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
Fried Gizzards – crispy fried chicken gizzards with a deep, rich, meaty flavor that are sliced in twisted bits and fried to perfection. The cheapest meat there is that is so tasty and addictive. This could go with almost any kind of dish!
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 1 hr 35 mins
Total: 1 hr 55 mins
African
Servings 4 cups
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.
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 1cup| Calories: 656kcal (33%)| Carbohydrates: 82g (27%)| Protein: 52g (104%)| Fat: 10g (15%)| Saturated Fat: 2g (13%)| Cholesterol: 696mg (232%)| Sodium: 825mg (36%)| Potassium: 750mg (21%)| Fiber: 3g (13%)| Vitamin A: 1460IU (29%)| Vitamin C: 16.3mg (20%)| Calcium: 129mg (13%)| Iron: 11.1mg (62%)
David says
I used a can of chicken both plus the water and added a tsp of Old Bay seasoning for the boil. What to do about the soggy coating of leftovers? Air fryer brings back the crispy!
Kelley W says
Thanks for the tip! Never thought about putting the rare leftovers in the air fryer!
Courtney Thompson says
What do you save the broth for?
ImmaculateBites says
I use it just like you would use chicken broth. For soups, stews and casseroles.
Carl says
Thanks for making me “hip to tha game.” Dont knw why I never thought about boiling them first. My question is why are nutritional values so high? Are they for entire 2lbs? Cant wait to look at some more of your recipes!
ImmaculateBites says
No just for a cup of gizzard . Nutritional value is determined by nutritional software
David says
This recipe sounds awesome. But I’ve always just cleaned them, breaded them, and fried them. I think this would definitely be worth the extra effort but I was wondering if they retain much of their chewiness. Hopefully my 7 and 12 year old might even try them. But I doubt it….
imma africanbites says
Not that much, David. The steps and tips above make the gizzard fork tender. It’s all worth it. Please let me know how this one turns out for you. Happy cooking!
Rusty says
Can you simmer them . Then refrigerate them overnight. Then fry the next day
imma africanbites says
I haven’t tried that way tho. But I don’t see why it won’t work. Just dry them up before placing in the fridge.
Sharon says
I start every Thanksgiving meal prep by simmering giblets, adding lots of black pepper and a few whole cloves to your recipe listed here. Broth and chopped giblets go into stuffing and remaining used for gravey. Can’t wait to try your fried version, cleaning and putting on to simmer right now! Yum yum yum
Sunny says
Amazing recipe!!! The gizzards turned out absolutely delicious, we could not stop eating them. We had them with a Bajan hot mustard pepper sauce and horseradish mix, yom!!! Will definitely make these again with your recipe 😀
imma africanbites says
Thank you! Oooh, that sauce sounds delightful. Glad it turned out well for you, Sunny!
Pat Neuberger says
Have you cooked the gizzards in a pressure cooker successfully?
ImmaculateBites says
Yes, it took about 15 minutes or more. Can’t say for sure…..Check your settings for cooking times . Remember you can always add more time.
Mark Scott says
In the photo area garlic and white pepper are mentioned, but they are not on the ingredient list. How much of each should be used/
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Mark! I have updated recipe to make it clearer. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.
DEMOORE says
My son’s and I loved these gizzards. Next time I will make more because they dissapeared so fasr and I will make sure to sprinkle on salt after I take them out of thevhot grease. Yummy, cant wait to make them again.
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! So glad to hear it was a hit with the family! Thank you so much for taking the time out to share this with me .
Jimmy says
How long do you fry the gizzards?
ImmaculateBites says
About 3-5 minutes or until it’s golden brown.
Ann says
Oh my gosh! I have looked at many sites for all kinds of recipes and never wrote a review. This one, I had too. I’ve always wondered if there was a way to cook these where they were tender. I always just fried them after cutting out the tough part in he middle. I still cut out the middle and followed the recipe exactly. I have problems with my teeth where I can’t eat meat but this was so tender I could eat it. I absolutely love this recipe! Thank you. Merry Christmas 2017.
ImmaculateBites says
Am so honored to be your first! Thank you so much!!!Glad to hear it worked out so well for you. Merry Christmas to you too my friend !!!!
sarah says
I made these chicken gizzards today and they were so tasty! My mom really loved them too and wants me to make then again soon. My mom is in her 80s. They were also very easy to make. I can’t use regular flour due to a food allergy, so I ground up quinoa to make flour and it worked great! This was the first recipe I used the homemade flour on. Thank you for the wonderful recipe. I’m going to make the puff puff next. They sound like the donuts my grandmother made when I was a kid (but she was polish). My mom is eager to try those too.
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome ! Glad to hear it worked out well for you Sarah. Thanks for taking the time to let me know. Am sure you are going to enjoy the puff puff as well . It’s one of my favorites. Happy Cooking
A Lemos says
Olá
Em Portugal comemos como mostra numa das fotos refogadas tipo aperitivo, no final esta receita fica com muito bom aspecto, vou experimentar e espero gostar. Obrigado
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! Do let me know how it works out for you.
Kelsey says
Very nice. How do I preserve the leftover flour for next time use. I have quite a bit left. Thx
ImmaculateBites says
It depends , if it’s unused I like to just save it in an airtight container. I don’t usually preserve any used flour seasoning because of contamination.
Andi says
Freezer bag and put in freezer
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks for the tip.
Sariah says
I have refused my flour for many months , after use , I put in the freezer. When I’m ready to use it again, take it out , sift out the hardened lumps , and use. Then cycle through it again and again until you run out …
Precious @ Precious Core says
This looks so tasty, Imma! Fried gizzards for the win!
Deb says
Oh gosh! This reminds me of my childhood. My mom used to fry the gizzards (and the heart) when she fried a whole chicken. We kids loved them! Funny how things change — I never hear of people eating them anymore — until I saw this post. Thanks!
ImmaculateBites says
Yes, people do eat them. And it’s quite tasty too! Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts Deb.
Franklin Griffis says
If you were raised in the south, on a farm, you probably ate chicken gizzards regularly, both fried and boiled. If you boil them, throw a few (cleaned) chicken feet in with them, especially good in chicken and dumplings, using the broth! The Asian people get most of our chicken feet, anymore. They are one of their many delicacies. All Asians know what good food is and how to cook it. Just finished eating some delicious fried chicken gizzards a few minutes ago. I like to wash and clean them very good and then soak in buttermilk for at least 24 hours. Do not over fry. I deep fry mine on 325 F. for 5 to 6 minutes, depending upon size. Self rising flour works best for me.