus, in order for the dishes to be tasty and healthy, always buy only fresh and organic chicken liver. The duration of heat treatment of chicken liver should not exceed 20 minutes, because after this time, the product becomes dry and completely loses its taste. In addition, adding salt during the preparation of chicken liver is necessary after its heat treatment.

Chicken liver recipes

Chicken liver dishes are classified as diet food, as they are easily digestible and contain few calories.

Ingredients:

• 250 g chicken liver

• 1 medium carrot

• 1 onion

• 100 g butter

• 50 g vegetable oil

• Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Cooking: chicken liver must be washed and soaked in water for half an hour. Onions are peeled, washed under running water and cut into small cubes. Carrots also need to be peeled, washed and grated on a medium grater. Next, in a preheated frying pan, previously lubricated with vegetable oil, pass the onions and carrots for 10 minutes.

In a pan with onions and carrots, add the soaked chicken liver, fry all the ingredients over medium heat for 5 minutes. All fried products are passed through a meat grinder or chopped in a blender, mixed with butter, black pepper and salt are added, and then mixed again.

The finished pate is put in the refrigerator for half an hour, after which it is served at the table.

Ingredients:

• 400-600 grams of chicken liver

• 4-5 potatoes

• one medium sized carrot

• one bulb

• Bulgarian pepper - 1

• 200-300 grams boiled or canned beans

• tablespoon of tomato paste

• bay leaf 2-3 pieces

• herbs and salt to taste

Cooking process:

1. Rinse the liver and boil in a saucepan with a capacity of three to four liters. Then put it on a plate.

2. Put chopped potatoes into the broth, and cook until half cooked. Finely chop the onion, carrot and pepper, and sauté in oil in a frying pan for about ten minutes. Add tomato paste to taste.

3. In the broth, add the roast, ready-made beans and cook for seven to ten minutes.

4. We put the finished liver, bay leaf and chopped greens 1-2 minutes before the end of the soup.

This dish is prepared very quickly - fifteen minutes. Ingredients:

• 1 large onion

• chicken liver - five hundred grams

• half a glass of sour cream

• salt, ground black pepper - to taste

• vegetable oil

Cooking:

1. Onion cut into half rings. Then fry it in vegetable oil until golden brown.

2. Wash the liver and cut into strips. Put it in a pan with onions and fry for about seven to ten minutes.

3. Put salt, pepper, add sour cream and a little water. Simmer another 2-3 minutes.

4. At the end of cooking, add greens.

Main products:

• five hundred grams of chicken liver

• 2–3 eggs

• rice flour - half cup

• a pinch of soda and salt

• black pepper to taste

How to cook:

1. Grind raw liver in a meat grinder.

2. Break the eggs into minced meat, add flour, soda, salt and pepper. Mix everything well.

3. Fritters are fried in vegetable oil. The table is served with sour cream.

The ingredients are designed for a couple of medium pots. You can add a bay leaf for flavor, but don't forget to throw it away afterwards.

Ingredients:

• Chicken liver - 500 gr

• Sour cream - 200 gr

• Hard cheese - 150 gr

• Potatoes - 600 gr

• Carrots - 200 grams

• Onion - 150 gr

• Salt, spices - to taste

Wash vegetables, peel. Onion cut into rings, carrots into circles. Fry them over high heat for 5 minutes. At this time, cut the potatoes into strips and add to the pan. Simmer another 10 minutes.

Put half of the vegetable mixture into the pots. Wash the liver, remove the films, cut into small pieces and add to the pots. Salt, pepper and put the second half of the vegetables. Grate the cheese and sprinkle with the liver-vegetable mixture.

Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

There are a lot of recipes for different liver dishes, but weight loss is possible only when choosing dietary options. Salads, soups, appetizers, stews are best. Here are simple recipes for delicious and healthy dishes.

Stew one chopped onion and grated carrots. Add boiled liver (500 g) and a few prunes, cut into strips. Simmer everything for a couple of minutes. Then add half a glass of walnuts, a little butter, salt and spices to the mass. Blend everything with a blender.

Cut eggplant into slices, sprinkle with garlic and bake in the oven. Grind 500 g of chicken liver in a blender and prepare small pancakes. Grind eggplant, sweet pepper, garlic, a little coriander in a blender. Lubricate one fritter with the resulting vegetable caviar and cover with another fritter. You can eat it like this or put a slice of cheese on top and bake in the oven.

