This Rigatoni with Chicken Livers is one of the best pasta dishes ever.
If you’ve never cooked with chicken livers, this Rigatoni with Chicken Livers Sauce will change your mind. This rustic Italian-inspired dish from Chef Marc Vetri transforms simple ingredients into something rich, earthy, and deeply satisfying.
You’ll start by slowly sautéing sweet cipollini onions until they turn golden and soft. Their natural sugars balance the robust flavor of the chicken livers, which you’ll mince finely to create a luscious, silky sauce that clings perfectly to the rigatoni.
Fresh sage adds an aromatic touch that brightens every bite, while freshly grated Parmesan brings the whole dish together with a salty, creamy finish.
Mincing the livers helps them melt right into the sauce, so even if you’re unsure about cooking with offal, this is a great way to ease in—you’ll end up with a rich, meaty sauce, not chunks.
This recipe is perfect for a cozy dinner or an impressive dish for guests. Pair it with a crisp Italian white wine or a light red like Barbera. Once you taste how well these simple flavors work together, you’ll want to make this one again and again.
This Rigatoni with Chicken Livers recipe is served at Marc’s Osteria restaurant in Philadelphia. I have been told it’s their most popular request, so I order it as a table appetizer every time we dine there.
Ready to give it a try? Let’s get cooking.
Rigatoni with Chicken Livers Recipe
Ingredients
- 14 ounces rigatoni dry pasta
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter plus some extra for the sauce
- 8 small cipollini onions peeled and thinly sliced into rings
- 12 leaves sage
- salt and freshly ground pepper - to taste to taste
- 8 ounces chicken livers minced
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated with extra to serve at the table
Instructions
- Start by bringing a large pot of water to boil to cook the pasta. Many home cooks, including myself, underestimate how long it takes to (1) bring the water to boil and (2) cook the pasta. We end up with a finished sauce waiting for the pasta to cook.
- Get the water boiling before you need to throw in the pasta. And don't forget to season the water with a little salt.
- Add the pasta and bring the water back to a boil and cook until al dente (tender yet firm).
- While the pasta is cooking, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter in a large fry pan (sauté pan) big enough to hold both the sauce and the pasta over medium-high heat.
- Add the cipollini onions and sage and cook until the onions are lightly brown. This should take about 4 minutes.
- Season the onions and sage with salt and pepper and add the minced chicken livers. These cook quickly, about a minute or two.
- Add a ladle full of the pasta water using it to deglaze, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen up anything stuck to it.
- When it's time to drain the pasta and add it to the sauce, be sure to reserve a cup of the pasta water in case you need it when making the sauce. Pasta water, full of starch from the pasta, is a great way to help the sauce stick to the pasta.
- Add the pasta to the saucepan and toss with the Parmesan cheese, some of the reserved pasta water and additional butter. Judgment time. If you think you need more sauce or it is not creamy enough, add a little more of the pasta water.
- You can also add more butter but don't overdo it. I think restaurants are using way too much butter in their sauces, but that is another topic for discussion.
- Serve in a large bowl family style or divide among individual bowls and serve with the extra Parmesan cheese as a garnish. It is also a great idea to warm the bowls before adding the pasta to keep everything warm.
Notes
I’m Not Eating Chicken Livers
I understand some of you may be turning up your noses at the idea of cooking and eating chicken livers, and I understand where you are coming from, but this one is worth a try.
If you like liverwurst, liver pate (be sure to check out my Chicken Liver Pate Recipe, also from Vetri), foie gras, or any organ meat dishes, you will love this.
And if you don’t think you will like it because of the chicken livers, try it anyway to broaden your culinary repertoire. Start with a bit of liverwurst, muenster cheese, and spicy mustard on a hard roll and go from there.
We doubled up Marc’s recipe since we had seven adults to serve, which was great. Everyone enjoyed it, but the dish was more creamy than I remembered at Osteria. Next time I would add a little more pasta water and Parmesan cheese at the end to make the sauce creamier, as Chef Marc suggests.
What’s impressive is how affordable a dish like this is. Chicken livers sell for less than $2 per pound, and Marc’s recipe calls for ½ pound. The cipollini onions are more expensive, but you could easily substitute yellow onions.
Please buy quality Parmesan cheese and grate it yourself to ensure it’s fresh. And, of course, you want to use fresh sage, not dried.
Great Side Dishes To Go With This Meal
Side Dish | Description | Why It Pairs Well |
| Simple Arugula Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette | Peppery arugula tossed in a bright lemon vinaigrette | The fresh, sharp flavors cut through the richness of the liver sauce and refresh the palate |
| Garlic-Roasted Broccolini | Tender broccolini roasted with olive oil and garlic | Adds a green, slightly bitter contrast to the earthy sauce, balancing the flavors |
| Sauteed Swiss Chard with Olive Oil & Garlic | Wilted Swiss chard with olive oil and a touch of garlic | The greens’ slight bitterness and soft texture work well with the rich, meaty pasta |
| Crusty Italian Bread | Warm, crusty bread with a soft interior | Perfect for sopping up any leftover sauce on the plate |
| Marinated Roasted Red Peppers | Sweet roasted red peppers marinated with olive oil, vinegar, and herbs | Brings sweet, tangy contrast to the savory depth of the pasta |
| Grilled or Roasted Mushrooms | Meaty mushrooms grilled or roasted with herbs | Echoes and enhances the earthy flavors in the chicken liver sauce |
Cipollini Onions – Great for roasting and very sweet
Cipollini Onions Sliced
Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese and Fresh Sage
Chicken Livers – Not much to look at but very tasty when prepared right
Ok, now it’s starting to look very delicious!
5 Responses
I love cooking especially for others.
Thanks for all your recipes, stories and photos.
Keep up the good work.
David
I was wondering if you would know where I can purchase large quantities of the cipollini onion, I live in New York and they cannot be found.
Hi Michael, nothing specific, but I’m sure if you do a search for wholesale produce in or near your city, you will find lots of companies and then it’s just a matter of calling them. You may even want to try the Farmers Market at Union Square on Saturday mornings and ask around. – RG
Hello from the UK. Made the chicken liver and sage pasta tonight. Brilliant! Added a mix of pecorino and Parmesan as my wife is trying to cut down on cows milk, although I added a little cream at the end. And I just used a few red onions and added some chopped garlic. Lovely. It reminded me of all those great Italien holidays! Thanks!
That was delicious! I can’t wait to make it again 🙂
the best way to peel a cipollini is to par-boil for one minute. The skins peel right off with no problems what so ever.
p.s. … i’m making this tonight