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Tag:

organ meats

chicken liver and heart in eggs
Nourishing RecipesSauces & Condiments

Chicken Heart and Liver | How To Sneak Nutrient Dense Organs Into Your Diet Without Anyone Knowing

by From Scratch Farmstead September 13, 2022

We have written before about the power of organ meats and the huge impact that including them daily into our diet has had on our life. You can read more in our post, How Liver Changed My Life. But what about chicken heart and liver? In this post we break down how you can include these nutrient dense organs into your family’s diet and why you would want to!

Jump To Recipe

Eating organ meats has gone out of style in recent years being pushed aside by the more popular muscle meats. However, there is a strong case for why everyone should consider adding them as part of their regular diet.

Nose to Tail Eating

Throughout history, our ancestors consumed food in a nose to tail fashion – eating and using every part of an animal. It was not just important for health; it was necessary for survival. 

In fact, Weston A. Price, a famous dentist at the beginning of the 20th century traveled the world studying the health and specifically, teeth and jaws, of different people groups. What he found was that the healthiest tribes were those that prized organ meats and considered them sacred. This was especially true for pregnant and nursing mothers for growing robust and healthy babies.

chicken liver and heart with bone broth

In more recent time, since the industrial revolution and factory farming, food habits greatly shifted. Including how meat is consumed. Where meat was once viewed as a delicacy to be prized it could now be found in abundance. With that, muscle meats have grown in popularity while organ meats have gone almost completely untouched for several decades.

Our Story – Is Eating Liver Good for You?

You can read more about my story of how liver changed my life. But to give you the cliff notes, after trying to get pregnant for years, I began incorporating organ meats daily into my diet – specifically liver. Within a couple of months, I was pregnant with our oldest child. Since then, in two separate incidents when I stopped my habit of consuming organ meats regularly. I actually had dreams nudging me to get those organs back into my diet, clearly the body knows what it needs!

Since moving to our farmstead property and raising our own meat, we not only feel compelled to include organ meat for the health benefits but also out of respect for the animal. We strive to raise our animals in the best possible environment and we are so grateful for their lives and all of the nourishment that they provide us. We would want to use every possible part of the animal that we could.

beginners guide to processing chickens at home

On our 5-acre property, raising chickens for meat has been a great addition to the farm. We have plenty of space for them to enjoy fresh pasture and they do a great job of adding fertilization. After we raised and processed over 60 freedom ranger chickens this summer, we had a bag of chicken hearts and livers waiting for us in the freezer. 

Chicken Heart and Liver Nutrition

While beef liver is considered the gold standard as far as nutrient density for organ meats, the organ meats from all animals that are raised in good conditions and fed a proper diet, are still extremely nutrient dense, including chicken heart and liver.

Below is a quick breakdown of the nutritional information, specifically in chicken liver as compared to chicken breast.

NutrientChicken Liver (1 oz)Chicken Breast (1 oz)
Calories48 calories55 calories
Fat1.8 grams2.2 grams
Vitamin A81%.6%
Riboflavin38%2%
Folate39%.2%
Vitamin B1299%1.4%
Selenium35%10%

Clearly, from a nutritional standpoint, chicken liver outshines the breast significantly. Chicken liver is especially high in vitamin A and B12 while containing significant amounts of many essential vitamins and minerals. Chicken heart is also extremely nutrient dense and is especially high in the B vitamins, specifically B12, along with zinc and copper.

How to Eat Chicken Heart and Liver

Hopefully, you’re convinced that eating organ meats and specifically chicken heart and liver is a good idea. But how?

The beauty of the organ meats of chicken, like chicken heart and liver is that they are much milder than the organ meats of other animals. While it can be difficult for many to stomach the smell or taste of cooking and eating beef liver, chicken heart and liver is much more palatable.

If you are adventurous, simply frying up chicken heart and liver together in a frying pan with some salt and seasonings can be a great way to enjoy them.

However, because I like to spread out our consumption of organ meats to a little bit everyday as opposed to everything at one sitting, I prefer a different method.

mixing chicken liver and heart paste into eggs

Making Pureed Chicken Heart and Liver

My solution is to puree chicken heart and liver together (you could also do just one or the other). This way, I can put a few spoonful’s of the puree into something we are already eating each day. Everyone in our family gets the benefits, from the pickiest of eaters to the most adventurous, and no one can even tell that it’s there.

