What Are Chicken Gizzards and How Are They Different From Giblets?

Corey Williams

January 24, 2020 at 4:30 PM

Here’s the chicken gizzard guide you never knew you needed:

What Are Gizzards?

Gizzards are organs found in the digestive tracts of some animals, including archosaurs, earthworms, gastropods, some fish, and some insects.

Unless you’re a paleontologist, you may be wondering, “Wait … what the heck was that first word?”

Archosaurs are a group of animals broadly classified as “reptiles.” This includes dinosaurs (the Jurassic Park kind), crocodiles, alligators, and birds (yes, birds are actually reptiles).

The gizzard is basically a stomach made of strong, thick muscular walls. These walls grind up food that the animal eats.

Gizzards are aided in their grinding by small particles of stone and grit. When you see a chicken pecking at the ground, they’re actually swallowing pieces of gravel and dirt that will lodge itself in its digestive tract.

When the food eventually comes down the pipe, the strong muscle contracts and uses the gritty pieces to grind the food. The ground food passes on to the stomach, where it’s digested.

Gizzards as Food

Gizzards (usually from chickens) are cooked and eaten in cultures all over the world.

They’re a popular street food in Haiti and throughout Southeast Asia, where they’re grilled. They’re also commonly found fried in Indonesia and Japan, stewed in Portugal, and broiled in Africa.

In the U.S., chicken gizzards are often served fried with hot sauce—especially in Southern states. It’s also used in some gumbo and crawfish boil recipes.

Head a little farther north to the Midwestern U.S., and you’ll find pickled turkey gizzards are part of the traditional cuisine. In fact, there’s an annual Gizzard Fest (complete with a gizzard-eating contest) in Potterville, Michigan.

Gizzards vs. Giblets

A gizzard is always a giblet, but a giblet doesn’t have to be a gizzard. Confused? Let’s break this down:

“Giblets” refers to various organs found inside the cavity of a bird. These usually include the heart, the liver, the neck, the kidney(s), and the gizzard.

What Do They Taste Like?

Chicken gizzards taste kind of like dark meat chicken. Since it’s a powerfully strong muscle, it’s a bit tough and chewy.

It’s for this reason that they’re a slightly divisive cut of meat—some people can’t get enough of the texture, but others can’t stand it.

Nutrition

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, the gizzard is one of the healthiest parts of the chicken. Here’s why:

It’s super high in protein. Just one chicken gizzard will fulfill almost 90 percent of your recommended daily intake (RDI) of protein.
Gizzards are a good source of vitamins. One serving fulfills 25 percent of your RDI of B12, which helps prevent anemia and is important for brain function.
Despite their high protein and vitamin content, gizzards are low in fat. Win-win-win.

Where to Buy Chicken Gizzards

Chicken gizzards, along with other chicken giblets, can be found at your local grocery store or butcher shop.

The gizzards you buy at the grocery store are already clean.

If you’re purchasing from a butcher or chicken farmer, ask if they’ve been pre-cleaned. If they haven’t, see if they can do it there for an extra fee—you can do it at home, but it’s kind of gross.

How to Clean Chicken Gizzards

WATCH: 5 Raw Chicken Mistakes to Avoid

If you made it home with dirty gizzards, get ready to roll your sleeves up and scrub.

First thing’s first: Before you unpackage your gizzard, get out everything you’ll need for the cooking process and after, from cutting boards to cleaning products. Just like other uncooked chicken parts, gizzards can carry salmonella. Setting up your work station before the chicken even enters the equation will minimize the spread of germs around your kitchen.
Cut the gizzard in half with a sharp knife.
Rinse the exterior and interior of the gizzard. Remember, this organ works with gravel and dirt to grind food, so there’s going to be a lot of unpleasantness in there.
Open up the folds and use your fingers to locate and discard any debris the running water may have missed.
Once the gizzard is completely clean (and we mean completely—it’s not safe to half-ass this step), peel away the whitish-yellow lining. If it doesn’t easily pull away, use scissors to trim the lining from the flesh.

How to Cook Chicken Gizzards

Cook chicken gizzards slowly over low heat. This will ensure that the tough connective tissue melts away, instead of tightening up and making your gizzards way too chewy.