Chop two onions and stew for a couple of minutes, add 300 g of chicken liver, simmer for five minutes. Add two grated carrots, two sweet peppers, simmer until tender. Sprinkle with chopped herbs when serving.

Cut the leek into slices, chop 300 g of Chinese cabbage, cut the red bell pepper into cubes. 200 g liver boiled and finely chopped. Mix everything, season with soy sauce, sprinkle with parsley or dill.

Boil 100 g of green beans. Stew 100 g of finely chopped liver, add a red onion, cut into rings, one zucchini and two tomatoes. Simmer for ten minutes, add green beans and cook for another 5-7 minutes.

Wash five tomatoes and cut off the lid on top. Pick the middle with a spoon. Grate the cheese on a fine grater, chop the garlic and add the tomato pulp to the mass. Stew the chicken liver and chop very finely. Mix the cheese mass and the liver, put in cups of tomatoes, cover with lids.

This is an original version of a dietary chicken liver with vegetables.

Step by step recipe:

1. Grind with a blender 200 g chopped liver, egg, 2 tbsp. l. sour cream, 2 tbsp. l. whole grain flour. Add salt.

2. Boil 2 potatoes, chop with a blender, mix with 20 g of butter or olive oil.

3. Boil carrots, chop.

4. Chop onion, 1 paprika.

5. Mix all vegetables.

6. Grind 50 g of cheese (fat content - up to 17%).

7. Pour into silicone molds 2 tbsp. l. liver puree, then - 1 tbsp. l. vegetable mixture, then again the liver and vegetables.

8. Sprinkle each liver muffin with cheese, bake for 20 minutes at 180 degrees.

Even the pickiest of kids will love these patties. They look appetizing, juicy, have a pleasant texture.

Step by step recipe:

1. Pass 300 g of chicken liver through a meat grinder. Chop onions and carrots in the same way.

2. Salt the minced meat, add the egg, mix.

3. Shape into patties, place on a steamer and simmer for about 30 minutes.

4. Chop the paprika.

5. Wash and dry the arugula.

6. Put the finished cutlets on a dish, decorate with slices of sweet pepper and arugula.

Liver soufflé in a slow cooker

Ingredients: liver - 100 g, a small slice of bread, 1 chicken egg (preferably homemade), 50 ml of milk, salt to taste.

Cooking:

1. Cut the liver into small pieces, put in a blender container, pour milk and bread pulp into the same place.

2. Carefully separate the yolk and add it to the rest of the products (set aside the protein for now).

3. Using a blender, beat all the products until a homogeneous mass is obtained - it will turn out to be quite liquid, which is exactly how it should be.

4. Beat the egg white in a separate bowl - you should get a stable foam, which must be added to the liver mass.

5. Pour 1 liter of water into the multicooker bowl, place a grate on top, install molds on it (if steel, grease them with butter, silicone do not need this procedure).

6. Pour the liver mass into molds, and then set the multicooker mode to “steam”.

7. After cooking, be sure to release steam before opening the lid.

8. Soufflé is served warm, but not hot.

Garnish with dill or parsley if desired.

The dish goes well with mashed potatoes, cereals and pasta.

The use of chicken liver during pregnancy and breastfeeding

In preparation for pregnancy for the female body, the benefits of chicken liver are as follows:

• contains protein, similar in composition to chicken fillet;

• rich in folic acid, which affects the circulatory and immune systems of a pregnant woman, intrauterine development of the fetus;

• A 100-gram serving satisfies the daily dose of iron - an integral part of hemoglobin;

• has a positive effect on gastrointestinal activity;

• contains natural acids and vitamin A, especially valuable for pregnant women.

Chicken liver during pregnancy is also recommended because, in comparison with other types, it is less caloric, contains less cholesterol and is easily digestible.

Only the product should be chosen carefully, paying attention to the surface, consistency, color, inclusions, odors and impurities.

Despite all the beneficial properties of chicken liver, some experts do not recommend its use. This is due to the function of the liver as a physiological "filter". After all, it is the liver that cleanses the blood of humans and animals from all that is superfluous.

It is especially risky to eat chicken liver during pregnancy if the bird was grown by the so-called intensive method, using food and chemical additives that are questionable for health in the diet. Such fattening also provides for the preventive use of antibiotics, which also accumulate in livestock products.

