Tender Fried Chicken Gizzards recipe

Fried Chicken Gizzards — The unique flavor of gizzards matched with a crispy breading? A winning combination. 

Fried Chicken Gizzards- a family favorite

These mouth-watering fried gizzards are a family favorite. Not only are they delicious but they are cheap and good for you!

Another family favorite gizzard recipe is Peppered Gizzards and Plantain — Gizzards are boiled, fried, and stewed together with plantains. Delicious might be an understatement here. 😂

These fried gizzards recipe makes a delicious appetizer with a crispy coating. Make these for a delicious party or game day snack! A perfect way to bring a delicious southern staple to your dinner table!

Perfectly tender and crispy

If you are tired of tough, dry, and bland fried gizzards, just give this recipe a try. These are perfectly crispy and tender!

I know some prefer to use buttermilk to tenderize gizzards and discard the buttermilk later but I prefer to boil the gizzards and I also use the stock from boiling the meat for my soups and stews. The stock is good for you!

Don’t shy away from this exciting new way to enjoy fried chicken otherwise, you won’t know what you’re missing!

What are chicken gizzards? 

Depending on where you are from, you may or may not have heard of Chicken gizzards.  It is quite common in most parts of the world like parts of Asia, Mexico, Haiti, Africa, and Europe.

The chicken gizzard is a powerful muscle found in the digestive tract of a chicken. It is an organ that helps in the digestion of food.

When the chicken goes foraging, it picks up tiny stones. These tiny stones go down into the gizzards and the stones grind up the food that the chicken eats then the food goes into the digestive tracts so that the chicken can get its nutrients.

Chicken gizzards have a more distinct texture and flavor than other parts of the chicken. They are tougher and chewier. 

How long to make Fried chicken Gizzards? 

This recipe takes about an hour and a half to complete.

How to fry gizzards? 

This recipe calls for chicken gizzards, spices, flour for dredging, oil for frying. These simple ingredients will result in mouth-watering, lip-smacking crispy fried gizzards that you won’t be able to get enough of.

I’ll show you how to make fried gizzards in four easy steps:

1. Clean the gizzards: Remove any excess fat and gristle and wash them thoroughly under running cold water.
2. Simmer the chicken gizzards:  Boil for about 30 minutes to tenderize or cook till desired softness. Boiling cuts down on the frying time and makes for a moister gizzard.
3. Cool and bread: You want to make sure the meat is cooled down before breading so that the breading stays together better!
4. Fry: The key to frying gizzards and most other foods is making sure your oil is fully heated up before putting the breaded meat in. 

How to Clean Chicken Gizzards

• Go through the gizzards one by one to remove any interior sack that might have escaped being removed by the butcher.
• Trim off any excess fat.
• wash the gizzards in vinegar – this is what I do.

Nutrition and Benefits of Chicken Gizzards

Gizzards are high in protein, and they are an excellent source of iron and zinc. 

What to serve with Fried Gizzards 

Fried Gizzards are like other fried foods—you can serve them with French fries and assorted dipping sauces. Being a Southern favorite, you will also find gizzards commonly served with cornbread and/or collard greens.

Flavor Variations:

• Serve with your favorite dipping sauce
• Add more or less cayenne depending on how spicy you want them (you can also a splash of hot sauce to the breading!)
• You can also cook them in gravy after frying them and serve over white rice.

Note: always use a good oil with high melting point for frying

Other delicious appetizers you might want to try

• Peppered Gizzards and plantains
• Crispy baked Chicken wings
• Shrimp cakes
• Oven-baked Yuca fries
• Plantain fries

Fried Gizzards

Fried Gizzards — The unique flavor of gizzards matched with a crispy breading? A winning combination.

4.67 from 9 votes

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Course: Lunch/Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken, fried gizzard

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 387.5kcal

Ingredients

• 2 lb chicken gizzards cleaned
• 1/2 cup onion diced
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tsp black pepper
• 1 Tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp thyme dried
• 1 cup water

Ingredients for the Breading

• 1 cup self-rising flour
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ teaspoon ground garlic powder
• Oil for frying

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Start by trimming the excess fat and gristle from the chicken gizzards.
• Place the gizzards in a pot, add the diced onion, bouillon cube diced, salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, and thyme. Stir, cover, and leave to cook for about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and drain.
• In a medium bowl, add the flour, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, Onion Powder, cayenne pepper, and paprika and whisk until combined.
• Add a few gizzards at a time into seasoned flour and use a spoon to mix them into the flour until well coated.
• Heat oil over medium-high heat. Make sure oil is at least 2-3 inches tall. Add the dredged gizzards inside the oil and fry until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel and serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 387.5kcal | Carbohydrates: 27.5g | Protein: 47.3g | Fat: 8.5g | Saturated Fat: 2.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1.9g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 614.7mg | Sodium: 1159.9mg | Potassium: 546.6mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1.3g | Vitamin A: 925.5IU | Vitamin C: 16.6mg | Calcium: 62.4mg | Iron: 7.2mg

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