This spicy African Chicken Gizzard has been slow-cooked with soy sauce and aromatic spices, resulting in deliciously aromatic and flavoursome chewy treats. Ideal as hors d’oeuvre or a side dish.
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Chicken gizzard has been an integral part of the African food culture for the longest time. My sense is that consuming offal was woven intricately into the fabric of African culture by the forces of sustainability and food wastage. The story of waste not, want not…
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Anyway, not so long ago, at a time when most of my ancestors practised the African traditional diet, all or most of our chicken in Africa was free-range. Every self-respecting household had a few chickens who majestically roamed our backyards eating whatever food they could find, and crowed loudly and incessantly from 4:00am much to the chagrin of the older folk, desperately trying to catch the last few minutes of blissful sleep.
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For most households, chickens graced the menu only on special occasions and chicken gizzard was a rare treat. Tradition dictated that chicken gizzard was reserved for the oldest male member of the family. Growing up female in an extended family made-up of many male members…. do you see where I am going with this?
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Yep you guessed it… I could never get enough chicken gizzard.
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Gizzard is a small organ, part of the digestive tract in some animals that aid in grinding up hard foods and particles. It is low in fat (3g per 100g serving of gizzard) and very high in protein (30g of protein per 100g of gizzard serving). If you are looking for lower fat ways to add protein to your diet, chicken gizzards are a healthier option than high-fat cuts of beef .
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If you’ve never had gizzard before, then I can only describe the taste like chicken really. Unlike other offals, gizzard does not have a strong offal taste. Think chicken with a chewy, rubbery texture.
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My mother made these while growing up. Her signature style was stewing them in a base with tomato sauce, red peppers and scotch bonnet peppers. oh… these were such a deliciously crunchy and chewy treat – once you got past the heat from the scotch bonnet peppers that feature so prominently in the Nigerian version of this dish.
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These days, I like the spicy kind of gizzard. You know, the one you cook over the stove for an hour with soy sauce and aromatic spices – similar to the asian version of preparing duck gizzard. The result – a deliciously aromatic and flavoursome chewy treat.
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Nothing beats the beautiful fragrance of garlic and ginger wafting in the air. Le Hub remarked on the intoxicating aroma walking in the front door from running an errand. Chicken wings…? Perhaps…? When he found out it was an offal matter, he politely declined while acknowledging (most likely to keep the peace than from personal conviction) that he could potentially be missing out on a gastronomic treat.
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I am not offended.
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It just means more chicken gizzards for me, this time. The glass is always half-full..
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And speaking of half-full glasses, these days, my tastebuds are thankful for the abundance of chicken gizzards as we no longer depend on our backyard chickens for that occasional chicken dinner.
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Because, there’s now more than enough gizzard to go round all the male members of my family, and some..
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Now that’s a real treat!
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This recipe has been added to your Meal Plan
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| Servings |
| 3 servings |
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- 300 g chicken gizzard
- 1 onion small
- 30 g ginger chopped
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp berbere spice
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 500 ml water
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- Heat a dutch oven and when hot, add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, fry the chopped onions, garlic and ginger, stirring frequently, until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the spices and fry while stirring to prevent burning for 1 - 2 minutes.
- Add the cleaned gizzards to the dutch oven and add the soy sauce. Stir to mix thoroughly. Then add the water, vegetable stock cube and brown sugar. Cover the mixture and bring to boil on high heat.
- Reduce the heat to medium and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes. The sauce should be fully reduced to a beautiful thick lacquer that covers the gizzards.
- Serve as hors d'oeuvres or as a side dish
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Is this recipe right for you?
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Please let me know how it turned out for you. Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #africaonyourplate
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Afro-fusion Food Lover.
Sustainable Food Advocate.
Completely nuts about Avocado.
