Chicken Livers Peri Peri

I love chicken livers peri peri but seldom make them myself. A vague food memory of Nando’s chicken liver peri peri is with my sister, Lynne and Kev, my in-law brother, living in Durban. We realised we all love chicken livers. The Portuguese seem to know just how to make them and Nando’s is no exception. Lynne and Kev moved to East London in 1992 and we lived together sharing a home and kitchen duties too. It was such a wonderful time together getting to know Kev and spending more time with my sister, who left home in 1986. We shared so many common interests with them, eating good food being one of them.

A few years later Sandra Rob and Andrew Bonham ran a quaint little Portuguese restaurant in East London. We loved going there and enjoying their Portuguese flavours. We would order lots of starters and share our plates on the table. Prawns and chicken livers were always our biggest favourites .

Marisol also opened its doors in East London and made outstanding Portuguese food, and so, again, off we went to support them too. They closed their doors and the next Portuguese restaurant to open is Braza’s. They too make deicious chicken livers peri-peri.

I just wanted a nice hearty bowl of Portuguese chicken livers yesterday. I bought a tray of them from Woolworths and they were begging to be dipped into Portuguese flavours. I often try the short cut and buy ready made peri-peri sauces, but I am never 💯% happy. I spotted the range of Nando’s ready made sauces in the supermarket last week and thought I’d give the mild one a try with my chicken livers. I bought the mild one, because I wanted to get the flavour right, first and then add more chilli. Here is what I did

Chicken Livers Peri Peri

Ingredients

• 500 g chicken livers free ranged and cleaned
• 2 tbls coconut oil
• ½ teaspoon Portuguese chicken spice
• 2 onions finely chopped
• 3 tbls of butter
• 2 tbls olive oil
• 5 garlic cloves grated
• 3 red chilies
• 2 tbls tomato paste
• 200 ml white wine
• ½ tsp sugar
• ½ lemon -juice and zest
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 125 ml cream
• 2 tbls pesto or shredded basil leaves
• 100 ml Nando mild Peri Peri sauce optional
• Extra chili to taste

Instructions

• Place chicken livers in a bowl of cold water for 15 minutes. This helps to flush them and tame their flavour. Rinse with fresh water and place on a paper towel to dry. Cut into bite-size pieces and discard any connective tissue – the pinky white stringy bits.
  500 g chicken livers free ranged and cleaned
• Make the sauce by adding butter and oil to a large frying pan. Add the onions and cook on medium high heat until soft and golden about 7 to 10 minutes do not brown
  3 tbls of butter, 2 tbls olive oil, 2 onions finely chopped
• Add garlic and chili and stir for a further one minute
  5 garlic cloves, 3 red chilies
• Now add tomato paste and cook for three minutes until it’s a deep rusty colour, intensifying the flavours of the onion and garlic and creating a Sofrito base for the sauce.
  2 tbls tomato paste
• Deglaze the pan with the wine and zest & lemon juice.
  200 ml white wine, ½ lemon -juice and zest
• Add sugar and the tomatoes and cook for 15 to 20 minutes for the sauce to thicken and the flavours to meld. As on alternative option, use an stick blender to blitz half the sauce and give a smoother texture or leave for a more chunky sauce.
  ½ tsp sugar, 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• In a cast iron pan add the coconut oil and heat to a very hot temperature. Season the chicken livers with the Portuguese chicken spice, salt and pepper. Place half the chicken livers in the hot pan and cook for about three minutes aside ensuring they are still pink inside. Set aside on a plate until the Peri Peri source has thickened.
  2 tbls coconut oil, ½ teaspoon Portuguese chicken spice
• To the sauce, add the cream, pesto and Nando's Peri Peri sauce stir through and then add the chicken livers and any juices they may have seeped out whilst resting. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper and extra chilli if needed
  125 ml cream, 2 tbls pesto or shredded basil leaves, 100 ml Nando mild Peri Peri sauce optional, Extra chili to taste
• Serve with a bowl of penne pasta, Portuguese rolls and a big table salad.
•  To bulk up the dish you can also add chopped red and yellow peppers.

Course: Light Meal, Starter

Cuisine: Portuguese

Keyword: Chicken Livers, peri peri