Chicken Liver Mousse With Cider Jelly
A rich & creamy chicken liver mousse, topped with a fruity cider jelly. This luxurious mousse is super easy to make & goes great with warm toast.
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This chicken liver mousse is incredibly rich, creamy & delicious! This is a classic French way of preparing chicken livers, where they are fried then blended with sticky caramelised onions, fresh herbs, alcohol and plenty of cream & butter!
Savoury mousses like this one are surprisingly easy to prepare & make a perfect starter for dinner parties & gatherings. And as chicken liver mousse is blended smooth, it bears little resemblance to actual livers so is sure to impress your guest even if they don’t like offal. Serve your mousse with some toasted homemade bread and you’re onto a real winner (sourdough is especially good!).
To finish off our chicken liver mousse, we’re going to be topping it with a layer of cider jelly. This jelly is sweet & fruity and pairs really well with the rich chicken livers. It also helps keep the mousse fresher for longer. I used a blood orange cider for my jelly which worked great but any good apple cider will work just as well.
For more snacks & starters take a look at our collection of appetizer recipes. Or something more festive, check out our collection of Christmas starters.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken Livers – A type of chicken offal. Chicken livers are inexpensive to buy but incredibly tasty! I’d recommend visiting your local butcher to get these however you can buy them in some supermarkets.
- Shallots – We’re using echalion shallots for their slightly sweet flavour, as this helps cut through the richness from the dairy. You could use a brown onion instead if you like.
- Sherry – Used to deglaze the pan after we cook the livers & shallots. Brandy will work as well.
- Cayenne Pepper – Adding a pinch of cayenne to our mousse gives it a hint of spice that helps balance the rich flavour from the livers & dairy. I only used a pinch but feel free to use as much or as little as you like.
- Butter – We’re using unsalted butter for our mousse. It’s important to use room temperature butter for blending into the livers so that it doesn’t split.
- Mascarpone – This chicken liver mousse uses mascarpone instead of cream cheese, as it has a richer, creamier flavour.
- Cream – You’ll need double/heavy cream for this recipe, as this makes the mousse extra creamy.
- Cider – We’re topping our chicken liver mousse with a cider jelly. I used Thatcher’s blood orange cider but pretty much any type of cider will work. You could also use port, prosecco, apple juice or chicken stock.
- Gelatine – Used to set our jelly. You’ll need 2 sheets for this recipe. I used Dr Oetker gelatine sheets.
Chicken Liver Mousse vs Pâté vs Parfait
Although chicken liver mousse, pate & parfait are all spreadable and contain similar ingredients, they do differ slightly in taste, texture & consistency. Here’s how…
Chicken Liver Mousse
A chicken liver mousse is the lightest of all 3, thanks to the generous amount of cream cheese, double cream & butter that is blended into the livers. It’s incredibly creamy & rich in flavour! Chicken liver mousse will set fairly softly so can be scooped, to serve (into a quenelle if you like!).
Chicken Liver Pâté
Chicken liver pâté is a spreadable meat paste (pâté means paste in french), that’s made with livers, onions, herbs & lots of butter. Pâté doesn’t tend to be passed through a sieve, so has a slightly coarser texture compared to parfaits & mousses. A pâté isn’t quite as creamy as a mousse but is just as rich, thanks to all that butter!
Chicken Liver Parfait
Although chicken liver parfait sounds a bit fancy, it’s basically just a smoother pâté! Chicken liver parfait tends to be made by blending raw livers with onion, cream, butter & eggs (and any other flavourings like fresh herbs & brandy). The raw liver paste is then tipped into a terrine mould & cooked in a water bath (bain marie). A classic way to serve chicken liver parfait is to coat the outside with butter, set it in the fridge then slice into portions.
