1 hour
to soak the mushrooms
Susan says
People who dislike innards aren’t necessarily logical or consistent about their distaste. Why is liver fine (and some like only foie gras but won't eat veal or chicken liver) but heart is not? Some are OK with sweetbreads but horrified at the thought of eating lung or kidney.
Each type of innard has its own texture (one of the reasons I like them) and they are usually more strongly flavoured than other types of meat (another plus). Other reasons to seek them out: they tend to be economical (well, not foie gras or sweetbreads) and score highly in the ethics of not wasting food. After all, if you are going to kill an animal for food, the whole thing should be eaten, not just the prime cuts.
You can make this with chicken hearts only or with a combination of hearts, gizzards and livers.
4-6, depending on size
dried shiitake mushrooms
450g (16oz)
chicken hearts (or hearts, gizzards and livers)
2
lap cheong (air-dried Chinese sausages)
1 thin slice
fresh ginger, peeled
2-3
garlic cloves, peeled
2
red banana chillies, or another type of long, mild chilli
10ml (2tsp)
light soy sauce
a pinch
ground white pepper
Directions
Rinse the mushrooms briefly under running water, then put them in a bowl of cold water and leave for about three hours, or until fully hydrated, turning them over occasionally.
If using only chicken hearts, squeeze them so any blood inside is extracted. If also using other innards, discard any tough parts from the gizzards, then cut them in half; and separate the two lobes of the liver and cut away any connective tissue and visible veins.
Squeeze the liquid from the mushrooms, then cut off and discard the stems. Slice the caps about 5mm (1/4 inch) thick. Slice the lap cheong and banana chillies on the diagonal into pieces about 5mm (¼in) thick. Thinly slice the garlic. Cut the spring onions into 4cm (1½in) lengths.
In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, sea salt and pepper. Put the cornstarch into another small bowl and add about 50ml (3tbsp and 1tsp) of the liquid used to soak the mushrooms.
Heat a wok over a high flame and when it’s hot, add about 10ml (2tsp) of cooking oil. Swirl the wok so the surface is lightly coated with oil. Add the ginger, garlic and banana chillies and stir-fry for about 15 seconds. Add the spring onion, stir briefly to coat with the oil, then remove the ingredients from the wok.
Heat the wok again over a high flame and add the lap cheong. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pieces are lightly browned. Add the chicken hearts (or hearts, gizzards and liver) and stir-fry until the ingredients start to lose their pink colour. Add the sliced mushrooms then pour in the soy sauce/rice wine seasoning mixture, stir briefly, and scrape the ingredients to the centre of the wok. Turn the flame to low, cover the wok with the lid and simmer for several minutes, or until the innards are almost fully cooked, stirring occasionally.
Remove the lid and turn the flame to high. Add the ginger, garlic, chilli and spring onion back into the wok and mix briefly. Stir the cornstarch and soaking liquid mixture and drizzle about half of it into the wok and mix well. The sauce should lightly coat the ingredients; if it’s too thin, drizzle in more of the cornstarch mixture. Taste for seasonings and adjust, if needed.
Scoop the ingredients onto a serving plate and serve with steamed white rice and stir-fried green vegetables.
These air fryer chicken hearts are packed with flavor and cooked to perfection. Chicken hearts and gizzards are commonly enjoyed during barbecue cook outs in the Brazilian culture. Growing up, I remember my mother seasoning these delicious little chicken hearts, or coracaozinho de frango as Brazilians would say, and my father grilling them up almost every weekend. Some of my friends thought it was odd that we
ate chicken hearts but it was just a part of our culture and cuisine. If you try this recipe and enjoy it, make sure to give these Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Legs and this Air Fryer Chorizo a try as well.
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Ingredients
- Chicken Hearts – This recipe is primarily for chicken hearts but works well for chicken gizzards if you can’t find the hearts by themselves at the grocery store.
- Lime Juice – Squeeze fresh lime juice over the chicken hearts.
- Salt, Pepper, Granulated Garlic, Paprika Powder and Dried Parsley – Combine the spices together before tossing the chicken hearts with all of the seasoning.
Open the air fryer basket and shake the chicken hearts every 5 minutes or so to ensure even cooking.
How To Make Air Fryer Chicken Hearts
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F.
- In a bowl, combine the salt, pepper, granulated garlic, paprika powder and dried parsley.
- Transfer the chicken hearts to a bowl and squeeze lime juice over them.
- Add the seasonings to the bowl and toss the chicken hearts to combine with all of the spices.
- Place the chicken hearts in the air fryer and cook at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes.
- Open the air fryer basket and shake the chicken hearts or gizzards every 5 minutes or so.
- Once finished cooking, transfer to a plate and top with fresh parsley. Serve immediately and enjoy.
Can I Use Gizzards Instead?
If you can’t find chicken hearts at the grocery store, then chicken gizzards will work just fine. Chicken gizzards are a combination of the small organs from the chicken like hearts and liver. If you enjoy eating chicken heart, then chances are you’ve also had chicken liver as well.
Storing Suggestions
Store completely cooled air fried chicken hearts in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Once ready to enjoy again, you may heat up in the air fryer at the lowest setting until completely heated through or warm up in the microwave.
Recipe Notes
- It’s important to open the air fryer basket and give the chicken hearts a good shake every 5 minutes or so for them to cook evenly.
- Chicken hearts have a nice, dark brown color once they’re ready to enjoy.
- If you like them very well-done, cook for an extra 5-10 minutes according to preference.
- Always read your air fryer manual before using it.
- 1 1/2 lb chicken hearts
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tsp salt or to taste
- 3 tsp granulated garlic or to taste
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tsp paprika powder
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- fresh parsley for garnishing
Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F.
In a bowl, combine the salt, pepper, granulated garlic, paprika powder and dried parsley.
Transfer the chicken hearts to a bowl and squeeze lime juice over them.
Add the seasonings to the bowl and toss the chicken hearts to combine with all of the spices.
Place the chicken hearts in the air fryer and cook at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes.
Open the air fryer basket and shake the chicken hearts or gizzards every 5 minutes or so.
Once finished cooking, transfer to a plate and top with fresh parsley. Serve immediately and enjoy.
- It’s important to open the air fryer basket and give the chicken hearts a good shake every 5 minutes or so for them to cook evenly.
- Cook in batches if you have a smaller air fryer.
- Chicken hearts have a nice, dark brown color once they’re ready to enjoy.
- If you like them very well-done, cook for an extra 5-10 minutes according to preference.
- Always read your air fryer manual before using it.
Calories: 270kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 231mg | Sodium: 1290mg | Potassium: 338mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 56IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 10mg