Photo by Holly A. Heyser
Pheasant, snipe, quail, wild turkey, partridge, grouse. These are the chicken of wild game birds. Pheasants being the semi-wild cousins of chickens, and quail, partridges and chukars all being accessible from a taste standpoint. The notable exception is the ruffed grouse, which has a strong flavor that, in my mind, makes it far superior to pheasant or quail, which can be bland.
To those of you who do not hunt, pheasants and quail are easily obtainable; our local high-end supermarket has them all the time. They will have even less of a wild flavor than their country cousins, but they are still a fair piece better than your average chicken. And yes, chicken can be subbed in for any pheasant dish.
One thing all these birds have in common is that they should not be served rare and they can all dry out in a heartbeat. Fun, huh? Makes them more of a challenge. You do, however, want a blush of pink on them, like a good-quality pork loin. If you know what you are doing they are great roasted or grilled, but do not walk away or they will dry out. Pheasants are especially good poached, whether in butter or broth.
Quail are delicate little birds best served whole but partially deboned. I intend to post a step-by-step tutorial on deboning birds soon. Believe me, it’s not real easy.
All these birds make superior stock, and the legs, thighs and wings of all are excellent made into confit.
NOTE: Most of these recipes are interchangeable, i.e., if you like a pheasant recipe but have partridges or sharptail grouse or wild turkey or a domestic chicken, it’ll work.
Jump to: PHEASANTS | PARTRIDGES | TURKEY | GROUSE | SNIPE & WOODCOCK | QUAIL
BASICS
How to Pluck a Pheasant
This is how I pluck pheasants, quail and other upland game birds.
How to Break Down a Game Bird
Step by step instructions on how to cut up pheasants, ducks, quail or other birds.
Wild Game Fat and Flavor
Not all wild game fat is bad. In fact, depending on what the animal had been eating, it can be more than wonderful. Here’s what you need to know.
Pheasant Confit
Probably the best thing you can do with the legs of upland game birds like pheasants, turkeys or big grouse. Slow cooked and pulled off the bone, this gets around those nasty tendons.
Wild Game Dirty Rice
An excellent all-purpose recipe for upland game bird giblets. You will not even know you are eating them in this dish, which is basically Cajun fried rice.
PHEASANTS
Whole Birds
Glazed Roast Pheasant
A whole roasted pheasant glazed with something sweet, like maple syrup, honey or a fruit syrup — in this case, prickly pear syrup.
Beer Can Pheasant
Similar to beer can chicken, this is slow cooked pheasant on the grill propped up with a Red Bull can or a narrow jelly jar. It really works!
Breasts
Pheasant Piccata
Pounded skinless pheasant cutlets, breaded and served with a tangy lemon-white wine sauce… and lots of butter.
Hunan Dong’an Pheasant
A Chinese dish that uses braised pheasant pieces and the broth you used to cook them in.
General Tso’s Pheasant
This is basically the crack cocaine of Chinese food. Slightly sweet, savory and spicy, this is one of the best recipes on this website.
Kung Pao Pheasant
This recipe ain’t no slouch, either. Another Chinese restaurant classic, tender pieces of pheasant breast are stir-fried with vegetables and peanuts.
Pheasant Salad with Fennel
A cooling summertime pheasant dish made with poached pheasant breasts and fresh fennel bulb.
Pheasant with Pomegranate Sauce
Pan-roasted pheasant breasts served with a tangy pomegranate sauce.
Pheasant with Parsley Sauce
Seared pheasant breast with a refined – and beautiful – parsley sauce inspired by the French Laundry.
Stews and Braises
Pheasant Cacciatore
The Italian standard, made with pheasant instead of chicken. Also works with other game birds or rabbit.
Greek Pheasant Pasta
A fantastic Greek recipe from Chef Michael Psilakis of New York City. This one is shockingly awesome.
German Pheasant Stew
Although this recipe is designed for rabbit, it works just as well for pheasants or other game birds.
Pheasant Dordogne
Braised pheasant, turkey (or old rooster chicken!) legs, done French style with mushrooms and verjus or vinegar.
French Hunter's Stew
This is a more refined version of the Italian cacciatore. The recipe comes from Chartreuse, in the French Alps.
