Rumaki (Bacon-wrapped Chicken Liver and Water Chestnut)
Rumaki is a pūpū (hors d'œuvre) of faux-Hawaiian origin. Its ingredients and method of preparation vary, but usually it consists of water chestnuts and pieces of chicken liver wrapped in bacon and marinated in soy sauce and either ginger or brown sugar. This recipe is a classic (1940s–1960s) US party appetizer recipe, proving that anything wrapped in bacon tastes good—even chicken liver. But you can opt for scallops, shrimp, or stuffed olives, instead.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 tsp fresh minced ginger
- 2 tbsp dry sherry
- 1 tsp sugar
- 12 slices bacon, halved crosswise, or 8 slices, cut in thirds
- 12 oz (~350 g) chicken livers, halved
- 12 canned water chestnut slices, halved
Ingredients for 8 servings (1.1 kg) · the original recipe
Method
- 1
Combine soy sauce, ginger, sherry and sugar in a small bowl. Add the chicken livers and water chestnut pieces and marinate them in the refrigerator for at least ½ hour.
- 2
Place 1 chicken liver piece and 1 chestnut piece in the center of each bacon piece, wrap, and secure with a toothpick.
- 3
Place the rumaki on a broiler pan or shallow baking pan and broil, about 5–6 inches from the heat, until the bacon is crisp, about 10–15 minutes. Or, you may bake the appetizers in a 375°F oven for 20–25 minutes.
Oven - 4
Serve hot.
Recipe from Wikibooks Cookbook, written by Wikibooks contributors. Used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; the ingredient list and method on this page are taken from that page and edited (its notes, tips and variations are not reproduced), and are available under the same licence. The macros, equipment tags and scaling are Ma Kitchen’s own and are not the source’s figures. Ma Kitchen is not affiliated with or endorsed by Wikibooks Cookbook. Copied on 2026-11-12.
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