Reprinted with permission from SimplyBeingWell.com. 

If you are hosting a Halloween party this year, I invite you to put chicken hearts on the menu!

Halloween is a great time to introduce children to chicken hearts! All heart (beef, bison, lamb, pork, chicken, turkey) is a great protein source, but heart is also chock full of B12, zinc, riboflavin, and so many more nutrients that the body needs. Heart is rich in iron, selenium, phosphorus, and potassium. It is high in elastin and collagen—higher than other cuts of meat, and highly concentrated Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10).

Easy First Organ Meat

When the moms and families that I work with are ready to harness the nutrition of food by putting organ meats on the menu, I will often suggest they start with heart. Heart is what I call “an easy entry food” into the world of organ meats. Unlike liver, which has a very distinct texture, heart is a muscle, and we are all used to eating muscle meat. In fact, every meal you eat features muscle meat, unless you are eating organs! Yep! Every steak, chop, rib, roast, leg or wing is muscle meat, no matter the meat or the bird! This means that heart will be easier on the palate because it is a texture we are used to eating, AND this muscle meat packs in nutrition that is beyond compare! The texture of heart (like steak) also means we also know how to cook it: medium rare is best!

Mild Flavor!

The other thing that heart has in its favor is its flavor! Heart does not have a strong, distinctive taste, which can be a barrier (like beef liver). It tastes like steak – especially beef heart – and steak is another flavor we are used to! Hooray!

If you work with larger hearts, such as beef or lamb, simply slice into the thickness of a steak, and grill, broil, or sauté as you would a steak. Delicious!

Where can you get them? Check with your local farmer or natural food store. Be sure to look for hearts from pastured, organic chickens. Often, you can find them online at places such as US Wellness Meats and White Oak Pastures.

Chicken Heart Kebabs for Halloween!

Ingredients

• 1 # hearts, pastured and organic best
• Use any marinade or salad dressing you love, or just high quality salt and a bit of freshly ground pepper

Instructions

1. Marinate for 2-3 hours or more in the refrigerator.
2. Place on mini skewers and cook for about 3 minutes on each side on the grill or under the broiler

Bonus Recipe! (Try them both!)

Sautéed Chicken Hearts

Ingredients

• 1 # hearts, pastured and organic best
• chili powder or curry powder (optional – no anti-caking agents, please!)
• ghee, grass-fed butter, lard, bacon fat, or coconut oil for sautéing

Instructions

1. Prepare hearts by cutting them in half or thirds and cutting off the aorta, if present. No need to cut off any of the fat, as it will cook in the pan.
2. Place the heart halves in a bowl and add spices if desired. Toss to mix well.
3. Heat fat to medium in a sauté pan, and sauté hearts, about 3 minutes on each side. Cook like a steak, medium rare or medium is best. Hearts should be pink inside. Do not burn.

Bon Appetit! And salud! To your good health!

Love them? Include them every week on your menu. It will do your body (and your heart) good!

Image from iStock/Vladimir Mironov.