BBQ Chicken Gizzards

What are chicken gizzards, exactly? Without getting into chicken anatomy, gizzards are a part of the digestive tract. Why use chicken gizzards instead of a more common cut of meat? Well, chicken gizzards are cheap, and they provide a lot of protein. 1 pack of chicken gizzards serves 4 people and costs $1.75. The challenge of cooking with chicken gizzards is making them tender. Because gizzards are made out of mostly cartilage, they can be very tough and chewy. In this recipe, I cook them for hours  until they’re soft and pull apart like dark-meat chicken. What do gizzards taste like? They taste like chicken! With proper seasoning and cooking technique, chicken gizzards can be economically and taste bud friendly! This recipe is a good introduction to cooking with organ meats, because by the end, you may forget you’re eating gizzards!
You will need:
– 1 package chicken gizzards 
– salt and pepper
– 1 cup chicken stock/broth (you can also use water) 
– BBQ sauce of choice (to make a quick BBQ sauce, combine brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar, salt, steak sauce to taste)
– 2 tbs vinegar (optional)
–  diced onion (optional)
  1. Put gizards in a slow cooker, Crock Pot, or in a large pot on the stove. Add broth/stock, onions, vinegar, and a dash of salt and pepper. In a slow cooker or Crock Pot, cook the gizzards on High for 5 hours, or on Low for 5 hours and then High for 3 hours. On the stove, the gizzards will have to simmer at a low temperature for 5 hours, so make sure to think about your schedule for the day!
  2. When the gizzards are done cooking, test one with a fork. It should have the consistency of chicken leg or thigh meat. Gizzards remain a pinkish/red in the middle even when they’re cooked all the way through, so don’t be alarmed if you cut into a piece and see pink. 
  3. Chop all the gizzards into teeny tiny pieces. Even though they’ve been cooked until they’re much softer, gizzards hold together a lot more than other slow-cooked meats. 
  4. Stir the chopped gizzards in a bowl with BBQ sauce until the pieces of gizzard hold together like pulled pork BBQ or pulled chicken BBQ.
  5. You can eat and serve the gizzards how you want! I scooped mine onto a bun with some cole slaw for a BBQ Chicken Gizzard Sandwich, but you could also stuff them in a baked potato, put them on top of mac-n-cheese, or eat them plain!