How to Pressure-Cook Chicken Gizzards Before Frying

When you work with variety meats such as chicken gizzards, you have a lot of fibrous, tough tissue to contend with.
Image Credit: OlyaSolodenko/iStock/GettyImages

When you work with variety meats such as chicken gizzards, you have a lot of fibrous, tough tissue to contend with. You have to break down that tissue before using a dry-heat cooking method like frying to prepare them. A better alternative is making chicken gizzards recipes in a pressure cooker.

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Cooking gizzards can take hours if you go the low-temperature, slow-cooking route. Pressure cookers break down a gizzard in less than 30 minutes. Never try to fry gizzards in a pressure cooker, though, because boiling oil will melt the gaskets and spray from the pressure valve and lid.

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Store food safely before cooking chicken gizzards recipes in a pressure cooker. According to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, chicken giblets, such as gizzards, can be stored in the refrigerator for one to two days. For longer storage, freeze at 0 degrees Fahrenheit for up to three to four months.

Read more: How to Cook Chicken Gizzards, the Surprisingly Nutritious Part of a Chicken You're Probably Not Eating

Clean Your Gizzards

Step 1: Slice in Half

Place a gizzard on the work surface so you can see the equatorial diagonal seam that runs around it. Position the blade of the fillet knife on the seam and slice the gizzard in half.

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Step 2: Submerge in Water

Submerge the gizzard halves in a bowl of water. Run your fingers through the grooves on the inside and outside of the gizzard and dislodge the debris and grit.

Step 3: Trim Some More

Return the gizzard halves to the work surface and cut the lip of tissue that runs around the edges of the halves.

Step 4: Remove the Grinder Plate

Position one of the gizzard halves on its side and slice off the grinder plate, a 1/4-inch-thick piece of tissue that helps the chicken grind seeds.

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You should see only dark red meat on the inside of the gizzard after you slice off the grinder plate. Repeat with the other gizzard half.

Step 5: Slice the Silverskin

Insert the tip of the knife under the silverskin, the thin sheath of iridescent connective tissue covering the gizzard. Slice the silverskin off both of the gizzard halves.

Step 6: Trim Rubbery Tissue

Trim off all the white, bumpy rubbery tissue. The gizzard should be a pure maroon mass of meat when you finish cleaning and trimming it. Rinse the gizzards under running water.

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Pressure-Cook Gizzards

Step 1: Add Gizzards and Liquid

Place the cleaned gizzards in the pressure cooker, along with at least 1 1/2 cups of stock or water. Secure the lid on the pressure cooker and place it on the stove.

Step 2: Set the Pressure

Set the heat under the pressure cooker to high and let the cooker build pressure. Some pressure cookers have a metal jiggler that rocks back and forth in the pressure valve on the lid; when the jiggler jiggles two to three times a minute, the cooker has reached cooking pressure.

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Adjust the heat as needed to maintain cooking pressure. If your cooker has a valve stem that rises as pressure builds, wait until it reaches 15 psi and adjust the heat to maintain it.

Step 3: Cook the Gizzards

Pressure cook gizzards for 25 minutes. After that time is up, take the pressure cooker off the stove and let the pressure dissipate naturally. The gizzards still cook during the cool-down period.

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Step 4: Remove the Cover

Remove the cover from the cooker when the pressure dissipates for safety, as advised by Utah State University Extension. Most pressure cookers unlock only when the pressure dissipates fully.

Step 5: Remove and Cool

Remove the gizzards in the power pressure cooker and let them cool to room temperature. Pat the gizzards dry before frying them.

Check the final temperature of your gizzards before serving. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, chicken should be cooked to a minimum of 165 F.

Read more: The Health Benefits of Gizzards

Tip

Supermarket gizzards are usually already cleaned. Refer to the pressure cooker's instructions for detailed information about how to use your specific model.

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