Gorgeous navels: the best chicken stomach recipes

How to choose 

Chicken offal, and especially stomachs, is a real minefield for a cook. The fact is that fresh stomachs are stored for no more than 2 days, so it is very likely to run into a stale product. First, sniff – there should be no pungent smell from the cleaned stomachs, not only of their contents, but also of vinegar, with the help of which sellers could try to “reanimate” them. Second, don’t buy pre-pickled stomachs. There is a possibility that the seller decided in this way to sell the questionable product. Finally, take a closer look at the “navels”, they should be an even pink color, slightly damp, fresh in appearance and with a pleasant smell. By no means slimy, too white and, on the contrary, weathered. 

How to clean 

Honestly, cleaning unprocessed chicken stomachs (these are sometimes sold directly on the chicken farm or in the market) is a hell of a job. It is better to close the doors to the kitchen in the process, and open the windows wide open, since the smell will not be pleasant. Therefore, we process the ventricles one by one – to avoid a massive attack of the stench. 

So, we take one ventricle, cut it in half lengthwise, holding the nose, remove all its contents, and then thoroughly rinse it under running cold water. Better yet, after the first rinsing, cleanse the stomachs with salt and send them back to rinse.  

Next, you need to remove the yellow inner film. It is quite durable, so if you can’t remove it right away, you can quickly scald your stomachs with boiling water and then throw it into ice water. The film is removed much more easily. We also remove the cartilages – if this is not done, the stomachs will not chew.    

When there is not a fragment of films, cartilage and fat left on the ventricles, we thoroughly wash everything again, put the stomachs in a bowl of very cold water and applaud our perseverance. 

But, fortunately for us, today in most cases we are dealing with already processed by-products. This makes life much easier for us, but it should not deprive us of our vigilance. The fact is that in most cases the ventricles in large production facilities are cleaned not by a person, but by a machine. Therefore, it is worth inspecting them for residues of fat, films and cartilages and everything else, and this “all the rest” should be carefully removed. And make sure that they did not get a piece of liver, and together with it, a bile sac. This is rare, but if you are unlucky, the dish will be spoiled.  

Boil or fry immediately?

Chicken stomachs have a lot of connective tissue, so frying is not enough. Only by pre-boiling the “navels” can you achieve tenderness and softness from them. 

Put the prepared offal in a saucepan and fill it with cold water, so that the water level is 5-7 cm higher than the offal put into it. Put on high heat, remove the foam after boiling. Then reduce heat and simmer the stomachs at a low boil until half cooked (about 40 minutes to 1 hour). You can put a peeled onion, carrot or parsley root into the broth during cooking. You do not need to immediately remove the stomachs from the pan – let them remain in the broth until they reach the pan. 

LifeFac: before cooking, do not cut the stomachs into pieces, they will be juicier whole. 

What to spice up 

Use the same spices for chicken stomachs that you usually use for chicken. Dry basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, or coriander can be added to start frying or braising. But add black and red peppers at the very end of cooking – otherwise they can give the dish too harsh bitterness. 

7 best recipes for chicken stomachs

Hearty rice with a Chinese accent

Originally from New York’s Chinatown, this dish is also known as dirty rice. Why dirty? From the point of view of sanitation, everything is fine here, and the dish gets its dark color due to the chicken offal. In general, this is a kind of pilaf made from chicken stomachs and vegetables. Delicious and satisfying!

Chinese rice with chicken stomachs

Chicken stomach pate

We are used to making pate from the liver, but it turns out no worse from the ventricles. The main thing is to boil them well, add more spices and wait until the pate is covered with an appetizing butter crust. With a piece of spongy country bread – one of the best snacks. Moreover, it is extremely budgetary. 

Chicken ventricle pate

Korean style tender chicken stomachs 

An easy-to-serve dish in which chicken stomachs turn, if not into a delicacy, then into a very bright Asian dish. Play as you like with the side dish. To support the oriental theme, rice and noodles will do (buckwheat soba will be very good). And if you want to add a picnic-friendly feel, serve with grilled vegetables or lightly fried asparagus.

Chicken stomachs in Korean

Soup with chicken stomachs, shiitaki and baked garlic 

Dried shiitake mixes with baked garlic give this soup a rich woody flavor. It’s light and filling at the same time – a great start to a family meal on a chilly day.

Soup with chicken yolks, shiitaki and baked garlic

Ossetian pie with juicy filling from chicken stomachs 

Wonderful fluffy and juicy pie. But its main advantage is that even those who begin to wrinkle their nose at the word “offal” will not notice any trick here. Because the filling tastes not of offal at all, but of real meat. And the details under the ruddy crust are not visible.

Ossetian pie stuffed with chicken stomachs

Baked eggplant with giblets 

Fried eggplants are a luxury in themselves, and if you put a light meat filling in the boats, it will turn out just fine. There is something Georgian, spicy, homemade in this recipe. As if for the summer they had dropped in to see their grandmother from Tbilisi, and she was trying to give her granddaughter tastier food.

Eggplant stuffed with chicken stomachs

Chicken stomach kebabs with vegetables 

A festive dish made from almost nothing – that is, from offal. Ginger-honey sauce changes the taste of giblets beyond recognition. In the sense that even the biggest haters will eat such kebabs with pleasure, without even asking what you put on skewers so deliciously crispy.

Chicken stomach kebabs with vegetables