Jack Monroe's southern fried chicken liver (with coleslaw). Photograph: Linda Nylind for the Guardian.
Liver is cheap, lean, nutrient-rich and quick to cook. Children may not find that argument compelling, but batter the livers and deep-fry them, and you should win out.
I'm a huge fan of chicken livers. Once a school-dinner staple, liver turns up on my kitchen table with comforting regularity. It's cheap, lean, rich in iron and vitamins and general goodness, and takes minutes to prepare and cook. My toddlers, however, are yet to be convinced. I've just about got away with a liver bolognese and a pate or two. But I recently tried a mix of chicken thighs and livers, battered and deep-fried; the white meat for them and the offal for me. They dunked the livers in ketchup along with the white meat nuggets, and didn't say a word. Result.
(Serves 4)
150g flour (self-raising is best for a light batter)
1/4 tsp sweet paprika
A pinch of salt and good grind of pepper
150ml whole milk
500g chicken livers and/or thighs, depending on your family's tastes
Oil, to fry
For best results, make your batter an hour ahead and leave in the fridge - the lightest, crispest batters are achieved by very cold batter hitting hot, hot oil. Combine the flour, paprika, salt and pepper; whisk in a little milk to a smooth paste, then gradually add more until you have a smooth and runny batter. Cover and chill. Pop the livers in a little milk to soak and put them in the fridge alongside the batter.
When your batter is nice and cold, thinly slice your chicken livers and thighs and set to one side - they're going to be cooked briefly in hot oil, so if left too chunky, they might not cook through.
Heat the oil in a small saucepan until it is gently bubbling. Turn it down and drop a small amount of batter in. If it fizzes and floats to the top, all golden and crispy, you're ready to go.
Dip each piece of liver and chicken into the batter, fry for around six minutes until cooked through, remove and place on a piece of kitchen paper or a clean tea towel to drain the excess oil. Repeat until all the liver and thigh is used. Cut one open to check it is cooked through.
If you are in any doubt as to whether your chicken is fully cooked, bake it at 180C/350F/gas mark four for 15 minutes.
For more recipe ideas, see agirlcalledjack.com or follow @MsJackMonroe on Twitter.
