Sykotakia me Lahanika (pr. see-koh-TAH-khia meh Lah-chah-knee-KHA) are braised chicken livers with vegetables.
This dish is not only easy to make but also very nutritious, because it contains protein, vitamins, and minerals.
The livers and vegetables with the spices and other ingredients blend together to to make a surprisingly mild gourmet dish.
Many people shudder at the thought of cooking or eating liver but in Greece we eat it a lot.
I love sykotakia (livers), especially, chicken livers, however, I don’t cook them very often as chicken livers are high in cholesterol and only cook them two or three times a year, mostly during Easter.
Before cooking it, I remove all the visible fat, then boil the livers and discard the water, hoping that this will get rid of some of the cholesterol 🙂
However, my cholesterol levels are back to normal and most of the time I do eat healthy, so that once in a while I can indulge into some of my favourite food.
Last year when we went to Switzerland, we visited Grenoble, in France and when we went to a restaurant for lunch, on the menu of the day they served chicken liver with green salad.
We loved it so much that when we came back I tried to remember all the flavours to make a similar dish. I added more ingredients than the French salad, which we liked.
As I never posted this recipe since then, so as actually after a year I made the chicken livers again, I am posting both recipes today.
How I recreated the French Inspired Green Salad with Chicken Livers
I washed the livers and removed any visible fat.
I blanched the livers for 1 minute and then drained the water. (The boiling part is optional, but in my opinion you get rid of some of the fat).).
I sautéd the onion until translucent and then added the chicken livers.
I added some wine, salt, pepper and bay leaf and finally the tomatoes.
I cooked the livers for fifteen minutes.
I then add the walnuts and cooked it for another 2 – 3 minutes.
I prepare the salad and served the chicken giblets on top.
French inspired Green salad with chicken livers
I ate this salad in a French restaurant, so I recreated it using my imagination.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo chicken livers
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup white dry wine
- 2 ripe fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ cup of walnuts
Green Salad with pomegranate:
- 1- 2 small tender lettuce hearts, coarsely cut
- 1 cup fresh coriander, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup dill, finely chopped
- 2 spring onions, finely chopped
- The seeds of ¼ of a pomegranate
- Salt
Vinaigrette:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 clove garlic
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp pomegranate syrup
Instructions
- Wash the livers and remove any fat. In a saucepan bring some water to boil and add the livers. Boil for 1 minute and then remove from the heat. Allow to cool and then drain. (The boiling part is optional).
- Heat olive oil in the sautéing pan and sauté the onion until translucent.
- Add the chicken livers and sauté on all sides. Add the wine, salt, pepper and bay leaf and finally the tomatoes.
- Mix well, cover with lid, lower heat to minimum and cook for fifteen minutes.
- Add the walnuts and cook for another 2 - 3 minutes.
- Prepare the salad and toss with the vinaigrette.
- Serve the chicken giblets on top of the salad.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 619Total Fat 35gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 25gCholesterol 944mgSodium 440mgCarbohydrates 24gFiber 3gSugar 11gProtein 46g
The next recipe is also my concoction.
During Christmas I stuff the turkey with a chicken liver filling and based on that recipe I have made some changes and added some vegetables and more ingredients to make it a meal by itself.
Fianlly, instead of adding raisins, I poached some grapes and added in the recipe. However, if grapes are not in season, the raisins are also wonderful.
The above recipe is included in my cookbook Mint, Cinnamon & Blossom Water, Flavours of Cyprus, Kopiaste!
Sykotakia me Lahanika (Braised Chicken Livers with Poached Grapes)
Sykotakia me Lahanika (pr. see-koh-TAH-khia meh Lah-chah-knee-KHA) are chicken livers with vegetables. This easy and nutricious recipe is made with chicken livers, vegetables, rice, nuts and poached grapes.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo (2.20 lbs) chicken livers and hearts
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 5 small courgettes (zucchini), cut into thin slices
- 1 cup of bell peppers various colours, cut into slices
- 10 button mushrooms, sliced
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 5 green onions, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 cup red dry wine
- 1 cup uncooked long grain rice
- ½ cup almonds coarsely chopped
- 1 cup water
- Salt and freshly ground various peppers
- A pinch of cumin
- A pinch of ground coriander
- ½ of the poached grapes with juice or use ½ cup sultana raisins
Instructions
- Wash the giblets and remove any fat. Cut into smaller pieces about 1 inch and wash again.
