Chicken hearts deserve all the attention and refocus because how are we even overlooking this nutrient rich offal? We critically need to go back to our ancient foods and cooking techniques where food is cooked low and slow and animal parts were deliberately included in meals for their super nutrients. I am telling you, our ancestors knew what they were doing long before modern science.
I bought these chicken hearts at Palace Mall Labone whilst looking to buy meats for the home. Instantly, my palate took a memory trip to my childhood when we’d grill chicken hearts & intestines over charcoals after cleaning out a freshly killed broiler. My Dad had a backyard poultry farm where he raised broilers to feed the home and myself and my cousins had the responsibility of killing and cleaning the chickens. I bet you can’t imagine me doing this deed to live chickens😂. Shwer! We’d literally have a competition to see who killed the most chickens😭😂. So once the chickens finished bleeding out, we’d pour boiling water on the feathers, peel them off and cut out the offal. We’d get excited to see the occasional eggs inside a layer bird. I would stick a broomstick inside the intestines to clean them out and then wash out the remaining guts. We would then season the intestines and chicken hearts with simple chilli pepper powder and salt, stick it on khebab sticks and slow grill it over the blazing coals. Delicious isn’t a sufficient word to describe the final outcome. Divinely spicy, smokey, chewy and perfect! What a time it was!
I’m curious, why did we start avoiding offal? They’re packed with nutrients! If you’re looking to build muscle, boost your energy, improve your heart health, increase your red blood cells, or have a healthier pregnancy, incorporating more offal into your diet is definitely a game-changer!
You need very few ingredients to have this flavourful dish ready in less than 30 minutes. I added prɛkɛsɛ to this braised chicken heart recipe for it’s earthy and aromatic flavour which you should absolutely do as it carries incredible health benefits by itself also.
Benefits of chicken hearts
Packed with quality protein
Chicken hearts are a great source of protein that your body can easily use. This helps with building and repairing muscles, keeping your immune system strong, and maintaining healthy body tissues. If you are a gym rat you should include chicken hearts into your diet but eat it in a balanced form.Full of energy-boosting B vitamins
They contain important B vitamins like B12, B2, B3, and folate. These nutrients help your body produce energy, support your nerves, and keep your blood healthy.Rich in important minerals
Chicken hearts provide iron, zinc, and selenium. Iron helps prevent tiredness and supports blood health, zinc boosts your immune system and healing, while selenium helps protect your body and supports thyroid function.Nutrient-rich with healthy fats
They also contain beneficial fats and CoQ10, which support your heart health, give your cells energy, and help protect your body from damage—especially when enjoyed as part of a balanced diet.
Recipe for Braised PrƐkɛsɛ Chicken Heart
Ingredients
500g chicken heart
2 medium-sized onions sliced thinly
1/2 knob of grated ginger
A broken piece of cinnamon stick
a knob of Prɛkɛsɛ
2 leaves of bay leaves
whole dried chilli
Dark soy sauce
Light soy sauce
Salt
Watch the recipe below on my tiktok channel
This sauce is beyond divine! It's aromatic, sweet and savory and a delight on the palate! The hearts were tender chewy and not bitter at all! It finished in seconds!
Sides to accompany this sauce can be sweet potatoes and rice.
Too long have we neglected certain animal offals as part of our diet. In Ghana, the more popular offals are cow stomach, liver and its intestines, locally called ‘yemuadie’ in Twi, which is found cooked in tomato stews, soups and grilled in a suya form. I personally find some of these offals not given enough time to soften, and my jaws suffer in trying to break them down. When given the time and perfect seasoning these offals are chewy yet soft with a bit of texture.
