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Introducing a recipe for Chinese chicken liver with onion and pepper that yields extra tender liver, crunchy peppers, and a super flavorful sauce. It is a cheap way to cook up an inexpensive, delicious, and nutritious dinner that is loaded with healthy protein and plenty of veggies. {Gluten-Free adaptable}

Chicken Liver with Onion and Pepper (爆炒鸡肝)

4.93 from 13 votes
Introducing a recipe for Chinese chicken liver with onion and pepper that yields extra tender liver, crunchy peppers, and a super flavorful sauce. It is a cheap way to cook up an inexpensive, delicious, and nutritious dinner that is loaded with healthy protein and plenty of veggies. {Gluten-Free adaptable}
To make the dish gluten-free, use dry sherry to replace the Shaoxing wine. And use tamari to replace the soy sauce.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: homestyle
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Maggie Zhu

Ingredients

Marinating

  • 12 oz (340 g) chicken liver , sliced to 1/4” (1/2 cm) pieces (*Footnote 1)
  • 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch (*Footnote 2)

Sauce

Stir fry

  • 2 tablespoons peanut oil
  • 3 cloves garlic , minced
  • 2 teaspoons minced ginger
  • 1/2 onion , sliced to bite-size pieces
  • 1 bell pepper (or sweet pepper, or both) , sliced to bite-size pieces
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Instructions

Marinate the liver

  • Add the chicken liver to a medium-sized bowl. Drain off any excess liquid. Add the Shaoxing wine and salt. Gently mix well with your hand (*Footnote 3). Sprinkle with the cornstarch. Mix again to coat the liver evenly.

Mix the sauce

  • Combine all the sauce ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Stir to mix well.

To make the stir fry

  • Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Spread the sliced chicken liver without overlapping. Cook for 1 minute without touching, until the bottom turns golden brown. Flip to cook the other side, 1 minute or so, until just cooked through. Let it cook a bit longer if you still see blood seeping out. Transfer the cooked liver to a plate and set aside.
  • Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the garlic and ginger. Stir a few times to release the fragrance.
  • Add the onion. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
  • Return the cooked liver to the pan and add the pepper. Stir the sauce again until the cornstarch is dissolved completely. Pour it into the pan. Stir and cook until the sauce thickens and coats the ingredients evenly.
  • Turn off the heat and swirl in the sesame oil. Give it a final stir and immediately transfer everything to a serving plate.
  • Serve hot over steamed rice as a main dish.

Notes

  1. When you slice the livers, you might see clotted blood vessels. You can remove them for a cleaner flavor.
  2. Once you mix in the cornstarch, it should form a sticky slurry that coats the liver, but it shouldn’t have a pile of liquid on the bottom of the bowl. The chicken liver might release liquid while marinating. So check it again right before you start cooking. Mix in a bit more cornstarch or drain off the extra liquid to prevent splatter.
  3. Chicken liver is fragile when it’s uncooked. The best way to mix in the cornstarch is by using your fingers, so you do not break apart the liver and so you can make sure the cornstarch coats evenly.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 259kcal, Carbohydrates: 11.6g, Protein: 22g, Fat: 13.7g, Saturated Fat: 3.1g, Cholesterol: 479mg, Sodium: 679mg, Potassium: 344mg, Fiber: 0.9g, Sugar: 5.7g, Calcium: 22mg, Iron: 10mg