Chicken Giblets Vs Gizzards: What's The Difference?

Cooks in the know understand that, before they roast a store-bought chicken or turkey, they need to remove a curious little bag that's nearly always stuffed inside the bird. Collectively, the little odds and ends found in the bag are known as giblets, and they are actually some of the animal's vital organs, such as the heart, liver, neck, and gizzard.

While birds, reptiles, earthworms, and some fish and crustaceans have gizzards, mankind does not. The gizzard is a muscle that is part of these creatures' digestive tracts. Because these animals don't chew their food with teeth, the food is passed through the gizzard, which helps grind and break down whatever the animal eats. The gizzard performs this task using things like sand and rocks that the animal also ingests. If you've ever seen chickens pecking the ground, seemingly at nothing in particular, they're not going loopy; they instinctively eat these elements, that are then stored in the gizzard and help the organ do its job.

Many people toss the bag of giblets in the garbage, thinking they're gross or worthless, but they are actually excellent ingredients and are worth experimenting with.

Chicken giblets are basically offal meats, and can be cooked in a variety of ways. You can chop up the giblets, sauté them, and add them to gravy, where they'll contribute an excellent, meaty flavor to the sauce. Or you can include them in homemade stock, although you might want to skip the livers, as they can leave a bitter taste. While potentially bitter in stock, if you know how to cook chicken livers, they are wonderfully flavorful. Deep fried livers are excellent, or you can make chopped liver or a French-style pâté with them. Store any leftover pâté like Prue Leith, with a layer of butter on top. 

Before you use the gizzards for anything, you'll want to clean them very well. After all, they are natural storage containers for sand and rocks, and you don't want to bite into those in the middle of your chicken dinner. Gizzards are an especially hard-working organ and are, therefore, tough muscles. If you want to enjoy them on their own (bacon-wrapped gizzard appetizers, for example), simmer them first until their connective tissues mellow and they are tender. Small bits do not need to be tenderized as such, and you can add them to any dish that calls for ground meat, like lasagna, chili, enchiladas, tacos, pot pies, and fried rice. All in all, gizzards, and giblets in general, are meats that should be enjoyed and never wasted.