How To Make Chicken Liver Mousse
The full, printable recipe card for this mousse can be found at the bottom of this post! Here’s a quick rundown of the recipe…
- Trim & Rinse Chicken Livers
First, we need to cut each chicken liver in half then trim off any sinew, blood vessels or discoloured bits as these can make the mousse taste bitter. We give the trimmed livers a good rinse under cold water then pat dry with kitchen paper. - Cook Livers
Next, we set a large frying pan over a medium-high heat, add in a tablespoon of veg oil & leave to get hot. To cook the chicken livers, we add them into the pan & fry for 2-3 minutes on each side until well seared but still pink in the middle. Once cooked, we transfer the livers to a plate & let them cool. - Cook Shallots
Now, we turn the heat down to medium then add butter & finely diced shallot into the pan along with a pinch of cayenne pepper & salt. We cook the shallots until they are soft & caramelised, then stir in a teaspoon of chopped thyme. The shallots will take 5-10 minutes to cook. - Deglazing
Once the shallots are cooked, we pour sherry into the pan, continue cooking until it has completely evaporated then transfer the shallots to a bowl & leave them to cool. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula when you add in the alochol, to deglaze & release all the browned bits (this is extra flavour!). - Blending
Once the livers & onions are both cool, we add them into a jug blender then turn it on. After a minute or so (when the livers are broken down), we gradually add in room temperature butter, followed by cold mascarpone, double cream & lemon (juice & zest) then we keep blending until smooth. To finish, we season the mousse well with salt & pepper. Make sure to taste it then adjust the seasoning as needed (it can take a lot!).
We’re adding each dairy component in stages, to stop the mousse from splitting. - Leave To Set
Now, we pour the mousse through a sieve, into a serving dish then lay a piece of clingfilm over the surface to prevent oxidisation. The mousse now needs to be refrigerated for several hours, to set.
Cider Jelly
Chicken liver mousses & pâtés are often topped with a layer of jelly or butter to preserve the meat & to add flavour. For this chicken liver mousse, I’ve opted for a cider jelly as the fruity flavour complements the rich mousse perfectly. You don’t have to use cider though, you could use port, prosecco, apple juice or chicken stock. For the best set, I use 2 sheets of gelatine to 150ml of liquid.
To make the cider jelly, we add cider into a small pan with fresh thyme & black peppercorns then set over a low heat to warm gently & infuse. In the meantime, we soak gelatine sheets in cold water.
Once warm, we take the pan off the heat then squeeze the water out of the gelatine & stir into the cider, to dissolve. This then gets passed through a sieve, into a jug. Then once cool, it can be poured over the cold mousse then left to set in the fridge.
Tips & Tricks
- Trim off any sinew, blood vessels or discoloured bits from the chicken livers as this can make the mousse taste bitter. Giving them a rinse under cold water helps as well.
- Don’t overcook the livers as this will make the mousse grainy. When making mousses & pâtés, it’s best to cook the liver pink (like a medium steak). They’ll only take a couple of minutes to cook on each side.
- Before blending, make sure that the livers, onions & butter are all at room temperature. This prevents the mousse splitting.
- Chicken liver mousse can take a lot of seasoning, so don’t be shy with it! Make sure to keep tasting the mousse as you blend it.
- Cover the mousse’s surface with a piece of clingfilm as it sets, to prevent it from oxidising before we top it with jelly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chicken liver mousse should be stored in the fridge & is best eaten within 3 days. If you’ve added a layer of jelly or butter on top of your mousse (& haven’t served any), your mousse will keep for a couple of days extra.
Chicken liver mousse turns grey when it oxidises (been exposed to air). This is fine to eat, it’s purely aesthetic. To prevent chicken liver mousse from oxidising, you can seal the top with a layer of butter or jelly or press a layer of clingfilm onto the mousse’s surface as soon as it is made.
As chicken liver mousse contains a lot of dairy, there’s a small chance that it can split when we blend it. This is easily avoided though! To avoid splitting the mousse, the butter should be at room temperature before being added to the mousse, the livers need to be cooked slightly pink (so they aren’t overcooked) & onions and livers need to have cooled down before blending. It helps to use a jug blender as well, to blend the mousse as this helps bring everything together.
Adding a layer of jelly on top of a chicken liver mousse, seals the mousse, keeping any air out. This stops the mousse from oxidising & helps preserve its’ freshness. It tastes pretty good as well!
