Food & Nutrition

Chicken-Liver Pundyky: How to Make Hearty Potato Dumplings

A chicken liver dish: making hearty potato pundyky
Pundyky taste best when served warm, as they are tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. You can enhance the dish with sour cream or yogurt and garnish it with chopped herbs like parsley or dill.
Ingredients for the filling:

  • chicken liver – 250 g;
  • onion – 1 piece;
  • refined sunflower oil – 2 tablespoons;
  • salt – to taste;
  • black pepper – to taste.

Ingredients for the dough:

  • oil (refined sunflower) – 1 liter;
  • potatoes – 3 pieces;
  • egg – 1 piece;
  • flour – 2 tablespoons;
  • yeast (compressed) – 10 g;
  • sugar – a pinch;
  • salt – to taste.

Step-by-step preparation

  1. Boil the washed potatoes with their skins on, then let them cool, peel them, and pass them through a meat grinder.
  2. Boil the washed chicken liver with salt, then grind it as well.
  3. Sauté the chopped onion until soft, then add the ground liver to the pan. Season with salt and pepper, and mix the filling.
  4. To the potato mixture, add flour, yeast, egg, and sugar. Knead the dough (it should not stick to your hands) and let it rise in the refrigerator for an hour to an hour and a half.
  5. To form the potato pundyky, make small balls from the dough, flatten them into circles, and place the liver filling on top. Pinch the edges of the dough together on each piece and roll them into balls.
  6. Pour oil into a deep pot and heat it well. When the oil starts to crackle, drop the formed pundyky into the hot oil.
  7. Fry the pundyky over medium heat until they are golden brown, making sure they cook through without burning.
  8. Transfer the fried pundyky to a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
  9. Serve the pundyky with a sour cream sauce.

Pundyky stuffed with liver

Secrets to Perfect Frying

  • Pundyky with filling require specific temperature control. Unlike dishes where potatoes just soften, pundyky must float freely in the oil. Use a pot with a thick bottom and high sides. Pour in 1 liter of oil and heat it well.
  • When the oil starts to crackle, drop the pundyky into it. Fry over medium heat until golden brown. Place the finished pieces on a paper towel to remove excess oil. Don’t skimp on oil – the pundyky need to float freely; otherwise the dough will absorb too much fat. During frying, do not cover the pot with a lid to avoid condensation, and only stir the balls a few minutes after frying begins. Serve with a sour cream sauce.