Associated Press
Japan announces plans to launch upgraded observation satellites on new flagship rocket's 3rd flight
Japan’s space agency announced Friday a plan to launch a major upgrade to its satellite imaging system, as a new flagship rocket is put to the test for a third time. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency that an H3 rocket will be launched from the Tanegashima Space Center, on a southwestern Japanese island, early afternoon on June 30, with a launch window that runs through the end of July. The rocket will be carrying an Advanced Land Observation Satellite, ALOS-4, tasked primarily with Earth observation and data collection for disaster response and mapmaking, as well as with monitoring military activity, such as missile launches, with an infrared sensor developed by the Defense Ministry.
21m ago
AFP
Yen falls further as Bank of Japan stands pat on rates
The Bank of Japan kept its ultra-low interest rates unchanged Friday and stopped short of signalling another hike, pushing the yen to a fresh 34-year low against the dollar.- Global outlier - The BoJ has been a global outlier in sticking to an ultra-loose policy while other central banks pushed rates up as they fought against surging inflation -- causing a wide differential that saw investors push into other currencies.
29m ago
Reuters
Kenya Airways accuses Congo of harassment over detained staff
Kenya Airways on Friday accused the authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo of harassment over the continued detention of two of the airline's staff for alleged customs violations despite a court ordering their release. Officers from Congo's military intelligence detained the pair on April 19 for allegedly failing to complete customs documentation related to valuable cargo that was meant to be transported a week earlier, the airline said in a statement. The airline workers have been granted only one short visit by Kenya's embassy staff, Kenya's national carrier said.
33m ago
AFP
China warns Blinken against US pressure in top-level talks
China's foreign minister warned Antony Blinken on Friday that US pressure could trigger a "downward spiral", as the visiting secretary of state raised concerns on issues including support for Russia.Blinken raised concern with Wang about China's support for Russia, which has rapidly rebuilt its military base two years into its invasion of Ukraine, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
43m ago
AFP
Asian markets mixed as strong US tech earnings offset poor data
Markets were mixed on Friday after forecast-topping earnings from Microsoft and Alphabet helped soothe worries that a tech-fuelled rally may have been overdone, while the yen hit a fresh 34-year low after the Bank of Japan stood pat on interest rates.The rally has been helped by blockbuster reports from heavyweights Microsoft and Alphabet, which topped estimates, while the latter also announced its first dividend.
45m ago
USA TODAY
Arbor Day: How a Nebraska editor and Richard Nixon, separated by a century, gave trees a day
When is Arbor Day? President Richard Nixon established the day on the last Friday in April but that was nearly 100 years after the movement began.
55m ago
Reuters
Huawei's smart car tech offers automakers route to China sales
It's taken Huawei just four years to become a force in smart car technology, navigating the devastation of trade sanctions on its smartphones business while simultaneously developing a driver assistance system that is the darling of the Beijing auto show. Huawei Technologies has two huge booths at this week's event, and there are at least seven Chinese automakers touting its Qiankun installed in their cars as the most sophisticated advanced driving assistance system (ADAS) to date. Even Germany's Volkswagen will equip its China-made, China-bound Audi Q6L e-tron with Qiankun upon the car's 2025 launch, in Huawei's first deal with a foreign automaker, two people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
58m ago
AFP
Clean energy drives massive BHP takeover bid
BHP's multi-billion-dollar bid to buy rival Anglo American promises to be the largest mining merger deal in decades, and one driven by the race for cleaner energy and green metals.Analysts say the rationale behind BHP's near US$40 billion bid can be summed up in one word: copper.
1h ago
Associated Press
The Latest | Hezbollah ambushes Israeli convoy, killing civilian
Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group fired anti-tank missiles and artillery shells at an Israeli military convoy in a disputed area along the border, killing an Israeli civilian, the group and Israel’s military said Friday. Hezbollah said that its fighters ambushed the convoy shortly before midnight Thursday, destroying two vehicles. The Israeli military said the ambush wounded an Israeli civilian doing infrastructure work, and that he later died of his wounds.
1h ago
Associated Press
Corals bred in a zoo have joined Europe's largest reef. This is offering scientists hope
On Monday, divers with gloved hands gently nestled the self-bred corals from the World Coral Conservatory project among their cousins in Europe’s largest coral reef at the Burgers’ Zoo in the Netherlands. It’s among several projects worldwide seeking to address the decline of coral reef populations, which are suffering from bleaching caused by rising sea temperatures. Corals are central to marine ecosystems, and while these projects won’t stem the tide of damage from human-caused climate change, they are seen as part of broader solutions.
