Crispy Fried Chicken Gizzards with a deep, rich, meaty flavor that are sliced in twisted bits and fried to perfection. It’s cheap yet so tasty and addictive. This could go your new favorite party appetizer or snacks!
Probably your thoughts are screaming, “What the heck is gizzard? Is it even edible?” Yes! It is very edible and surprisingly delicious and tasty.
My son particularly loves these fried chicken gizzards and keeps snacking on them even after finishing his lunch. Well, I really can’t blame him because they’re really addicting. 😉
What is Chicken Gizzard?
Did you know that in Africa, it “used to be” highly valuable and reserved only for the head of the house, that’s how special chicken gizzards are.
So, what are gizzards? A gizzard is a tough muscle that’s part of the digestive tract of a chicken. It can also be found on some animals like ducks, fish, and crustaceans.
And since it’s a tough muscle, you need to cook it the right way so it will not end up hard and gummy.
What Does Gizzard Taste Like?
People are usually skeptical about this underdog as it is simply snubbed since it’s one of those “miscellaneous parts” along with the kidney, heart, giblets, and liver.
It tastes bland and a little chewy. However, with the right seasonings, it is actually tasty and becomes tender when cooked properly.
Check out this other chicken gizzard recipe, Gizdodo (Gizzards and Plantains). I know you’ll love it, too. 😉
Ingredient Recipe
For Boiling
- Chicken Gizzards – the star of the show. It will take about 1 ½ – 2 hours before it becomes tender but the waiting time is totally worth it. 😉
- Onion – Not only it adds flavor but it also takes away the unwanted stench from chicken gizzards.
- Celery Stalks – It is a very aromatic vegetable that has bold flavors with an earthy note. Pretty popular among soup, stews, and salad.
- Bay Leaves – the tea-like aroma adds another layer of flavor to these boiled gizzards with a hint of minty flavor.
- Thyme – You’ll love the subtle minty and earthy flavor of this herb.
- Garlic Clove – I recommend smashing them to really get all the garlicky aroma and flavor.
For Coating
- All-Purpose Flour – the secret to this fried gizzard recipe, this will make our chicken gizzard crunchy and crispy.
- Cornstarch – mix it with flour to get that perfect crispiness. You can just add more flour if you don’t have any cornstarch available.
- Baking Powder – this actually makes the batter airy and crispier compared with flour without baking powder.
- Paprika – though it has a pungent taste because of its pepper origins, it also has a hint of sweetness from bell peppers perfect for this dish.
- Garlic Powder – adds an earthy and aromatic tone to the whole dish making our fried gizzards tastier.
- Onion Powder – this dried seasoning distributes the rich onion flavor evenly throughout the dish.
- Cayenne Pepper – don’t get too crazy on the cayenne powder or you’ll burn your tongue.
- Dried Herbs – the Thyme, Oregano, Parsley trio gives interesting aroma and flavor to any dish. It can actually make any dish fancy with its herby notes.
- White Pepper – A milder spice that has a less complex flavor than black pepper. But it still gives you a kick of heat.
- Eggs – adds rich flavor and act as a binder so the flour mixture will stick to the chicken gizzards.
Ingredients Substitutions
- Egg – milk or water are the best substitutes if you want to make an eggless version of this gizzard recipe.
- Dried Herbs – you can replace it with Italian Seasoning. Or you can play around with some herbs like basil, thyme, and oregano. Whatever works for you. 😉
- Cornstarch – tapioca starch and potato starch works too or just add more flour to replace the cornstarch.
- All-Purpose Flour – you can replace it with Gluten-Free Flour using a 1:1 ratio.
Recipe Variations
- Garlic Parmesan Fried Chicken Gizzards – Just toss the fried gizzards in garlic, parmesan, and butter mixture like how it is done in garlic parmesan chicken wings.
- Crunchy Braised Chicken Gizzard – a delicious Asian-inspired dish. The fried gizzards are simmered in a lusciously sweet and salty sauce flavored with Chinese five-spice powder, ginger, and soy sauce. Get the recipe for this Crunchy Braised Chicken Gizzard.
