How to cook fried chicken gizzards that are tender?

Question

There is a local place that cooks amazing fried chicken gizzards. Somehow they are really tender, and yet the breading on them is still crispy. Every time I try to make them they turn out extremely chewy. What could their secret possibly be?

I have tried getting really fresh (never frozen) gizzards from local farms, but I still can't cook them right!

Answer 1

According to my grandmother, chicken gizzards should be parboiled before being breaded for frying. She suggests a 10- to 15-minute parboil (clean your gizzards, put them in a pot, fill the pot with cold water until the gizzards are just covered, and time the parboil from the moment you achieve a hard boil). She also suggests thoroughly cooling and drying the gizzards before breading them.

Answer 2

In order to get them tender as most restaurants, you would need a pressure cooker that will get them even more tender than boiling; also, braising then simmering works well.

After you either pressure cook, boil, or braise, I recommend cooling them in buttermilk for at least 2 hours; adding a little vinegar to the whole milk works. The milk and the vinegar will help break down some of the tough tissues, and pull out some of the gamy taste that things like gizzard, heart and other organs have.

Next, make your breaded seasoning, and toss them in breading and fry; 350° F is optimal frying temperature for almost everything.

Answer 3

Chicken gizzards are pretty tough, and unless prepared correctly will almost certainly turn out a little 'chewy' My advise would be to use a combination of marinading and simmering in water for before coating in the crumb and frying.

For the marinade you can choose whichever ingredients you feel comfortable with, but as an idea, use salt, pepper, perhaps a herb mix, minced garlic, chilli sauce or soy sauce etc. You can marinade before or after simmering, I believe after is better.

To simmer, place gizzards in a pan and cover with cold water make sure the water is a least 2 to 3cm above the gizzards. Add an onion and bay leaf. Bring the water to a boil then cover and simmer for 2 to 2 and half hours. Add more hot water if needed. Once done, let cool slightly, add to the marinade and refrigerate for about an hour. At this point you're ready to fry.

Coat the gizzards in whichever bread mix you choose by shaking together in a sealed plastic bag. then fry in plenty of hot oil, in small batches.

Answer 4

Make a stock as the one used for the risotto with saffron (but you can omit the saffron). Put the gizzards in the pan and pour some broth in it. Cover the pan and cook over a low heat; add broth when needed.

Answer 5

The only true way to make tenderized deep fried battered gizzards is to steam cook them first, then batter and Frye, when ready dip your inner tender gizzards with a crunchy batter into hot sauce or Bullseye bbq. nothings as yummy as a battered tender gizzard.....