Chicken hearts belong to the category of offal. This muscular organ is rich in trace elements, vitamins and low-calorie protein, which is perfectly absorbed by the human body.
The benefits of chicken hearts
The benefit of this by-product lies in the significant content of vitamins PP, A, group B. In particular, it contains vitamins B1 and B2, which are necessary for protein and carbohydrate metabolism.
There are also many micro and macro elements in hearts. During life, the heart muscle of a chicken accumulates all the elements necessary for its work: magnesium, sodium, iron, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, zinc, copper. This offal is recommended for people with disorders in the work of the cardiovascular and nervous system, anemia, as well as those who need enhanced nutrition after a serious illness or injury.
How to choose chicken hearts
Chilled and fresh hearts should have a maroon color and a very dense structure. If the offal has a faded shade, it means that it is already pretty late on the counter. When buying, it is better to opt for chilled rather than frozen hearts. The shelf life of the former is only 48 hours. Frozen food packaging must be free of ice crystals. Their presence suggests that the hearts have already been defrosted at least once.
What is the calorie content of chicken hearts
100 grams of raw hearts contains no more than 159 calories. During heat treatment, the calorie content of the offal increases. So, in 100 grams of fried hearts under sour cream filling, there are already about 300 kilocalories.
Chicken hearts in cooking
Before use, raw hearts must be rinsed, blood clots removed and fat removed from the tops. They are prepared both whole and cut into two or more pieces.
The boiled by-product is the most useful. It must be boiled in salted water over medium heat for an hour. The best addition to this dish would be vegetable saute, boiled rice or yoghurt-mustard sauce.
You can make a delicious and satisfying soup from chicken hearts - with pasta, beans, rice, mushrooms or barley. They can be used as a colorful ingredient in salads.
Fried hearts are considered the most delicious - there are many recipes for their preparation. They are fried with carrots, onions, eggplants, zucchini, in bread crumbs, sour cream or batter.
Hearts baked in the oven, generously poured before this mushroom, sour cream, cheese or vegetable sauce, turn out appetizing and tasty. This offal makes wonderful kebabs, pilaf, cutlets, goulash, stew and even heh.
