Creamy Chicken Liver Pasta With Wild Morels

By David Tanis

Published May 27, 2014

  • Evan Sung for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
40 minutes
Rating
5(350)
Comments
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Fresh wild mushrooms are the most delicious indulgence, whether it’s gray-brown morels in the springtime, golden chanterelles in the summer, or russet-colored porcini in the fall. True, they are expensive (unless you know how to pick your own), but a mere half-pound is all you need for this creamy pasta — and chicken livers are cheap. Serve the pasta in small portions; it is undeniably a bit on the rich side. If you can’t find wild mushrooms, use an assortment of cultivated mushrooms, like cremini, oyster mushrooms, King trumpets or shiitake. To give them more wild mushroom flavor, soak just a few a few dried morels or porcini in warm water. When softened, chop them very fine and stir into the sauce.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

  • ½ pound wild morels (or other mushrooms)

  • 1 pound chicken livers

  • All-purpose flour, for dusting

  • Salt and pepper

  • Pinch of cayenne

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 2 tablespoons butter

  • 2 large shallots, finely diced

  • ¼ cup dry sherry

  • 2 to 3 cups chicken stock (or mushroom stock)

  • ½ cup crème fraîche

  • 1 pound pappardelle or other pasta

  • 4 egg yolks

  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice

  • ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest

  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon

  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

  • 1 tablespoon finely cut chives

  • 2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into ½-inch ribbons (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

73 grams carbs; 389 milligrams cholesterol; 600 calories; 7 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 19 grams fat; 5 grams fiber; 878 milligrams sodium; 32 grams protein; 7 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Cut stems from mushrooms (reserve for making mushroom stock, if desired) and cut them to bottom into halves or quarters. If they seem at all sandy, swish them very briefly in a bowl of warm water and blot on kitchen towels, then set aside. Put a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta.

  2. Step 2

    Trim chicken livers: cut each liver into two lobes, discarding any veiny bits, then cut livers into 1-inch pieces. Put about 1 cup flour in a low bowl and add 1 teaspoon salt, a generous amount of black pepper and a pinch of cayenne. Dip liver chunks in flour mixture, then set them aside in one layer on a baking sheet.

  3. Step 3

    Heat olive oil in a wide skillet over medium high heat. Quickly brown liver pieces on all sides, then remove them from the pan and blot on paper towels.

  4. Step 4

    Add butter and shallots to pan and cook, stirring frequently, until shallots are softened and beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, season generously with salt and pepper and cook them together with the shallots for about 5 minutes, until they are somewhat soft.

  5. Step 5

    Add sherry and cook for a minute or so, then add 2 cups chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and add previously browned liver. Cook for about 5 minutes. It should look quite saucy. Add more chicken stock, if necessary. Taste and adjust seasoning. Stir in crème fraîche and turn off heat

  6. Step 6

    Boil pasta until al dente and drain. While pasta is cooking, beat egg yolks, lemon juice and lemon zest together in a small bowl. Pour egg mixture slowly into chicken liver sauce, then stir for a minute or so over low heat until slightly thickened, being careful not to curdle egg.

  7. Step 7

    Divide pasta among bowls and spoon sauce over. Mix tarragon, parsley and chives together and sprinkle over each serving. Scatter prosciutto ribbons on top, if using, and serve immediately.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
350 user ratings
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Comments

Steve J

I really love chicken livers. The amount of chicken liver called for in this recipe is excessive. It ended up dominating the dish to distraction. I ended up pushing off a lot of the livers to the side. Next time I make this, I'll halve the livers. The sauce itself is lovely. The tang from the creme fraiche and the lemon balances the intense umami from the livers and mushrooms wonderfully. It's rich, but I did not find it heavy. Really delightful once I moderated the amount of liver.

Lorraine

You don't need four egg yolks. I made it with none at all and it was still sufficiently thick and saucy. I used sliced cremini mushrooms. A dollop of sour cream might be nice at the end. It's not too rich without the eggs. You can use rice vinegar instead of sherry.

Dave

We've made this three times. Make sure the livers are not frozen when you start (should be obvious, but that was big mistake the first time). Don't skimp on the lemon. The prosciutto is not, in my opinion, optional - really nice addition. I've never actually used morels, but other mushrooms work just fine. Really, really good. It is not light.

Andy

Excellent. Didn’t have sherry and I didn’t realize we were out of eggs, so I thickened it with flour instead. Still turned out great. Livers were thawed out of the freezer and came out very nice and tender. I did not measure anything and just went with the max amounts of liver and mushrooms I had on hand though. 🤣

Anne

One of the top helpful comments is to reduce the amount of liver… hard disagree. I made this and found myself wishing I had used the full 1.5 pound pack I bought. I did drastically increase the mushrooms- I used 2.5 pounds of mushrooms (a mix of portabella, button and king oysters- morels are not easily found in Florida) and that was just right. This dish is LUSH and perfect for a date night with a glass of red wine.

Julia

Very good / note for next time : chop liver in smaller pieces, a bit less liver, bit more prosciutto. Three yolks enough, two probably OK. Substitute dry sherry for dry vermouth, that worked fine.

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