Gizzard Warning

Gizzard and Mushroom Quiche

Chicken Gizzards, Shiitake Mushrooms, Portobello Mushrooms, Oyster Mushrooms, Sage, Chives 

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I still hold true to the thinking that many people who claim they don't like chicken gizzards only decided so when they found out what parts of the chicken gizzards are. I believe if most folks first tasted gizzards — in a delicious culinary application — they would then suffer no ideological aversion.

I first enjoyed gizzards ground up in a southern dish called hash, which is usually a barbecue-flavored stew of ground meat, often vinegar- and mustard-based, sometimes with potatoes added for depth and body. The ground gizzards might as well have been pork or beef to me at the time, either way the I thought the hash quite yummy.

I still today like gizzards for their earthy, dark meat chicken flavor and comforting firm bite, and recently par-boiled then diced some to add to a quiche with a melange of shiitake, baby portobello, and oyster mushrooms.

Brightened by a bit of Dijon mustard, ground sage, and chopped chives, the gizzards evoke a homey comfort food nostalgia, while being as well the primary texture element with its firm, flavorful bites — the mushrooms helping to balance out the quiches inherent rustic flavor profile.

I find it easier to convert people previously averse to eating gizzards where it counts, with their palates.