Chicken
gizzard and rice
a
modern-day
peasant dish
Chicken gizzards and rice is a dish that I have come to love
in good times and bad. For some it is an acquired taste, but as a kid I came to
love the taste and chewie texture. Unlike in those days of only getting one set of
giblets per chicken, modern times have made it available at most grocery stores
in large packages. Although hearts and gizzards (how most are packaged these
days) are the toughest part of the bird, they're also one of the lowest in fat content
and one of the cheapest.
1.
Chicken gizzards …………………………………………… about $1.50
2.
brown rice………….…………………………………………………... $2.00
3.
one can cream of condensed mushroom soup…….…. $1.50
4.
salad of your choice including dressing …………………… $3.00
5.
in season fruit …………………………………………………………. $2.00
4 Servings total: $10.00
Should feed a family of four for about $2.50 per
person add grated cheese for an additional $.50 per person for a total of $3 per
person. Prices may fluctuate depending on your location and seasonal fruit.
Cooking the rice
The first thing I cook is 2 cups of quick rice
according to the instructions on the packaging. Use
a pot large enough to allow you to add the gizzards and a can of condensed
mushroom soup when rice is finished cooking. (About
a two or 3 quart pan )This will take about 15 min. if
you're using quick rice, if your using regular rice about 45 min. While rice is
cooking I prepare the hearts and gizzards.
preparing the package of hearts & gizzards
Most chicken hearts and gizzards, come out of the package looking
like this. Their machine processed and as a result most times are not a finished product. The yellow lining on the gizzards must be removed or your whole meal
will come out tasting very bad and the meat will be unpalatable.
Using
your fingernail scrape and peel any yellow lining you find on any of the gizzards
and discard. You
can trim any additional fat that you find at this time but I usually find so
little it's not worth the effort.
Once you have your gizzards peeled and meat washed their
ready for cooking. I usually use a microwave oven and a casserole dish with
lid. Place the gizzards and hearts in the casserole dish and season with pepper
and salt and a dash of garlic powder. Cook in the microwave oven for about 7 to 8 min. Be sure and use a lid as they will pop as
they are cooking.
When done your hearts and gizzards should be a nice
brown color all the way through with no blood. There may be some grease left at
the bottom of the dish. This can be drained off and discarded or saved for soup
stock.
When
your rice is finished cooking add the hearts and gizzards along with one can of
condensed cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup.
(Note:
put hearts and gizzards through food processor prior to mixing with rice for smaller bite sizes and less chewy meat.)
Mix thoroughly.
You can add a half cup of your favorite shredded
cheese to the mix or just use as a garnish as I have here.
Peel , core and slice a fresh pair and add your
favorite salad and there you have your
high-protein, low-fat dinner on a low-budget.
