Chicken Liver Jerky

So the next recipe on my list was Chicken Liver Jerky.  I have never tried touched or cooked liver before, and I must admit, the whole idea skeeved me out.  I don't know what it is about internal animal organs, but I've never had the slightest desire to try to cook or eat them.  But I managed to get through the process unscathed, and these might be Melvin's new favorite treats!

Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken liver
2 cups water
1 cup chicken broth
1 tsp garlic powder

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

2.  Drain liver. (I just put it directly into a strainer to avoid touching it. yucky) Put water and chicken broth in a pot.  Add liver, bring to boil, then simmer for 5 minutes.

3.  Drain liver once more then cut into bite-size pieces for your dog.  Spread the pieces out on a sprayed or greased cookie sheet.

4.  Cook 1.5-2 hours.  If you have bigger pieces for a bigger dog, you may need to cook them an extra half hour.  If your dog likes super crunchy treats, then turn off the oven after 2 hours and let the pieces sit overnight or for several hours.

5.  These can be stored in a ziplock bag or other storage container.  It doesn't have to be completely air tight since it's jerky.  These also do not have to be refrigerated and should last 3 weeks, if your dog doesn't eat them all by then!

This recipe only cost me $2.49 (for the chicken liver) because I had chicken broth and garlic powder in my pantry.  That's much more cost effective than the $5.99 I pay for commercial, all natural dog treats.

This recipe can also be adjusted for other types of liver such as beef or duck (if you want to get all fancy).  For beef, I would also substitute the chicken broth for beef broth, and for the duck, I would just use water.

Bone Appetit!