- Crispy Gizzard Taco – tacos stuffed with fried gizzards, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and topped with your favorite dressing and cheese. Yum! Or you can also make a burrito version. 😉
Storage Instructions
Making Ahead
- You can boil the gizzards ahead of time. Drain and dry before placing them in a ziplock bag or an airtight container.
- Refrigerated – can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days
- Frozen – can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months
Note: Thaw the frozen gizzards overnight inside the fridge and coat them when ready to fry to ensure crispiness.
Storing Leftover Fried Gizzards
They are best eaten on the same day to enjoy the crispiness. So, I suggest frying only what you can consume within the day because storing them will lose their crispiness. But in the case of leftovers:
- Place them in an airtight container.
- Store them in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Reheating Fried Gizzards
- Oven – Reheat at 170°C for 8-10 minutes or until heated through.
- Air Fryer – I highly recommend reheating them in an air fryer to make them crispy again. Reheat them at 170°C for 5-7 minutes or more until crispy.
- Microwave – I don’t recommend reheating the gizzards in the microwave as they tend to explode and make a big mess. Yikes!
What Goes with Fried Gizzards
These Fried gizzards could be enjoyed as is but best enjoyed with these recipes below.
More Crispy Chicken Recipes
How to Cook Chicken Gizzards?
Boiling the Chicken Gizzard
- Place the gizzard and seasonings in the pot – Place the chicken gizzards in a pot with onion, celery, bay leaves, thyme, smashed garlic, and salt. (Photos 1-2)
- Add water – Add enough water to cover the gizzards by 1 inch. (Photo 3)
- Let it boil and simmer – Bring the gizzards to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 1 ½ – 2 hours or more depending on preference. You may have to add more water, if needed, to keep gizzards covered. (Photo 4)
Coating the Chicken Gizzard
- Drain and reserve the broth – gizzards in a colander, pick out or remove celery, bay leaves, and onion. Reserve the broth or freeze it for later use. (Photo 5)
- Make the flour mixture – In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, herbs, and white pepper. (Photo 6)
- Coat the chicken gizzards with egg and flour mixture – When ready to fry dredge the gizzards in the egg mixture, then the flour mixture, shaking any excess flour. You may use a ziplock bag for this process. Set aside for about 15 minutes. (Photos 7-8)
Frying the Chicken Gizzard
- Heat oil and fry the gizzards – Heat oil in a deep-fryer or cast iron skillet to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). The temperature will drop once you add gizzards.
Watch How to Make It
Fried Chicken Gizzards
Ingredients
Boiling
- 2 pound chicken gizzards
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 stalks celery cut into chunks
- 1-2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1-2 cloves garlic smashed
- salt to taste
Coating
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cornstarch sub with flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- ½ -1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1-1/2 tablespoon dried herbs thyme, oregano, parsley
- white pepper to taste
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- Place the chicken gizzards in a pot with onion, celery, bay leaves, thyme and smashed garlic – salt . Add enough water to cover the gizzards by 1 inch. Bring the gizzards to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 1 ½ – 2 hours or more depending on preference .. You may have to add more water , if needed, to keep gizzards covered.
- Drain gizzards in a colander , pick out or remove celery, bay leaves and onion. Reserve the broth or freeze for later use.
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, herbs and white pepper.
- When ready to fry dredge the gizzards in the , egg mixture , then the flour mixture, shaking any excess flour. You may use a ziplock bag for this process. Set aside for about 15 minutes.
- Heat oil in a deep fryer or cast iron skillet to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Temperature will drop once you add gizzards .
Tips & Notes:
- It’s very important for the gizzards to be thoroughly cleaned before cooking.
- If you can get your hands on the fresh ones from your local butcher, the better. Just either ask them to clean it up for you (perhaps at an additional cost).
- To tenderize this tough muscle, you can either stew them slowly until fork-tender as I did in this recipe. Or brine them in buttermilk for 8 hours or preferably 24 hours before deep-frying them.