But there are also arguments in favor of the liver:

• together with bile, everything harmful is brought out;

• the human liver is also a powerful filter that can get rid of excess and neutralize the harmful;

• you can use an environmentally friendly natural product grown at home.

In case of doubt about the quality of the liver, it should be excluded from the diet of the expectant mother.

Most women are afraid to eat chicken liver while breastfeeding, because they do not know how the baby will react.

In fact, if a newborn baby is not particularly prone to allergies, a nursing mother does not need to follow a strict diet.

The composition of a woman’s breast milk depends entirely on what she eats, so it’s right to include a variety of foods enriched with vitamins and microelements useful for the baby in the diet.

One of these components is the liver. Chicken liver contains such valuable vitamins for a healthy pregnancy as vitamins B, K, D, E and A. It also contains a large amount of trace elements such as magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, iodine, iron, potassium, sodium and calcium.

The main advantage for women during lactation is a large amount of folic acid.

This offal has a rather low calorie content, so it is safe for all women who have gained a few extra pounds during pregnancy.

In addition, chicken liver improves the functioning of the digestive system and helps to improve stool.

Thus, the regular consumption of chicken liver during pregnancy is the key to the well-being and health of the mother, the proper development and timely birth of the baby.

The only "but" that should alert a nursing mother is that chicken liver contains a fairly large amount of cholesterol.

You should also avoid eating large portions, because, as mentioned above, the liver is a valuable source of vitamins, including vitamin A (retinol).

Based on the reference data, in 100 g of chicken liver it should be about 12 mg. With some examinations, there is much more retinol in the tested samples - from 41 to 59 mg!

According to experts, this may be due to the peculiarities of feeding broiler chickens. Considering that vitamin A accumulates in the body, you should not abuse this product.

Vitamin A is one of the main micronutrients that performs a number of functions:

• Prevention of anemia during pregnancy.

• Maintenance of metabolism during pregnancy.

• The growth and development of tissues during pregnancy, as well as the development of the fetus (skin, teeth, bones, vision).

The principle “The more the better” does not work here.

An excess of vitamin A is dangerous: intoxication is manifested by drowsiness, headaches, inflammation of the cornea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe eye and pain in the legs, causes disturbances in the development of the fetus, which can result in the occurrence of various pathologies in the child.

Beta-carotene differs from retinol in that an overdose of beta-carotene causes yellowing of the skin, but is not harmful to the body.

It must be remembered that even with the use of vitamin A in a relatively low dose, but for a long time, you can get an overdose of vitamin A.

This is due to the fact that the consumption of vitamin A by the body is slow, and the excess accumulates in the liver and adipose tissue. Retinol crosses the placenta. An overdose of retinol leads to improper formation of the embryo, that is, retinol has a teratogenic effect.

Simply put, if you eat chicken liver every day and your prenatal vitamin complex also contains retinol, you will be getting too much vitamin A and risk harming your baby.

Therefore, it is safer to eat foods containing beta-carotene - asparagus, carrots, celery, broccoli, spinach, pumpkin, zucchini, tomato, sweet pepper, grapes, cranberries, black currants, apples, apricots, bananas, avocados, grapefruit, mango, kiwi) or complexes containing beta-carotene.

For healthy people, the use of this offal is completely harmless, but if a woman initially has an increased level of bad cholesterol and a normal level of vitamin A, frequent use of liver dishes can be an impetus for the development of complications.

Harm and contraindications for the use of the liver

It is important to consider that in addition to the beneficial properties, chicken liver has a number of contraindications.

It is not recommended for children under 3 years old, as well as some adults with the following problems:

• high cholesterol;

• peptic ulcer, gastritis;

• pancreatitis;

• kidney pathology;

• individual intolerance.

Many argue that chicken liver is very harmful to the body - after all, all the blood passes through this organ in the body of the chicken, it is he who absorbs toxins and toxins.

Do not forget that the human body also has a liver - it is much more powerful and stronger, therefore, it will easily remove harmful substances that have entered the body, allowing only useful ones to penetrate into the cells.

When using a quality product and dosed intake, the health benefits of chicken liver will be invaluable. It is quickly absorbed in the intestines and contains many valuable macro- and microelements that will help heal and strengthen the body.