This recipe for cooking liver feed with chicken and saffron combines tender chicken, lamb or beef liver, stewed plums and crisp potatoes in a savory saffron dish.
“Liver feed” is a literal translation of a cooked khorak, meaning a prepared main dish. This Persian liver recipe balances the rich liver with fruit, bell pepper and golden potatoes rather than serving it as a stew with a large amount of broth.
Ingredients for liver feed with chicken
- 250 g lamb or beef liver
- 4 chicken thighs
- 3 medium onions
- 10 stewing plums or prunes
- ½ bell pepper
- 1 kg potatoes
- ¼ teaspoon ground saffron, bloomed
- Up to 1 cup cooking oil, divided
- 1 cup water, plus more if needed
- Salt, black pepper and turmeric, as needed
Ask for fresh lamb or beef liver and trim away any tough membrane or large tubes before cooking. Cut the potatoes to a similar thickness so each batch fries evenly.
Cook the chicken and plums
Slice two of the onions and spread them over the base of a heavy saucepan. Add the chicken thighs, plums, a little salt, black pepper and turmeric, then pour in the cup of water.
Bring the liquid to a gentle boil, lower the heat and cover. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through and tender, usually one to one and a half hours depending on the thighs. Add a small amount of hot water if the pan dries before the meat is ready.
Remove the chicken to a plate. When it is cool enough to handle, take the meat from the bones and chop it into bite-size pieces. Keep the softened plums and any concentrated cooking liquid in the pan.
Prepare the liver
Pat the liver dry and cut it into small pieces. Add it to the saucepan once the chicken has been removed, so it can cook in the seasoned onion and plum liquid without spending the full chicken-cooking time on the heat.
Simmer gently until the pieces are cooked through and the remaining liquid has nearly evaporated. Transfer the liver and plums to the plate with the chicken.
This order keeps the original one-pot flavor while avoiding the tough texture that comes from boiling small liver pieces for an hour and a half.
Fry the potatoes
Peel the potatoes and cut them into slim batons. Rinse away surface starch, then dry them thoroughly with a clean towel.
Heat enough oil in a medium frying pan to cover the base generously. Fry the potatoes in batches until golden and cooked inside. Move each batch to a metal strainer or rack so excess oil can drain and the pieces remain separate as they cool.
Reserve only the small amount of oil needed for the final sauté; the rest does not need to go into the finished liver feed.
Finish with onion, bell pepper and saffron
Slice the remaining onion and fry it in a little of the reserved oil until golden. Add a pinch of turmeric and the chopped bell pepper, then cook until the pepper begins to soften.
Add the chopped chicken, cooked liver, plums and bloomed saffron. Turn everything together over medium heat for a few minutes, just long enough for the saffron to perfume the warm ingredients.
Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. Handle the plums gently so some stay whole while a little of their softened flesh seasons the onion.
Serve the Persian liver dish
Spoon the chicken and liver mixture onto a warm platter and arrange the fried potatoes around it. Serve immediately while the potatoes are crisp.
The dish is rich, so a fresh salad, herbs or a squeeze of lemon can be offered at the table without changing the saffron-and-plum character of the original recipe.
Cooking checks that improve the result
- Cook chicken and liver in stages: thighs need longer than small pieces of liver.
- Keep the simmer gentle: rapid boiling dries the outside of the meat before the chicken becomes tender.
- Dry potatoes before frying: surface water spits in hot oil and slows browning.
- Drain each batch: a rack or metal strainer prevents the potatoes from sitting in excess oil.
- Add saffron near the finish: its aroma remains clearer after the long-cooked ingredients are combined.