Pheasant Normandy
Yet another French dish with pheasant, this one with apples, brandy and cream. It is, as you might guess, from Normandy, in the north of France.
Pheasant with Mushrooms and Cream
No, NOT Cream of Mushroom soup! Well, sorta. Only you make it from scratch here…
Saturday Pheasant
This recipe actually DOES have Cream of Mushroom soup in it. It is the only recipe on this website to do so. Why? It is a 1970s dish I grew up with (made with chicken), and it is as awesome as it is easy.
A Rustic Pheasant and Pork Pie
This is a pot pie inspired by a recipe from English chef Fergus Henderson.
Other Pheasant Recipes
Pheasant Buffalo Wings
Yep, you can make Buffalo wings with pheasant wings. Once you simmer them a bit to tenderize them, they are every bit as good as chicken wings.
PARTRIDGES (CHUKAR, HUNS, ETC)
Partridges with Cranberries and Rosemary
A deceptively simple dish, the secret to this recipe is how you cook the partridges.
Hungarian Partridge Montana
Huns roasted, carved and served with spaetzle and a sweet-and-sour sauce.
Brined Roast Chukar or Partridge
Brining these birds helps keep them moist when you roast them. This one is served with an apple brandy sauce.
Partridge Baked in Salt
Entombing the birds in salt is another way to preserve the moisture in the partridges — if you use the right salt.
Partridge or Pheasant Escabeche
An old Spanish tradition, where the birds are cooked, then preserved for up to several weeks in a vinegary sauce.
WILD or DOMESTIC TURKEY
Poached Wild Turkey with Gravy
A good way to keep wild turkey breast tender. This is a perfect Thanksgiving meal for a small family.
Wild Turkey Parmesan
Just like chicken parm, only with wild turkey. And yep, you can make this with any upland game bird.
Wild Turkey Risotto
Wild turkey broth and breast meat go into this Italian rice dish. It has some powerful turkey flavor, so be warned!
Turkey Marsala
Another classic restaurant dish, this is pounded, skinless cutlets from turkey (or pheasant) breast, breaded and served with a sauce that hinges on Marsala wine and mushrooms.
Wild Turkey Carnitas
The BEST thing to make with wild turkey drumsticks. You get around the sinews by slow cooking the meat and pulling it off the bone. Then it’s taco time!
Barbecued Wild Turkey
Turkey thighs are the absolute best part of the bird! Slow barbecued and slathered with maple-bourbon BBQ sauce, you will wonder why you never kept them before…
Wild Turkey Broth
A basic broth you can make from the carcasses of a wild or domesticated turkey.
GROUSE
Grouse Salad with Barley and Tomatoes
A summertime grouse salad with barley and cherry tomatoes. This salad is good with any upland game bird.
Ruffed Grouse Minnesota
This is a recipe dedicated to the North Woods. Roast grouse, served with wild mushrooms and wild cranberry sauce.
Sharptail Grouse, Prairie Style
Sharpies, gently poached and served with the flavors of the Great Plains: Grain, sunflowers, rose hips.
Simple Roast Grouse
Ruffed grouse roasted and glazed with something sweet, like maple syrup or honey.
Grouse Soup with Wild Rice
An ode to the woods: Grouse soup with acorns and wild rice. A very earthy, wintry dish.
Roast Sharptail Grouse
A simple recipe specifically designed for sharptail grouse, which are a dark meat bird.
SNIPE and WOODCOCK
Roast Snipe
Yes, it’s a real bird. Snipe should be plucked whole and served roasted in a very hot oven. You want the meat to be pink when you serve it.
Eating the Mystical Snipe
Yeah, this is a fancy dish, but it is crazy good if you are willing to put in the work.
QUAIL
Grilled Quail, South Carolina Style
Butterflied quail grilled and served with a mustardy South Carolina style BBQ sauce.
Greek Preserved Quail
Similar to Spanish escabeche, you gently poach semi-boned quail and marinate them in olive oil and herbs for up to several weeks. A great cold appetizer.
Roast Quail
A basic method for roasting quail. You want a touch of pink in the breast meat but crisp skin. This requires a very hot oven.
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