Portuguese Recipe Gizzards

Petiscos: stewed chicken gizzards

This recipe is commonplace in many restaurants across Portugal. If you’d like a guided Food Tour in Braga, let us know! We’d love to share our secret sumptuous spots with you! Continue to read: Portuguese recipe gizzards.

Stewed chicken gizzards are eaten as a starter, main course, or after a night out. It is served in a flavorful sauce.

The gizzards can be speared with toothpicks and served in a shallow pool of broth as an appetizer. Pairing your gizzards with local wine or beer is highly recommended.

How you can cook the gizzards?

If you are trying to be a cook, be sure to clean the organ before cooking. The chicken eats sand! This can make the gizzard a bit gritty. Frozen or fresh, we advise cleaning one per one! In Portugal, we have 1 pound of frozen gizzards that cost € 1.99!

Ingredients

1 pound chicken gizzard
1 onion
6 garlic cloves
bay leaves (to taste)
olive oil (to taste)
Salt coarse (to taste)
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup red wine
1 tablespoon white vinegar
Dry oregano (to taste)
Black pepper (to taste)
Salsinha
3 teaspoons Tabasco sauce (Piri-Piri to taste, if available)
Tomatoes

Instructions – Portuguese recipe gizzards

Start by washing the chicken gizzards under cold running water. Removing any remains of fat or skin (usually, the gizzards bought on the supermarket are already clean of skin and fat but sometimes some remains are left behind).
Cook the chicken gizzards in the pressure cooker with water and salt (15 minutes). At the end of this time, the meat should be tender to the bite. Cut the chicken gizzards in small pieces.

In a medium pot, put one onion chopped and 3 tablespoons of olive oil over moderate heat. Allow the onion to cook for 3 to 4 minutes until it looks translucent. Add the garlic cloves chopped and 2 bay leaves. Let it cook for 2 minutes more and add 1 cup of chopped tomato, peeled. Season with salt and pepper, cover the pot and allow the mixture to cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. At this point, add the gizzards, mix them well with the tomatoes and onion and allow them to brown slightly. Season with more salt, pepper, a pinch of Tabasco sauce, and stir everything very well.

Then, add 2 cups of red wine and 1 cup of chicken stock. Cover the pot and bring to the boil.

Let the meat boil for 2 minutes, taste for salt and spicy, and correct if necessary.
It is time to uncover the pot, raise the heat and let the sauce reduce by half (which should take around 15 minutes). You should get a “creamy” sauce and tender meat at the end. If your sauce is too runny, add 1 tablespoon of corn starch diluted in 1/2 cup of warm water into the stew and allow it to cook for 5 minutes. That will thicken your sauce.

Note this Petisco pairs well with wine or beer.