- When braising the gizzards, make sure you cook them slowly over low heat to relax the muscle tissues. Don’t let them boil or else it’ll get tough.
- After an hour or two of braising, let them cool first and dry thoroughly before you slice them into strips and bread them.
- Don’t skip on the cornstarch and baking powder when making the flour mixture to get the perfect crispiness.
David Randall says
I’m so pleased that your recipe starts with the slow boil (in my in my kitchen it’s a simmer, dont toughen by frying those proteins any more than necessary) ,then process, top a southetn Frnch salad. Slice into stir-fry, grace a southern French salad. Confit is another method, which I have not tried yet. Marinate overnight, buttermilk, kefir, vinegar, which i also haven’t tried yet. Meanwhile, gizzards, at $1.19/lb, are you source for pure protein and flavor
David Randall says
Oh, and the remaining broth, if there were aromatics added, is collegen-rich and delicious, versatile
Joseph says
dynamite recipe. who knew ?? used pressure cooker 40 minutes on high broth was great will use for rice cooking. gizzards so tender yummm
Naa says
I love your recipe very much . however can I get the recipe for the dipping sauce?
Immaculate Bites says
Hi Naa! I used the White BBQ Sauce or you can check out my Best Homemade BBQ Sauce Recipes for more choices 🙂
Edna mcclain says
Can you use milk instead of butter milk to coat your gizzards
ImmaculateBites says
Yes you can. Or try out his homemade butter milk here https://www.africanbites.com/how-to-make-buttermilk/
Mark Klem says
How long do you cook them?
ImmaculateBites says
It takes about 1-2 hours to cook.
Heather Johnson says
I love gizzards, I always make gibblet gravy. I am so excited to try this recipe. I have tried several of your recipes all delicious. I am gonna pair this with rice, veggies and cornbread.
ImmaculateBites says
So excited for you to try it out . Enjoy!
Lillian Whitt says
Do you think chicken hearts would work well with this method? I want to do a 50/50 mix of gizzards and hearts. Thank you
ImmaculateBites says
Yes they would work out just fine . Enjoy!
David Randall says
I would say, just don’t cook them so long, just till tender. Gizzards are lean muscle,hearts are organ meat. Be gentle
Chukwuka Promise says
Nice recipe
Piotr says
It’s not a meal with least work, or with fastest cooking time, but these gizzards are pretty cheap so it is kinda well worth it to prepare them well given they can be pretty hard and tough to chew when dealt improperly. As a bonus you get a nice pot of brew for “chicken soup” or rather duck soup. I’m from Poland, and thanks for the recipe!
Imma says
Greetings Piotr! Thank you for your review. I love gizzards and I’m glad you enjoyed them as well 🙂
Andrew Hernandez says
Do you cook them whole, or do you cut the tough middle part out?
Jaine says
When you simmer for the allotted time then deep fry them that part in the middle gets very soft. So you just leave it.
Tom says
So glad I found this recipe. I have loved the gizzard and heart all my life and frankly enjoyed them crunchy and plain.
For many years I have enjoyed just putting them in the oven with BBQ. Granted, this way takes a few hours but well worth it.
imma africanbites says
Indeed, it’s all worth it. Please do let me know how this one turns out for you. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy!
David C Randall says
My experience with gizzards in the midwest has always been a flavorful but unchewable hunk of meat. Because of their cheapness though,I started experimenting. A slow simmer (way below boiling) with aromatics, onion, garlic, bay, transforms them into hunks of pure protein, to be used as wished. Battering and frying, or even dredging and a hot saute, turns them into what a road-trip friend calls “meat cookies”. Season the dredge as desired. But merely tenderized (and if done long and slow you dont have to remove any gristle, just the occasional remnants of the yellowish leathery layer and rare globs of fat). This unfried product is ready to throw into stir-fries, chopped into salads, or to hearten a pasta sauce (commonly done in southern Italy)
When they’re marked down I stock up my freezer.
David C Randall says
Oh, and the cooking broth is invaluable. Loaded with gelatin, flavor and umami