Fast Answer
Rigatoni with chicken livers is a rustic pasta dish adapted from Chef Marc Vetri's cookbook — minced chicken livers and cipollini onions cooked into a sauce that turns silky from butter and starchy pasta water, no cream required. Ready in about 30 minutes.
From a Meat Grinder on the Counter to a Table at Osteria
I came around to liver slowly, through pâté, where it’s blended into something that doesn’t look or taste like what put me off as a kid. This dish is different — you can see the liver, minced but still there, and it still won me over.
What got me was the sauce: no cream in it anywhere, and somehow silky enough to coat every piece of rigatoni. The fried sage nearly stole the whole plate.
Start Here
- Livers get minced, not left in pieces: that's what lets them melt into the sauce instead of sitting there as chunks.
- Start your pasta water first: it takes longer to boil than you think, and you don't want a finished sauce sitting around waiting on it.
- Reserve a full cup of pasta water before draining — you'll likely need more than you expect to get the sauce silky.
- Sage goes in early with the onions, not as a garnish — it's cooked into the butter, not sprinkled on top at the end.
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’re coming from — but this one is worth a try.
If you like liverwurst, liver pâté (be sure to check out my Chicken Liver Pâté Recipe, also from Vetri), foie gras, or any organ meat dishes, you will love this.
And if you don’t think you’ll 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 Marc’s recipe once to serve seven adults, and it was great — everyone enjoyed it. But the dish came out creamier than I remembered at Osteria. Next time I’d add a little more pasta water and Parmesan cheese at the end to get the sauce closer to what Chef Marc intends.
What’s impressive is how affordable this dish is. Chicken livers sell for less than $2 a pound, and Marc’s recipe calls for half a pound. The cipollini onions cost more, but you can easily substitute yellow onions.
Buy quality Parmesan and grate it yourself so it’s fresh, and use fresh sage, not dried.
What Most Cooks Get Wrong
- Treating this as a garnish-liver dish: the livers get minced fine enough to melt in, not left as visible chunks.
- Not reserving enough pasta water: its starch is what turns butter and Parmesan into an actual sauce instead of just melted cheese on noodles.
- Skimping on the sage: it's meant to fry lightly in the butter with the onions, not just flavor the dish from a leaf or two.
- Getting scared off before tasting it: minced this way, chicken liver reads more like a rich meat sauce than "liver" the way pâté does.
Why This Works
- Mincing the livers finely means they melt into the sauce during the brief cook rather than staying as distinct pieces — the whole trick to a "liver sauce" that doesn't taste like liver on its own.
- The sauce turns creamy from starchy pasta water plus butter and Parmesan emulsifying together, not from cream — the same technique behind a good cacio e pepe.
- Frying the sage in butter crisps it and infuses the fat itself, so the flavor carries through every bit of sauce, not just the leaves you can see.
- Cipollini onions bring natural sweetness that balances the liver's mineral edge — a sharper onion loses some of that balance.
Quick Fixes and Tips
- Sauce not creamy enough? Add more reserved pasta water and a little more butter or Parmesan — this is adjustable at the end, not something to nail on the first try.
- Peeling cipollini onions: cut an X in the root end, blanch for about a minute, then shock in ice water — the skins slip right off.
- Making a bigger batch for a crowd? Doubling works, but expect the sauce to come out creamier than a single batch — add extra pasta water to compensate.
- Not ready for whole minced liver? Ease in with liverwurst on a sandwich first — organ meat in a familiar format is a good on-ramp.
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
Get the Pasta Water Going First
- Bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. Many home cooks, including myself, underestimate how long it takes to bring the water to a boil and then cook the pasta — you don't want a finished sauce sitting around waiting on it. Get the water boiling before you need it, and don't forget to season it with a little salt.
Cook the Pasta
- Add the pasta and bring the water back to a boil. Cook until al dente — tender yet firm.
Build the Sauce Base
- While the pasta cooks, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter in a large fry 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 browned, about 4 minutes.
Add the Livers
- Season the onions and sage with salt and pepper, then add the minced chicken livers. These cook quickly — about a minute or two.
Deglaze
- Add a ladle of the pasta water and use it to deglaze, scraping up anything stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Combine
- When the pasta is done, reserve a cup of the pasta water before draining — its starch is what helps the sauce cling to the pasta. Add the pasta to the pan and toss with the Parmesan cheese, some of the reserved pasta water, and additional butter. Judgment time: if it's not creamy enough, add a little more 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's another topic for discussion.
Serve
- Serve family style in a large bowl, or divide among individual bowls with extra Parmesan at the table. Warming the bowls first helps keep everything hot longer.
Notes
Nutrition
| 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 | Good 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 |
| Wine new | A crisp Italian white, or a light red like Barbera | Enough acidity to cut the richness without fighting the liver's flavor |
Storage and Make-Ahead
- Keeps refrigerated up to 3 days — this dish is best fresh, since the sauce can dry out on reheating.
- Reheat gently with a splash of reserved pasta water or a little stock to bring the sauce back to life — don't just microwave it dry.
- Not recommended for freezing; the sauce's texture doesn't hold up well once thawed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does chicken liver taste like in this dish? Mild and rich rather than strongly “livery” — minced fine and cooked briefly, it reads more like a dense meat sauce than organ meat on its own.
Do I need heavy cream for the sauce to be creamy? No. The creaminess comes from starchy pasta water emulsified with butter and Parmesan, the same technique behind a good cacio e pepe.
Can I substitute regular onions for cipollini? Yes, though you’ll lose some of the natural sweetness that balances the liver — yellow onions are the closest substitute.
Where can I buy cipollini onions? Specialty grocers, farmers markets, or Italian markets are your best bet; regular yellow onions work in a pinch.
How do I peel cipollini onions without losing my mind? Cut an X in the root end, blanch for about a minute, then shock in ice water — the skins slip off.
Is this recipe really from Marc Vetri? It’s adapted from his cookbook, Rustic Italian Food, and the dish he serves at his restaurant, Osteria, in Philadelphia.
I’ve never cooked chicken livers before — is this a good place to start? Yes. Mincing them fine and cooking them briefly is one of the more forgiving ways to try organ meat for the first time.
Can I make this ahead of time? It’s best made fresh — the sauce doesn’t reheat as well once the pasta’s fully absorbed it.
- This recipe is adapted from Chef Marc Vetri's cookbook — read more on my Chef Marc Vetri profile.
- If minced liver in a sauce isn't your on-ramp, my Chicken Liver Pâté recipe, also from Vetri, is a gentler place to start.
- Fresh sage does more work in this dish than you'd expect — see my guide to sage.
- Good Parmesan matters in a sauce with this few ingredients — see everything about parmesan cheese.
- Browning the onions and sage in butter is a sauté technique at heart — see my sauté, pan-fry, and stir-fry guide.
- Butter quality shows in a sauce this simple — see my guide to butter.
8 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
I’ve only eaten at Osteria twice and both times I ordered the chicken liver rigatoni. It was so delicious. Thank you for posting the recipe because I don’t live in Philly and I would love to be able to make it at home.
Hi Valorie, you are welcome. I’m no longer in Philly either and I do miss that restaurant.