Chicken Liver Pate (AIP, Paleo, Low FODMAP)

If someone had told me two years ago that I’d not only like liver pâté, but my body would crave it, I would have thought that person was crazy. But it’s true. Not only am I consuming chicken liver pâté, but I’m making it myself, which is true dedication for this former vegetarian.

I didn’t have a lot of trouble when it came to the concept of eating offal, especially something as mild as chicken liver pâté, but I did have a bit of a hang up on making it myself. Last November, I finally found the courage to consider making pâté. I bought a package of chicken livers, only to chicken out (ha!) & have them go bad in the fridge before I could make the pâté. The second time, I finally convinced myself to go ahead and make my friend Martine’s pâté recipe. While I didn’t love the process of working with raw liver, the results were delicious & I found my body craving the pâté on the days I wasn’t eating it. Perhaps the high nutrient density of the liver has something to do with that (read more about liver & organ meat here)

I have made pâté fairly regularly over the next few months, even traveling with it when I’d go on trips. But this summer, when I found myself needing to go low FODMAP for SIBO, I fell off the pâté bandwagon. I loved Martine’s pâté recipe, but it had all sorts of ingredients that I needed to eliminate, like onions, garlic & mushrooms and I was concerned I wouldn’t like pâté once I took out those key ingredients.

As I was grocery shopping a few weeks ago, I found a large display of organic chicken livers & my body immediately started craving pâté again! It seemed perhaps time to start experimenting on a low(er) FODMAP pâté recipe. I’ve been fortunate to begin adding back in some higher FODMAP foods, like the apples in some of these images, but I wanted to keep the pâté base on the lower FODMAP side. Three of my favorite ingredients came to the rescue: bacon, leek greens & garlic oil. My first attempt was much more delicious than I anticipated, and there were many people over on Instagram who also seemed interested in a low FODMAP pâté recipe, so I’m sharing it here.  

Spreading the pâté on cucumbers or plantain chips is my favorite low FODMAP methods of eating it. If you’ve reintroduced some FODMAPs, I also really like apple slices, celery sticks, & homemade herb crackers (you can find that recipe in my new e-book “AIP & Paleo Holiday Sweet Treats”).

Note on FODMAPs: FODMAPs are confusing things... Certain resources will say that one item is “ok” and other resources will list that item as “avoid.” I am choosing to get my information about FODMAPs from Monash University & their app. Monash is continually updating their information & they are great about listing what quantity of food (both by volume & by weight) keeps it within the low FODMAP guidelines. As always, though, you know your body best. Just because one list says a food is fine, doesn’t always mean your body will be fine with it. Or on the flip side, just because one list says a food is on the avoid list, doesn’t mean your body is automatically going to be bothered by it. Do what makes your body & mind feel the best. 

Chicken Liver Pâté

Yields 5-4oz jars

4 strips of Bacon

110 g (1 1/2 cup) Leek Greens

1 lb Organic Chicken Livers, rinsed 

1 tablespoon Garlic Olive Oil

1/2 cup Red Wine (I used Cabernet Sauvignon) 

1 teaspoon Thyme, dried

1/2 teaspoon Parsley, dried

1/2 teaspoon Sage, ground

1 each Bay Leaf

4 tablespoons Bone Broth

1 tablespoon fresh Parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt 

1. In a large non-reactive skillet (i.e. stainless steel, not cast iron), brown the bacon over medium high heat. Once the bacon is cooked through, remove from the pan (reserving for later), but keep the grease in the skillet.
2. Add the leek greens to the hot pan & briefly sauté. Move the greens off to the side & add the chicken livers. Drizzle the garlic olive oil over the livers. Cook for 4 minutes, or until brown on one side. 
3. Flip the livers over, add the wine & dried herbs. Stir to combine. Cover the pan & reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the lid & cook an additional 3 minutes. The alcohol cooks off during this process, making it safe for AIP. 
4. Add the liver mixture to a large food processor, along with the cooked bacon, bone broth, fresh herbs & salt. Puree until smooth, scraping the sides of the food processor as needed. Taste & add additional salt, if needed. 
5. Portion into small cups (I like to use 4 oz mason jars). Chill in the refrigerator until cold. Consume within 4 days, or freeze for longevity. A word of caution, the pâté may become a bit more grainy & firm once frozen & thawed, but it still tastes great. 
6. Serve the pâté with veggies (I like cucumbers best) or fruit (I like apples, though they are a higher FODMAP food that I have successfully reintroduced) or homemade AIP crackers.

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