Chicken Liver Salad

⏲ ~23 min total · prep 14 · cook 9 · 4 servings

By the KFI Test Kitchen · Tested & approved by Jason Lieu, KFI recipe editor

Published Sep 15, 2026 · Updated Sep 15, 2026

Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken livers, trimmed and halved
• 4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 3 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 5 oz mixed greens (arugula and frisée)
• 4 radishes, thinly sliced
• 2 large eggs, hard-boiled and quartered
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Cover the eggs with cold water, bring to a rolling boil, and cook 10 minutes, then shock in ice water, peel, and quarter.
2. Render the bacon in a 12-inch skillet over medium-low for 8-10 minutes, stirring now and then, until crisp; drain on paper towels and pour the drippings into a small bowl, returning 1 tbsp to the pan.
3. Season the livers with the salt and pepper. Raise the heat to medium-high, add the butter, and when the foaming subsides, sear the livers in a single layer 2 minutes per side, until browned outside with centers just barely pink (about 155°F) — cooked to gray they turn gritty.
4. Move the livers to a plate and drop the heat to medium-low.
5. Cook the shallot in the pan for 1 minute, add the vinegar and Dijon, scrape up the browned bits, simmer 30 seconds, then whisk in 3 tbsp of the reserved bacon fat for a warm vinaigrette.
6. Toss the greens and radishes with the warm dressing in a big bowl until glossy, pile onto plates, and top with the livers, bacon, and egg quarters; finish with a grind of pepper.

Why this recipe works

• Warm bacon vinaigrette Sherry vinegar and Dijon whisked into the reserved bacon fat turn the pan drippings into the dressing. Nothing rinses out of that skillet; everything seasons the greens.
• Seared, not gray Two minutes per side leaves the livers browned outside with centers barely pink at about 155°F. Cooked through, they turn gritty.
• Bitter meets rich Arugula and frisee stand up to the livers and bacon, and radishes add the clean snap that keeps a plate of organ meat from feeling heavy.

Tips for making this recipe well

Pull the livers at 155°F

The centers should stay barely pink, and carryover heat finishes them on the plate. Gray livers lose their texture for good.

Save the right amount of fat

Pour the drippings off after the bacon crisps, then return 1 tablespoon for the sear and whisk 3 more into the vinaigrette. The rest can go in a jar for another day.

Dress while warm

The vinaigrette coats best while still warm from the pan, glossing the greens rather than pooling. Toss right before the livers go on.

Boil the eggs first

Ten minutes at a rolling boil, then an ice bath, gives quarters that peel clean. Do this while the bacon renders and nothing waits on anything.

Halve the livers

Trimmed and halved, they sear on more surface and cook in the same 2 minutes per side. Whole livers stay raw near the stem end.

Serving suggestions

This is the salad we make when we want lunch to feel like a bistro plate without leaving the kitchen. Toss the greens until glossy, pile them high, and top with the livers, bacon, and egg quarters while everything is still warm. At 9.1 net carbs a serving it eats like a meal, and 25 minutes start to finish keeps it in weeknight territory. A grind of black pepper at the end, nothing else.

Storage and meal prep

Dressed greens do not wait, so eat the assembled salad the day it is made. The parts hold separately for 3 to 4 days in the fridge: livers and bacon in one container, hard-boiled eggs in another, and the vinaigrette in a jar, where it thickens when chilled and loosens again with a warm stir. Warm the livers briefly in a skillet rather than the microwave or they turn rubbery. Skip the freezer; the greens and eggs turn watery, so this is a fridge dish with a short leash.

Variations worth trying

• Balsamic swap Balsamic vinegar replaces the sherry vinegar for a rounder, sweeter dressing.
• No egg version Leave out the hard-boiled eggs and add a second radish; the plate still eats like a full lunch.
• Extra liver batch Livers sear in 4 minutes total, so doubling them costs almost no time; feed a crowd from the same skillet.
• All frisee Frisee alone instead of the mix leans into the bitter edge that suits bacon fat.

Frequently asked questions

Can chicken livers be pink inside?

The recipe sears them 2 minutes per side and pulls them at about 155°F with barely pink centers. If you prefer zero pink, cook them through, though the texture turns gritty.

What do chicken livers taste like?

Seared, they are rich and mineral with a soft center, closer to a fine pate than anything stringy. The sherry vinegar and mustard cut that richness, which is why the dressing matters.

Can I make the vinaigrette ahead?

It is built on warm bacon fat and pan drippings, so it comes together at the stove in the time it takes to soften the shallot and simmer the vinegar. Made ahead it congeals in the fridge and needs rewarming anyway.

How do I trim chicken livers?

Look for the pale greenish patch or connecting membrane on each liver and cut it away with small scissors or a paring knife. Halve them while you are at it, as the recipe calls for.

Is there a substitute for frisee?

Arugula alone works, or a sharp green like watercress. Mild lettuce disappears under the livers and bacon, and the bitterness is doing real work here.

Related keto recipes

Lunch

Creamy Balsamic Chicken with Mushrooms and Fresh Parsley

24 min · 13.4g net carbs

Lunch

Keto Broccoli Cheese Soup

50 min · 14.7g net carbs

Lunch

Chicken En Papillote With Basil and Cherry Tomatoes

67 min · 7.0g net carbs

Lunch

Cabbage and Sausage Casserole

14 min · 17.6g net carbs

As an Amazon Associate and affiliate partner, Keto Food Ideas earns from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. Nutritional values are estimates. Recipes are developed with AI assistance and reviewed by our editors before publishing.

← More Lunch recipes · Home