You can use pretty much any cider for jelly, as long as the flavour goes with whatever your serving it with. You could swap the cider out for other liquids like port, sherry, prosecco or even chicken stock.
To cook chicken liver mousse on an Aga, use the boiling plate to cook the livers & the simmering plate for the shallots/deglazing the pan and to warm the cider up for the jelly.
Equipment Used
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More Starters & Appetizers To Try!
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- Cranberry & Orange Cured Salmon
- Brie & Cranberry Stuffed Dough Balls
- Turkey Stuffing Scotch Eggs
- Feta Saganaki With Honey & Sesame
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Chicken Liver Mousse With Cider Jelly
Equipment
- Large Frying Pan
- Jug Blender/Food Processor
- Sieve
- Juicer
- Microplane/Grater
Ingredients
Chicken Liver Mousse
- 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 400 g Chicken Livers
- 2 Echalion Shallots (Peeled & Finely Diced)
- 20 g Unsalted Butter
- A Pinch Of Cayenne Pepper
- 1 tsp Thyme (Finely Chopped)
- 60 ml Sherry (Or Brandy)
To Blend
- 50 g Unsalted Butter (At Room Temperature)
- 100 g Mascarpone (Cold)
- Zest Of 1 Lemon
- 100 g Double Cream (Cold)
- 2 tsp Lemon Juice
Cider Jelly
- 150 g Cider (See Notes)
- 3 Sprigs Of Thyme
- 6 Black Peppercorns
- 2 Sheets Of Gelatine
Instructions
Chicken Liver Mousse
- First, cut each chicken liver in half then trim off any sinew, blood vessels or discoloured bits.
- Place the chicken livers into a bowl, give them a good rinse under cold water then drain well. Transfer the livers to a plate then pat dry with kitchen paper.Rinsing the livers removes any blood, which can make the mousse taste bitter.
- Set a large frying pan over a medium-high heat then add in the tbsp of veg oil & leave to heat up for a minute or two. Once hot, add in the livers then cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until well seared but still pink inside (like a medium steak!). Transfer the cooked livers to a plate then set to one side, to cool.
- Turn the heat down to medium then add the butter into the pan. Once melted, add in the diced shallots, the cayenne pepper & pinch of salt then cook, stirring regularly until soft & caramelised. This will take 5-10 minutes.
- Next, stir the chopped thyme into the shallots then deglaze the pan with the sherry, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to release all the brown bits. Keep cooking, until all of the alcohol has been evaporated then transfer the shallots to a bowl & leave to cool.
- Once the livers & shallots have cooled, add both into a jug blender then turn on. Blend for a minute, to break the livers up then add the soft butter in a small amount at a time (with the blender running still). Make sure to let each piece of butter incorporate fully before adding in more.If there's any resting juices from the livers, don't add them in as they can affect the texture of the mousse.
- Add the mascarpone & lemon zest into the blender then continue blending until incorporated. Make sure to scrape the sides of the blender down regularly.
- Next, gradually pour the double cream into the livers (with the blender running). Once all the cream has been added, continue blending for a couple of minutes, until the mousse is smooth.It's important to add the cream in slowly so that the mousse emulsifies properly. If it looks split, keep blending to bring everything together.
- Add the lemon juice to the mousse then season well with salt & pepper. Blend again, to combine then give the mousse a taste to check the seasoning, adding more salt & pepper as needed.The mousse can take quite a lot of seasoning!
- Pass the mousse through a sieve, into a serving dish, cover the surface with a piece of clingfilm (this stops the mousse from oxidising) then refrigerate until set. This will take at least a couple of hours.
Cider Jelly
- Add the cider, thyme & peppercorns into a small saucepan then set over a low heat, to warm gently. Soak the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water in the meantime.
- Once warm, take the cider off the heat. Squeeze the water out of the gelatine then stir into the cider, to dissolve.
- Pass the cider through a sieve, into a jug then leave to cool, stirring occasionally.
- Next, pour the jelly over the cold mousse (make sure to take the clingfilm off!) then leave to set in the fridge before serving. This will take a couple of hours.
