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Chicken Hearts in Cream Sauce
Instructions
Prepare all the ingredients you need. Peel and wash the onion, garlic and carrot. Rinse the chicken hearts and remove the membranes, tubes, excess fat and blood.
Heat the vegetable oil in a pan and add the onion, carrot and garlic. Stir and sauté over medium heat until softened.
Then add the chicken hearts to the pan and fry for another 10 minutes.
Once the hearts have lightened on top, add salt, pepper and your favourite spices. Pour in enough water to lightly cover the hearts and vegetables, then stew covered for 40-50 minutes.
The hearts are now cooked – all that's left is to give them a creamy flavour and make the sauce tender and aromatic. Pour the cream into the pan, stir, bring to the boil covered, then reduce uncovered for 5-7 minutes. By then the sauce will have thickened nicely.
At the end, add some herbs and remove from the heat.The chicken hearts in cream sauce are ready to serve. Enjoy your meal!
Tips
- 1
Clean the hearts thoroughly, removing the membranes, tubes and blood. Without this preparation they will taste bitter and look unappetising in the sauce.
- 2
Stew for 40-50 minutes – offal needs a long stew to become tender. Undercooked, the hearts stay "rubbery".
- 3
Add the cream at the end – after stewing in water. If you add it at the start, it will curdle during the long cooking and the sauce will "split".
- 4
Reduce uncovered for 5-7 minutes – this way the sauce thickens naturally without flour or starch. The same principle works in other offal dishes.
Video
FAQ
How do I choose chicken hearts? +
Fresh hearts are a reddish-brown colour, firm, with a light meaty aroma. Avoid any with a grey coating, an unpleasant smell or a too-loose texture. Chilled are preferable to frozen – after thawing, offal becomes more "watery". A medium size of 3-4 cm is best, and hearts of even size cook more uniformly. Avoid "weathered" hearts on shop shelves – they may have been sitting out for a long time. For "premium" quality, buy from farms (free-range birds).
What can replace the cream? +
Alternatives: 20% sour cream (a more "sour" option, but tasty), milk + 1 tbsp flour (lighter, but a different texture), kefir (for a "tangy" note, an unusual flavour), cream cheese (melt it into the sauce – it makes it more tender), processed cheese (for a "cheesy" sauce). Cream of 20-30% is the optimal fat content: not "heavy", but not "watery" either. Below 10% the sauce won't thicken; above 33% it will be "fatty". For a lighter version – 10% cream + 1 tbsp flour for thickness. For vegans – coconut or soy cream (plant-based substitutes).
How long do the hearts in sauce keep? +
In the fridge in a covered container – 2-3 days. The next day the flavour is brighter, as the cream and spices soak into the hearts. Reheat over low heat, avoiding a vigorous boil (the cream may curdle). In the freezer – up to 1 month, but after thawing the sauce may split and the hearts become less tender. It's better to freeze the cooked dish without the sauce and add fresh sauce when reheating. Ideally serve on the day of cooking – the tender texture is at its peak and the sauce is perfectly thick.
What side dish should I serve it with? +
Classics: mashed potato (the sauce perfectly "hugs" the mash), boiled basmati or jasmine rice, durum-wheat pasta (penne, fusilli – the sauce holds in the grooves). With buckwheat it's "homestyle", hearty and wholesome. With bulgur or couscous for an Eastern note. With stewed vegetables for a light supper. With baked potato for a restaurant-style presentation. For a "hearty" dinner – with fried potatoes and mushrooms. Pair with a dry white wine (Chardonnay, Riesling) or beer. Garnish with spring onion, parsley or dill for freshness.
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