Step 1

To make this puree, begin by lightly sautéing your chicken heart and liver on a frying pan with a spoonful of fat – lard or butter are our favorite. When you are sautéing, think rare steak as opposed to a well-cooked piece of meat.

Step 2

After the chicken heart and liver are cooked, place them into a high-powered blender (we love our Vitamix) or a food processor. You may need to add a small amount of liquid to make it easier to blend. I generally use roughly a quarter to a half cup of chicken broth, depending on how many chicken hearts and livers I’m pureeing. Add salt and any other spices of choice and blend until a smooth paste is formed.

chicken liver and heart in vitamix

Step 3

From there I spoon it out and fill a tray of silicone molds. We generally use mini-loaf size or muffin cups but an ice cube tray would also work.

Step 4

Freeze your chicken heart and liver puree until frozen. Then pop them out and store in a gallon size Ziploc bag.

chicken liver and heart puree ready to freeze

Step 5

From there, I will take one out and place it in a small container in the fridge and each day add a few scoops to a meal that we are having. I’ve found it easiest to include with breakfast and generally just add a couple scoops of the chicken heart and liver puree to our scrambled eggs each morning. Alternatively, if eggs aren’t an option, you could easily add some to any soup, stir fry or even casserole that you might be makings. For our family, we generally go through a muffin cup size portion of pureed heart and liver every 2-3 days.

chicken liver and heart paste

Eat Liver Every Day!

There you have it! A simple way to get all of the amazing nutritional benefits of chicken heart and liver into your family’s diet each day without anyone even knowing.


If you are looking for more inspiration of ways to get organ meats into your diet, our beef heart burgers are a delicious option!

beef heart burger with condiments

Beef Heart Burgers

February 10, 2022

September 13, 2022 0 comment
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beef heart burgers
Main CourseNourishing Recipes

Beef Heart Burgers

by From Scratch Farmstead February 10, 2022

Beef heart burgers are quick and easy, perfect for making in bulk to freeze for future meals, and add a nutrient dense punch to your meal while being so yummy – no one will even know there is heart in their burger.

Jump To Recipe

Whether you are looking to add more nutrient organ meats into your diet or you bought a ¼ or ½ of beef and are wondering what to do with the heart – these beef heart burgers are the perfect recipe.

closeup beef heart burger with condiments

Our Experience

On our farmstead, we recently had our first cow that we raised processed for beef. While this was not easy, we are so grateful for her and her life. We know exactly how she was raised and that she was a robustly healthy cow. Every time we cook beef, we are genuinely thankful for the nourishment that she provides us. We are also very conscious about using up every part of meat she has given us, from the suet that we render to tallow, to organ meats, to ground beef, steaks, and roasts.

Beef heart stew is the most common recipe I see for using beef heart. While soups and stews are a regular part of our meal plan, our kids can be a little iffy on whether or not they will love it. However, one food that I know that they love and gobble up are burgers. By pureeing the heart and sneaking it into these beef heart burgers, it is a win/win. Our whole family gets the nourishment of adding this extremely nutrient dense meat to their diet and everyone eats up these beef heart burgers with all smiles and no complaints.

burgers sizzling on cast iron skillet

Why Eat Heart?

At some point, eating organ meats went out of style. However, from a traditional and ancestral perspective, the heart and other organ meats were a prized part of the animal and often the first to be consumed because of their superior nutritional content. In fact, side by side to other cuts of beef, heart is more robust in nutrients (vitamins and minerals) and protein.

Nutritional Benefits of Beef Heart

  1. Beef heart is a complete protein meaning that it contains all 9 essential amino acids.
  2. It is a significant source of vitamin B12, B2 (riboflavin), iron, selenium, zinc, and phosphorus.
  3. It is a rich source of Coenzyme Q10, which is beneficial as an antioxidant, anti-aging, and anti-stress.
  4. The specific nutrient composition of beef heart has been found to increase energy levels and improve cardiovascular health, mood, and the immune system.

closeup beef heart burgers

How to source beef heart?

For the health of the animal, the health of the consumer, and the health of the environment, we always encourage knowing where your meat comes from. Ideally, this would mean purchasing meat locally, raised on grass in a regenerative system. However, especially when it comes to organ meats and the heart, finding meat from animals that had a non-stressful life and death is important. Stress or low quality of life in the animal can lead to calcified deposits around the organs. In other words, a happy animal leads to more nutritious meat than an unhealthy, stressed out animal.

