How to clean and skewer chicken hearts
The chicken heart is one of those cuts (giblets) that people tend to ignore. It might be the fact that they don’t look that appealing before they are cleaned.
But chicken hearts are great. They are delicious. They are cheap in their uncleaned version, and they are easy to cook and almost fail-proof.
The chicken heart needs a little cleaning that takes a little time, but it is easy. Just follow this guide, and you will master the chicken heart cleaning in no time.
Wait, Do you need to clean chicken hearts?
It is impossible to publish a guide on how to clean chicken hearts without mentioning the long-standing debate over whether it is necessary to clean chicken hearts or not.
The supporters of cleaning the hearts before use do it for aesthetic or religious reasons.
The opponents argue that the cleaning is redundant since the fat will melt on the fire, the blood vessels will burn off, and the clotted blood becomes liquid in the heat and will flow outside of the hearts, so why bother?
For me, I will always choose to clean the hearts before I use them.
Cleaning the hearts - butchery 101
Cleaning the chicken hearts is very simple but time-consuming as the chicken hearts are cleaned one by one.
Since we are dealing with butchery, the pictures are not the most aesthetic but as the saying goes, if you can’t stand the heat – stay out of the kitchen.
During the heart cleaning, we get rid of fat, blood vessels connected to the heart, and clotted blood that remains inside the heart after slaughter.
Few words about food safty
Since we are working with raw chicken, there is always a danger of food contamination. That is why it is essential to work clean and organized.
Wash and disinfect your hands, the work surfaces, and the sink with warm water and soap after working with raw chicken.
It is important not to bring other products into the work area until the area has been thoroughly cleaned.
Chicken heart before cleaning
The uncleaned chicken heart sometimes comes covered with a transparent membrane. The membrane is a delicate membrane layer whose function is to protect the heart.
It does not matter if the heart came with a membrane or not. The cleaning process is the same in both cases.
Step one - removing the blood veseles, membrane and fat
In the first stage we cut and remove the blood vessels and remnants of fat from the heart.
Use a sharp knife and cut the heart at the top end of the fat strip line that surrounds the heart.
After the cut, we discard the upper part of the heart.
If the heart has a membrane – we discard it by pulling it off the heart.
Step two - removing the clotted blood
The cut that we did exposes the hearts chambers and allows us to clean the clotted blood.
To clean the remnants of clotted blood, we will wash the heart under running water. It is important to let the current enter the rooms.
When the water current enters the chambers, you will feel the heart swell slightly from the water pressure.
Press the heart with your fingers and squeeze it lightly.
The pressing action removes the water and blood clots from the chambers. Repeat the operation several times until all the clots come out and the heart is clean.
Transfer the clean hearts to a storage container and repeat the process until all the hearts are clean.
Step three- skewering the chicken heart
Take a skewer and thread it through the aorta. This is the blood vessel in the center of the heart.
Push the skewer until it comes out of the tip of the heart. Push the heart down the skewer and impale another heart.
Fill the skewers with hearts but don’t forget to leave some space at the bottom of the skewer.
That’s it. The chicken hearts are cleaned, skewered, and ready for use.
How to clean and skewer chicken hearts
How to clean and skewer chicken hearts
Ingredients
- 1 Pack of skewers
- 1 Kg Uncleaned chicken heart
Instructions
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Cut the heart over the fat layer.
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Discard the upper part.
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If the heart has a membrane - remove it by pulling it off the heart.
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Wash the exposed heart chambers under running water. When the water fills the chambers, you will feel the heart swallows a bit.
Press and squeeze the heart with your fingers. This action will push the water and clotted blood out of the heart chambers. Repeat the process few times until the heart is completely clean.
Repeat this process until all the hearts are cleaned.
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Take a skewer and impale the heart through the aorta - the blood vessel in the center of the heart.
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Push the skewer until it comes out of the tip of the heart. Push the heart down the skewer and impale another heart.
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Fill the skewers with hearts but don't forget to leave some space at the bottom of the skewer.
Thank you, hard to find anything on chicken hearts. I went through two very old and popular cook books. On very limited budget. Meat chooses are very limited. Hearts, livers and gizzards. Would love more receipts using them.