If you buy farm products or raise your own chickens, then you definitely need information on how to properly clean chicken stomachs for the first time.
Nutritional properties of the product
Chicken gizzards are classified as by-products, so they are beneficial for the human body. Their muscle tissue is rich in the following nutrients:
- Animal protein.
- Iron.
- Phosphorus.
- Potassium.
- Vitamins B and E.
- Folic acid.
The fat content of such a product is low, so you can prepare any dietary dishes from them. Internal epithelia have medicinal properties, so they are often used for intestinal and gastric disorders.
Results
If cleaning the gizzards takes your breath away, you can freeze them as a pre-cooked meal for your next cookout. It is worth noting that chicken gizzards can only be frozen once. So, if the portion is large, it is better to immediately divide it into parts so as not to defrost it again. Frozen they are stored for a long time.
This treatment will prepare chicken gizzards for any type of cooking. They go well with cereals, pasta and vegetables. You just need to keep in mind that this by-product takes longer to cook than regular meat, so if you add the ingredients too early, they may overcook or the meat will remain uncooked.
Cleaning instructions
Many people are squeamish about stomachs and therefore practically do not use them in their food. But if you properly process and prepare them, then such offal can become a real mouth-watering delicacy. On store shelves you can often find already cleaned stomachs. But you can save money by cleaning them yourself at home.
To properly clean stomachs, you need to prepare the following items in advance:
- Cutting board.
- Sharp knife.
- A bowl where the ventricles will be placed.
Stomachs should be cleaned one at a time. First you need to put them on a board, then carefully cut them lengthwise and clean everything from the inside so that nothing unnecessary remains. Once everything is removed, you need to rinse it thoroughly under running cold water, which will wash away all excess.
Inside the stomach there is a dense yellow film. This is adipose tissue and cuticle. It must be removed very carefully. To make this film easier to remove, you can first rinse it with hot water. Be sure to remove both cartilage and remaining fat.
This offal should be placed in cold water. And only after that clean another one. Cleaning work takes a lot of time , and it is also very painstaking. You need to be prepared for the fact that at this time the smell in the kitchen will also be unpleasant.
That is why many housewives prefer to buy already cleaned stomachs. But even a product purchased in a store should still be thoroughly rinsed and examined so that there are no uncleaned areas left anywhere. After all, those that go on sale are cleaned on special conveyors, and this method is far from perfect.
Description
Chicken gizzards are an offal, part of a chicken carcass, used to prepare a variety of dishes.
Sometimes the ventricles are called chicken navels. The offal consists of four dense muscle coils, crossed and directed in different directions. Chicken gizzards have a fairly dense texture and a specific taste.
Often, chicken by-product is used to produce pepsin, a natural enzyme that is used to make dairy products such as cheese.
Both unpeeled and peeled chicken gizzards are available for sale.
Cooking offal
Before preparing any dish, the stomachs are usually specially boiled. Even their broth can be an excellent base for many dishes. Cooking time will depend on the age of the bird.
If you cook the stomach of an adult bird, this process can take up to 2 hours. At the same time, they should be cooked not only over low heat, but also in a saucepan with a closed lid. In a pressure cooker, the entire cooking will take about half an hour. If chicken stomachs are to be boiled, then it will be enough to simmer them over low heat for half an hour, covering the pan with a lid. If cooking takes place in a pressure cooker, then 15 minutes will be enough for the stomachs of the chickens.
Onion snack
It is necessary to prepare in advance for preparing this dish and boil the stomach. You can use not only chicken, but also duck. They should be cooked so that they are juicy and soft. And for this you need to cook them for half an hour, gradually adding all the necessary spices. Don't forget to add salt. For aroma you need to add a bay leaf. After this, it is worth cooking for another 30 minutes.
As soon as the chicken gizzards are ready, do not rush to take them out, but wait until they cool down. After this, you should remove them from the broth and cut them into small slices. To prepare this dish, you need the following ingredients:
- Brown sugar - 0.5 tsp.
- Ventricles - 700 grams.
- Bulbs - 2 pcs.
- Oil (olive) - 4 tablespoons.
- Garlic - 2 cloves.
- Red pepper flakes - 0.5 teaspoon.
- Wine vinegar and soy sauce - 1 tablespoon.
- Cilantro.
- Green onions.
The onion must be cut into half rings and add the ventricles, which have already been pre-cut. Add sugar to this mass and mix everything thoroughly. Pour olive oil into a heated frying pan and add red pepper and garlic, which must first be finely chopped. Stirring thoroughly, fry for a few minutes, and then pour into a bowl where the chopped gizzards and onions are already located.
Add soy sauce and wine vinegar to this mixture and mix everything well. And only after that put the bowl with the ventricles in the refrigerator for about 6 hours. This appetizer is served at the table only cold, previously decorated with herbs and cilantro.