1h ago
Associated Press
Stock market today: Global benchmarks mostly climb despite worries about US economy
Global shares mostly rose Friday despite worries about the economic outlook and inflation in the U.S. and the rest of the world. The Bank of Japan ended a policy meeting with no major changes, keeping its benchmark interest rate in a range of 0 to 0.1%. In March, it raised the key rate from minus 0.1%, citing signs that inflation had reached the central bank’s target of about 2%.
2h ago
AFP
China's EV execs bullish on Western pressure at Beijing car show
Electric vehicle executives at a top car show in China were bullish on prospects for growth, despite a gruelling price war and mounting Western pressure on the industry.And even as firms face down a cut-throat price war at home and mounting regulatory pressure overseas, executives and attendees were upbeat.
2h ago
Reuters
Smaller towns in South Korea bear brunt of doctors’ shortage
Seoul, the capital, boasts top-level hospitals, but smaller cities are starved of doctors in a trend experts say will only get worse as the population ages at one of the world's fastest rates, while birthrates are the lowest in the world. "Our artificial kidney room was closed for almost two years because we didn't have a doctor and we couldn't find one … but this is a national phenomenon," said Cho Seung-yeon, director of the Incheon Medical Center in the port city. The shortage is at the heart of government plans to add thousands of medical school students from next year that face stiff opposition from trainee doctors and some medical groups who doubt it will improve poor working conditions.
2h ago
AFP
Miner Anglo American rejects BHP's $38.8 billion takeover bid
British mining giant Anglo American on Friday rejected a blockbuster $38.8-billion takeover bid from Australian rival BHP, slamming it as "highly unattractive" and "opportunistic"."The proposed structure is also highly unattractive, creating substantial uncertainty and execution risk borne almost entirely by Anglo American, its shareholders and its other stakeholders."
2h ago
Associated Press
Muslim groups claim double standards in police handling of two high-profile stabbings in Sydney
Muslim groups in Australia on Friday criticized the disparity in the police response to two stabbing attacks in Sydney this month, saying it had created a perception of a double standard and further alienated the country's minority Muslim community. The Australian National Imams Council said an attack at a Bondi Junction shopping center was “quickly deemed a mental health issue” while the stabbing of a Christian bishop at a Sydney church two days later was “classified as a terrorist act almost immediately.”
2h ago
CNN
Choose between stability and ‘downward spiral’ China’s foreign minister tells Blinken during Beijing trip
China and the US face a choice between stability and a “downward spiral,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told counterpart Antony Blinken on Friday in Beijing, as the American diplomat kicked off a day of meetings with top Chinese officials.
3h ago
Associated Press
Paramedic sentencing in Elijah McClain's death caps trials that led to 3 convictions
Almost five years after Elijah McClain died following a police stop in which he was put in a neck hold and injected with the powerful sedative ketamine, three of the five Denver-area responders prosecuted in the Black man's death have been convicted. Experts say the convictions would have been unheard of before 2020, when George Floyd's murder sparked a nationwide reckoning over racist policing and deaths in police custody. Previously, she has said the two acquitted Aurora police officers, as well as other firefighters and police on the scene, were complicit in her 23-year-old son’s murder and that they escaped justice.
3h ago
AFP
Philippine settlement submerged by dam reappears due to drought
A centuries-old settlement submerged by the construction of a dam in the northern Philippines in the 1970s has reappeared as water levels drop due to a drought affecting swathes of the country.Hundreds of residents of the submerged villages and farms where the dam is located were moved by the government to higher ground.
3h ago
Associated Press
Repatriated South African apartheid-era artworks on display to celebrate 30 years of democracy
A selection of South African artworks produced during the country’s apartheid era which ended up in foreign art collections is on display in Johannesburg to mark 30 years since the country's transition to democracy in 1994. Most of the artworks were taken out of the country by foreign tourists and diplomats who had viewed them at the Australian Embassy in the capital, Pretoria. The embassy had opened its doors to Black artists from the townships to be recognized and have their artworks on full display to the public.
3h ago
AFP
Russian women face violence from Ukraine veterans
Olga drew her index finger abruptly across her neck as she recounted the threats her husband levelled at her after he returned to Russia, wounded from fighting in Ukraine.Even before her husband went off to fight in Ukraine, he was a violent alcoholic, Olga -- not her real name -- told AFP. When he returned home seven months later, he was even worse.
3h ago