Recipe Notes

For this recipe, I took our standard burger recipe and scaled it up adding the beef heart puree to the mixture. I aim for a roughly 2:1 ratio of ground beef to heart. In this recipe I had a roughly 2-pound beef heart so I used 4 pounds of ground beef. In order to successfully puree the heart without difficulty, I’d recommend using either a high-powered blender, we use a Vitamix, or a food processor. Chopping the heart into smaller 1-to-2-inch chunks first will also help the blending process go more smoothly.

However, this beef heart burger recipe is versatile. You can adjust it to however you like to prepare burgers. Most importantly is to first puree the heart and add it in with the rest of the ingredients. From there, feel free to experiment with different seasonings and quantities. Sometimes, instead of adding garlic and onion powder, I will sauté a couple of onions and several garlic cloves and add them to the mixture. You can also omit the eggs but I find them helpful for binding everything together. Worcestershire sauce is also optional if you don’t have it or prefer it, but we love the flavor it adds to these beef heart burgers.

forming beef heart burger patties

How to Prepare for the Freezer

When you make these, you will be cooking up several pounds of meat – likely more than you will need for a meal or two. That being said, these are a great candidate for making in bulk and then freezing for future use. After your burgers are cooked and cooled, place on a baking sheet in a single layer and flash freeze. I like to use a silicone baking mat or piece of parchment paper underneath the burgers for easy clean up. After the burgers are frozen through, store in a gallon size Ziploc bag or other freezer safe container. These beef heart burgers will safely store up to 6 months in the freezer or 3-5 days in the refrigerator.

How to serve Beef Heart Burgers

How you serve your burger is totally up to your preferences. On a bun, bed of lettuce, or on its own. With a side of roasted potatoes, carrot fries, or other side of choice. In our house, everyone has their own burger style – some prefer the traditional ketchup, mustard, and lacto-fermented pickles. Others go for a fried egg and avocado on top. Whatever way you like to serve your burgers, I would highly recommend adding beef heart to your burger for an extra dose of cardiovascular protection and immune, energy, and mood boosting nutrients to this favorite meal.

beef heart burger with ketchup and mustard

Beef Heart Burgers Recipe

Ingredients:

4 lbs ground beef
2 lbs heart (chopped in 1” chunks)
4 eggs
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

  1. Puree heart in high powered blender or food processor.
  2. Add pureed heart to large mixing bowl and add the rest of ingredients (ground beef, eggs, Worcestershire, salt, onion powder, garlic powder).
  3. Mix everything together (hands work best) until everything is thoroughly incorporated.
  4. Form into patties.
  5. Working in batches cook over high heat until cooked as desired. For us this was roughly 5-7 minutes but it will depend on the thickness of your burger and the temperature of your stove/pan.

Serve and enjoy or freeze for later.

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Looking for some other nutrient dense meals to feed your family? Check out some of our favorites.

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beef heart burger with condiments

Beef Heart Burgers

Yield: 24 quarter pound patties
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Beef heart burgers are quick and easy, perfect for making in bulk to freeze for future meals, and add a nutrient dense punch to your meal while being so yummy - no one will even know there is heart in their burger.

Ingredients

  • 4 lbs ground beef

  • 2 lbs heart (chopped in 1” chunks)

  • 4 eggs

  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 
1 tbsp salt

  • 1 tsp onion powder

  • 1 tsp garlic powder

Instructions

    1. Puree heart in high powered blender or food processor.
    2. Add pureed heart to large mixing bowl and add the rest of ingredients (ground beef, eggs, Worcestershire, salt, onion powder, garlic powder).
    3. Mix everything together (hands work best) until everything is thoroughly incorporated.
    4. Form into patties.
    5. Working in batches cook over high heat until cooked as desired. For us this was roughly 5-7 minutes but it will depend on the thickness of your burger and the temperature of your stove/pan.
© From Scratch Farmstead

 

February 10, 2022 0 comment
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From Scratch Farmstead
  • About
  • Homestead How-to’s
    • Family Milk Cow
    • Gardening
    • Chickens
    • Small Scale Farming
    • Buying A Homestead
    • Homestead Living
  • Nourishing Recipes
    • Home Dairy
    • Food Preservation
    • Breakfast
    • Main Course
    • Sides
    • Dessert
    • Sauces & Condiments
  • Natural Living
    • Skin Care
    • Home Essentials
    • Living On A Budget
    • Our Healing Journey
    • Homestead Skills
    • DIY
    • AGA Stove