Compound
This product is low in calories - 150 kcal per 100 g. However, even a small portion can give you a feeling of fullness for a long time. They are approximately 25% protein and are also rich in the following elements:
- Cellulose;
- Ash;
- Microelements (K, Zn, P, Fe, Cu);
- Acids (folic, ascorbic, pantothenic, riboflavin).
This composition makes the product extremely useful for the human body.
Housewives often neglect chicken by-products, such as chicken gizzards. They are also affectionately called “navels.” If you prepare and cook them correctly, you will get a real delicacy. You can use them to make soup, a main course, and even minced cutlets. By the way, they are considered a dietary product, as they are low in calories and contain little fat and a lot of protein. In addition, they are very useful, as they contain a lot of folic acid, iron, vitamins A and B, sodium, zinc, potassium, phosphorus and other trace elements.
Original Korean salad
Making a delicious and appetizing salad from chicken stomachs is not difficult at all. Guests always like the taste of the original Korean salad, so it is a success at any holiday. To prepare this salad, you will need the following ingredients:
- Onion - 1 pc.
- Oil (vegetable) - 1 tablespoon.
- Potatoes - 2 pcs.
- Stomachs - 400 grams.
- Powdered sugar - 0.5 teaspoon.
- Wine vinegar (rice or white) - 3 tablespoons.
- Garlic - 2 cloves.
- Soy sauce - 2 tablespoons.
- Salt - 0.5 teaspoon.
- Oil (sesame) - 2 teaspoons.
- Green cilantro - 3 tablespoons.
- Red pepper - to taste.
The stomachs are boiled until fully cooked and cut into thin strips. Add onion, cut into half rings, and vegetable oil to a hot frying pan. Bring the onion until golden brown and add the gizzards and fry for a few more minutes. The fire is turned off, and this mass is left to cool.
Stewed gizzards in sour cream sauce
Preparing gizzards according to this recipe usually does not take much time, but they turn out very tasty and appetizing. To prepare you need to take the following ingredients:
- Stomachs - 500 grams.
- Broth (chicken) - 200 grams.
- Butter (butter) - 2 tablespoons.
- Sour cream - 150 grams.
- Natural yogurt (low-fat) - 50 grams.
- Black pepper and salt - to taste.
The first stage of preparation is cooking the stomachs. They must not only be thoroughly cleaned and washed, but also cut into small pieces. The prepared pieces are placed on a hot frying pan only after the oil stops sizzling. They should be fried until golden brown.
As soon as a crispy crust appears on the stomachs during frying, add salt, pepper and broth. Then, covering the pan with a lid, simmer over low heat for half an hour. Without turning off the stove, add sour cream and yogurt to this mixture with stomachs, mix everything thoroughly. Leave this mixture on the fire for another 5 minutes. Now the stomachs need to brew, then they can be served. If you add beer instead of sour cream sauce, then these chicken stomachs will turn out to be satisfying.
Peculiarities
The benefits of the product are invaluable; the vitamins, macro and microelements contained in the chicken stomach have a beneficial effect on the human body. The hard, fleshy fibers of the chicken stomach are easily and quickly absorbed; their invaluable role as an intestinal cleanser is very important. Fiber contains a high content of B vitamins, and this strengthens the nervous system and activates the functioning of organs throughout the body.
The presence of zinc, calcium and iron in the product improves the functioning of the human musculoskeletal system; when consuming the product, you can forget about body fatigue.
Chicken gizzards are the most budget-friendly option in any kitchen, however, they are not popular among the masses. The reason is the presence of a specific smell of the product, a harsh taste of meat, in which cartilage and veins are found.
But with the right approach to cleaning and trimming all excess, well-washed products are not inferior in taste to meat.
Now you know everything about chicken stomachs. Cook using them, and everyone will be full and the budget savings will be noticeable.
Summer recipe
This recipe for stewed gizzards will delight gourmets with its unusual juiciness and softness. Ingredients needed for preparation:
- Stomachs -1 kilogram.
- Broth (chicken) - 200 grams.
- Oil (vegetable) -1 tablespoon.
- Carrots - 1 pc.
- Onion - 1 pc.
- Zucchini - 1 pc.
- Sweet pepper - 1 pc.
- Broccoli - 200 grams.
- Black pepper - to taste.
- Marjoram - to taste.
The stomachs are thoroughly washed in cold water and cleaned well. They should be fried in a well-heated frying pan, where vegetable oil has previously been added. When frying, be sure to salt the gizzards and fry until golden brown. Only after this can you add chicken broth and cook this mass under the lid for another half hour.
Preparation
Any preparation begins with choosing the necessary products. In the case of chicken gizzards, the best option is always fresh, not frozen, since such an offal cooks faster and will not become tough when finished.
