This Lebanon chicken liver saffron recipe serves warmly spiced chicken livers over saffron-orange basmati rice, finished with toasted almonds. The name comes from the site’s older recipe archive; “Lebanese-style” is the careful description here, because home versions and regional recipes differ.

Cooked chicken livers with saffron orange basmati rice and toasted almonds
Serve the livers over the aromatic saffron-orange rice so their savoury pan juices remain distinct.

The stored English recipe confused chicken pieces with liver and several spices with unrelated words. This version resolves those translation problems while retaining its onion, garlic, leek, cardamom, cinnamon, bay, orange, tomato, saffron and almond character.

Lebanon Chicken Liver Saffron Recipe

Serves: 6–8
Preparation: 25 minutes
Cooking: about 45 minutes

For the chicken livers

  • 1 kg chicken livers
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 30 g leek, washed and thinly sliced
  • 50 g butter
  • 1 tablespoon neutral oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon mild red-pepper powder, or less to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, then more if needed
  • Black pepper, to taste

For the saffron-orange rice

  • 3 cups basmati rice, rinsed until the water is nearly clear
  • 3 cups low-salt chicken stock
  • 1 1/2 cups orange juice
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 6 green cardamom pods, lightly cracked
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, finely ground and infused in 2 tablespoons hot water
  • 50 g butter, divided
  • 2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted
  • Salt, as needed

Clean and Prepare the Chicken Livers

Trim away visible connective tissue and any green-stained portions, then divide large lobes into similar-size pieces. Pat them dry with disposable paper towel. Do not rinse raw poultry liver, because splashing can spread contamination around the sink and work surface.

Keep the prepared livers refrigerated while the rice begins cooking. Use a separate board and knife for any foods that will be served without further cooking.

Start the Saffron-Orange Rice

  1. Melt 25 g of the rice butter in a heavy, lidded pot. Add the cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaves and warm them for 30 seconds.
  2. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for one minute, just until it darkens slightly.
  3. Add the chicken stock, orange juice, water, saffron infusion and a small pinch of salt. Bring the liquid to a boil.
  4. Add the drained basmati rice and stir once. Cook uncovered over medium-high heat until most of the liquid has been absorbed and small steam holes appear across the surface.
  5. Reduce the heat to its lowest setting, cover tightly and steam for 20–25 minutes. Remove from the heat and rest, still covered, for 10 minutes before fluffing with the remaining 25 g butter.

The orange should give the rice a gentle citrus note rather than a sweet-drink flavour. If the juice is very sweet, replace half a cup of it with water. For even saffron colour, follow the same extraction principles used in our guide to brewing saffron for rice.

Cook the Chicken Livers

  1. While the rice steams, melt 50 g butter with the oil in a wide frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and pale gold, about eight minutes.
  2. Add the garlic and leek. Cook for two minutes, then stir in the turmeric, red pepper and black pepper.
  3. Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the chicken livers in a single layer, working in batches if the pan is crowded. Brown them, turn and continue cooking until no raw centre remains.
  4. Check several of the thickest pieces with a clean instant-read thermometer. Poultry liver and other giblets must reach 74°C (165°F), according to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service.
  5. Season with salt only after the livers are cooked, then take the pan off the heat. Keep the livers and their onion mixture warm while the rice rests.

Assemble and Serve

Remove the cardamom pods, cinnamon stick and bay leaves from the rice. Spoon the rice onto a warm platter and arrange the livers and onion mixture over the top. Finish with toasted almonds.

A sharply dressed cucumber-and-herb salad is a useful contrast to the butter and liver. Serve the dish promptly; liver loses tenderness when held over heat for a long time.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers within two hours in shallow, covered containers. Use within three days. Reheat rice and liver together until piping hot throughout, adding a spoonful of stock or water to keep the rice from drying. Do not partially cook the livers for finishing later.