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Linguini con Fegatini - Chicken liver sauce

Linguini with chicken liver sauce

When should I make it?

This is another very simple and inexpensive recipe. The ingredients are not seasonal so it’s fine to make this at any time of the year. 

It's quite a rich and robust sauce and if you're a fan of those classic Tuscan crostini with fegatini di pollo then you'll love this dish!




How long will it take?

Depending on the pasta you use it should certainly take no longer than about 15 minutes in total (and less time than that if you use fresh pasta).


What ingredients do I need?

The beauty of this recipe is it mostly requires ingredients you should generally have in stock in your kitchen:

 For about 4 people you will need:

  • 400g Linguini
  • 1 large onion
  • 500g Fresh chicken livers
  • 150-200g mushrooms
  • 1/4 cup Dry white wine / dry Marsala
  • 1/2 cup Fresh double cream
  • Parsley (chopped, I prefer the flat leaf variety for this recipe)
  • Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • Seasoning – Salt & Black Pepper
  • Olive oil


Can I use any alternatives if I can't find certain ingredients?

Instead of double cream you could use mascapone or a lighter low fat alternative to cream such as creme fraiche.

If you do not want to use alcohol you could replace with a chicken stock / broth.

You could use basil or rocket as an alternative (or indeed in addition) to parsley.


What preparation do I need to do / what can I do in advance?

This is a quick dish with little advance preparation needed. The chicken livers will need to be chopped removing fat and connective tissue. I like to keep the size of the liver as bite size chunks to give a rustic feel to the dish.

The onion and parsley will also need to be chopped. The mushrooms will need to be sliced.

What are the main steps?
  1. Fry the chopped onion over a medium heat in olive oil.
  2. Heat a pan of salted water for the pasta and add the linguini when the water starts to boil. Cook the pasta in accordance with instructions on the packaging.
  3. Once the onion is soft add the mushrooms.
  4. In a separate pan, fry the chicken livers on a medium-high heat. Let them sear and cook through but be careful not to overcook as they will become like rubber. Once cooked remove from heat and leave to one side.
  5. Once the mushroom and onions are cooked add the wine to the pan and let reduce. Then add the cream and allow to reduce into a sauce before adding in the chicken livers and reducing the heat to low. Test the sauce for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Drain the pasta once it is al dente and add to the pan with the chicken liver sauce.
  7. Mix and coat the pasta with the sauce in the pan and add the chopped parsley then serve.

How should I serve it?

Serve in bowls with extra sprinkling of Parmesan and some black pepper to taste. Some people like to drizzle a few drops of some good quality olive oil over the dish too just before serving.


Are there any variations to this recipe that I could try?

Try with porcini mushrooms instead of button / chestnut mushrooms

It can also be nice with some peas, pancetta, chili and garlic.


What are the origins of this recipe?

This recipe originates from North Italy (Veneto / Verona).


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