Fresh navels are characterized by a bright bluish light on the outside, and on the inside they are covered with a bright yellow elastic crust, which is subsequently removed. In addition, there are yellow particles of fat on the surface of fresh navels. Navels that have been stored for a long time on the shelves of a store freezer have a weathered appearance. Their surface is usually dark blue in color and has a wrinkled appearance. And if there is fat, it has lost its brightness, turning into dark, almost brown spots.
But if, having missed, you purchased a frozen product, then the situation can be corrected. The main thing is to know a few secrets aimed at rehabilitating the offal.
- The stomachs should be completely defrosted to assess the quality of their cleaning, since not every manufacturer is conscientious about this matter. After defrosting, thoroughly rinse the offal. After this, it is recommended to soak it overnight in cold water, which will soften the product and help it return to its original shape. Practice shows that pre-soaked wrinkled navels become smoother and more even.
- If the stomach is not full, then after the noted procedures you can begin cleaning. In stores, for obvious reasons, they sell only unfilled stomachs (a filled navel is an unjustified weight gain, and, accordingly, money down the drain). But if you purchased homemade carcasses with all its contents, then be sure to work hard to prepare chicken gizzards. In such cases, of course, you need to start not with soaking, but with emptying the stomach of its contents.
Baking with prunes
A dish based on this recipe will seem surprising and excellent to many, since with prunes the stomachs are not only aromatic and appetizing, but also with a slight sourness. To prepare the gizzards you will need:
- Prunes - 500 grams.
- Stomachs - 1 kilogram.
- Oil (vegetable) - 1 spoon.
- Onion - 1 pc.
- Salt - to taste.
- Pepper - to taste.
- Carrots - 1 pc.
- Broth (chicken) - 100 grams.
- Sour cream or low-fat yogurt - 100 grams.
You should start cooking with prunes, which must not only be washed well, but also soaked in cold water for 2 hours. At this time, you can clean and wash the stomachs. They should be cut large for this dish, preferably into circles.
After this, vegetable oil is added to the pre-heated frying pan, but here you need to wait until it also warms up. The onion, cut into half rings, is fried until golden brown. Place the ventricles into this mass, add salt and pepper. Fry until golden brown.
Now you need to place part of the prunes in a special baking dish. Place the next layer of fried gizzards with onions, and the third layer is the second half of the prunes. All that remains is to decorate it all with carrots, which should be cut into thin slices.
The last layer is chicken broth with yogurt. They need to mix and pour the whole mass. Bake in the oven at a temperature of 180 degrees. It will take at least 40 minutes to prepare.
Properly cleaned and cooked gizzards will be appetizing and flavorful. Any dishes made from them will have their own amazing and unique taste!
Further use of the by-product
As noted above, such an offal as chicken gizzards is a rather tasty and healthy product, the main thing in the preparation of which is to properly clean it. And in the future you can use the so-called navels at your discretion. They are fried, boiled, stewed, baked, using various modern technical means (multi-cooker, microwave, double boiler).
In a word, the use of this product in no way hinders the housewife’s actions in cooking. They can be stewed in sour cream as an independent dish, baked with vegetables, and various gravies can be prepared based on them. You should first consider the preparation features.
In a frying pan
When planning to cook pan-fried navels, you need to consider the thickness of the product. If you don't chop them into small pieces, there is a chance that the meat will be raw from the inside. And also, you should not expect fried navels to have a golden brown crust, since it does not appear on the elastic, somewhat slippery surface of the stomach. Chicken gizzards lightly fried in a frying pan with onions and then stewed in it with sour cream are good.
In the microwave
In the microwave it is allowed to cook either navels chopped into small cubes or pre-boiled ones (and then only if it has sufficient power to prepare such a harsh product). Due to the high probability that the product will not cook through (especially in its entirety), cooking in the microwave is not recommended.
An exception is the case if the microwave is equipped with the “Stewing” function, then pre-boiled or finely chopped navels can be placed in a baking sleeve and placed in the microwave for a few minutes. The following vegetables, stewed together with navels, will add piquancy to this dish: tomatoes, broccoli, green beans.
In a slow cooker
As for the multicooker, here, unlike cooking in a frying pan, you can prepare a tasty, healthy and dietary dish. True, depending on the available functions, you will have to prepare the product in two stages, such as:
- select the “Cooking” mode, where we cook the offal with the addition of water;
- Using the “Stew” mode, you can stew the navels using sour cream or, for example, vegetables.
In pots
Chicken gizzards cooked in the oven in pots have an original taste. In addition, such a dish turns out to be very low in calories, but provided that it is baked without potatoes and carrots.
It would be useful to note that this method of cooking, just like cooking in the microwave, does not exclude the possibility that the dish will turn out undercooked. To avoid this, it is preferable to cut the navels into small cubes or boil them first.