- In a saucepan bring some water to boil and add the giblets. Boil for 1 minute and then remove from the heat. Allow to cool and then drain.
- In a sautéing pan add 1 tablespoon olive oil and sauté the vegetables. Remove to a platter and set aside.
- Add the remaining oil and sauté the onions and the garlic until translucent. Add the giblets and sauté for a few minutes. Add the rice, almonds, (raisins) and spices and the wine and mix for 1 minute.
- Add the water, lower heat and simmer for about fifteen minutes, checking it every now and then. Five minutes before the end add the vegetables and poached grapes and cook for another 3 - 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and allow to rest for 10 minutes and absorb all the juices before serving.
Nutrition Information
Yield 5 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 720Total Fat 32gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 23gCholesterol 1126mgSodium 380mgCarbohydrates 44gFiber 6gSugar 22gProtein 57g
Since then, I have made Sykotakia me Lahanika many times and after making this recipe over and over again this is now our favourite way of eating it.
The last time I made this recipe I made the video as well.
My new recipe is with chicken livers and vegetables cooked in a ladolemono sauce. Ladolemono, is a Greek sauce made with extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and oregano, which pairs well with grilled meat or fish.
I serve it with a simple rice pilaf and more boiled vegetables.
The video you are watching is based on this recipe.
Chicken Livers Ladolemono
A Greek recipe with chicken livers and vegetables cooked in a "ladolemono" (olive oil and lemon) sauce. This dish is not only easy to make but also very nutritious.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 kilo chicken livers and hearts
- 1 cup various colours bell peppers, cut julienne
- 2 large carrots, shredded
- ½ cup finely chopped celery
- 1 cup whit dry wine
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Wash the livers and hearts and remove any visible fat.
- Cut into smaller pieces about 3 cm (1 inch), wash again and strain.
- In a sautéing pan add the olive oil and sauté the onion until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for a few seconds, until fragrant.
- Add the livers and sauté for about five minutes, until no longer pink.
- Add the bell pepper, carrots, celery and mix.
- Add the wine cook for a few minutes for the alcohol to evaporate and then add the lemon juice and spices. Cover the sautéing pan with the lid, lower heat and simmer for about fifteen minutes, checking it every now and then.
- Serve with Rice Pilaf and more vegetables.
Nutrition Information
Yield 5 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 498Total Fat 24gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 16gCholesterol 1126mgSodium 298mgCarbohydrates 10gFiber 2gSugar 3gProtein 50g
Liver Recipes
Some more recipes with chicken, veal or lamb/goat liver.
Chicken Livers Ladolemono
A Greek recipe with chicken livers and vegetables cooked in a ladolemono sauce,
Tourkakia (grilled offal)
Tourkakia is one of the traditional delicacies we first ate in Sparta. Fragrant offal from goat or lamb wrapped in caul fat and grill over charcoal.
Magiritsa
Magiritsa is the Greek soup, made from lamb offal, lettuce and avgolemono sauce and the first meal served after the 40 days fasting of Lent.
Kokoretsi
Kokoretsi is a traditional Greek dish made mainly, but not only, during Easter, consisting mainly of seasoned pieces of lamb or goat offal (sweetbread, hearts, lungs, or kidneys), skewered on a spit and wrapped with lamb or goat caul fat and intestines and grilled together with the lamb.
Sykoti (Goat or lamb offal) Riganato, Ladolemono with Peppers
Offal are the organs (such as the liver, lungs, heart, kidney and sweetbread) of an animal that are used for food.
Kopiaste and Kali Orexi!
Peter
Friday 23rd of October 2009
That's a very colourful dish...I would taste it, despite my aversion to liver. Peoples' tastes change and I do try foods (like liver) once a year to see if I've changed. Kai tou xprono!
Lisa Henderson
Friday 23rd of October 2009
I have never eaten chicken livers before but the dish looks so beautiful and packed with flavours, I think I am going to try it.
Cakelaw
Friday 23rd of October 2009
LOL - you've got that right Ivy. Apart from the cringe that I felt when I read that this was a liver dish, it does look delicious - and after all, pate is a delicacy which I don't mind.
Jenn AKA The Leftover Queen
Friday 23rd of October 2009
Wow, Ivy! This dish is so colorful! I never would have thought in a million years it was chicken livers. I think even I could be tempted to try it!
Natasha - 5 Star Foodie
Thursday 22nd of October 2009
When I was growing up, we had chicken livers a lot, but I haven't had it in a while. Chicken livers sound delicious with poached grapes!