Not just for the birds

Tag: partridge recipes

  • Chukar Al Roker

    Remember this guy?
    Remember this guy?

    Last week while searching for a recipe, I found an old crinkled recipe clipped years ago from a magazine.  The original recipe, courtesy of Al Roker, uses chicken  coated with a  pecan-cornmeal crust and then oven-fried.  Recently, we’ve thought about the strangeness of chukar hunting. Al Roker and chukar in the same sentence, now that’s strange, unless he’s an upland bird hunter.  We made his recipe last night for the first time using chukar and it ended up delicious. It’s now one of our favorite chukar recipes.

    Oven-Fried Chukar with Pecan-Cornmeal Crust

    6 chukar breast cutlets
    2  eggs
    1/4 cup milk
    1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
    1/3 cup cornmeal
    1/3 cup all-purpose flour
    1 tsp. salt
    1tsp. onion powder
    1 tsp. cayenne pepper
    1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
    2 tbsp.  butter, cut into small pieces

    Position a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 425F. Using heavy duty aluminum foil, line a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with sides at least 1 inch high. Spray the foil with non-stick cooking oil. Rinse the chukar under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.

    In a shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. In another shallow bowl, stir together the pecans, cornmeal, flour, salt, onion powder, cayenne and pepper.

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    Pecan cornmeal and egg batter oven-fried chukar

    Dip the chukar pieces into the egg mixture, and then dredge them in the pecan-cornmeal mixture. Place the chukar in the prepared baking dish.

    Dot the chukar with the butter and bake about 10-15 minutes. Turn the breast over and bake another 10 minutes until golden brown.

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    Oven-fried chukar hot out of the oven

    Chukar breasts are small so be careful not to overcook. Adjust baking time as needed. Just as in fried chicken, oven-baked chukar can be served hot, at room temperature, or cold. We like to serve ours hot with brussels sprouts and creamy garlic mashed potatoes.

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    Thank you, Angus

     

     

  • Chukar Marsala with Capers and Sautéed Spinach

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    Chukar Marsala with sauteed spinach

    This is our upland game bird recipe modification of the classic Italian dish.

    16 fresh sage leaves
    8 large, thin slices prosciutto
    8 chukar breast halves (4 whole breasts)
    4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    ½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
    2 tablespoons olive oil
    4 tablespoons butter
    ¾ cup sweet Marsala wine
    2 tablespoons capers in brine
    1 tablespoon parsley

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 2 sage leaves in the center of each piece of prosciutto, then wrap each chukar breast half in the prosciutto, making a little breast roll. Put the flour on a plate or shallow bowl and season with the pepper. Dredge the breast rolls in the flour. Heat the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet. Once the butter is foaming, add 4 of the breast rolls, seam side down, to the skillet. Sear over medium-high heat until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes per side. Because chukar breasts have much less fat than chicken, it’s important not to overcook them. Transfer the seared breast rolls to an ungreased baking dish. Add another tablespoon of the butter to the pan and sear the remaining breast rolls. Transfer to the baking dish and cook in the 350-degree oven for 8 minutes.

    Reduce pan heat to medium-low and add the Marsala. Stir constantly, scraping up the browned bits. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the capers and parsley. Stir in the remaining butter until melted. Spoon the sauce over the chukar rolls. Serve on a bed of sautéed spinach. Recommended side dishes are creamy mashed potatoes or brown rice.

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    A plate cleaning treat for job well done.

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  • Partridge Pot Pie with Herbed Biscuit Topping

    Partridge Pot Pie
    Partridge Pot Pie

    I found myself in the lucky situation of having a lot of birds to cook, and the not so lucky situation of having my first nasty head cold of the season. I craved something hearty, comforting, and good for me. Chicken soup never sounds good to me, so my wonderful wife suggested we make some pot pies out of the chukar, Huns, and pheasant cluttering up our counter. A veteran of the Internet recipe sites and a great cook, Leslie found a recipe, modified it a bit, and – voila! – it was fantastic and easy. The hardest part was cleaning the birds (not that I’m complaining). Enjoy!

    Partridge Pot Pie with Herbed Biscuit Topping

    Ingredients:

    • 1/2 cup butter, in all
    • 1 to 4 cups cooked wild game bird – chukar, Hun, grouse, or pheasant, cubed in bite-sized chunks (we used just one chukar breast for these four pies; one bird per pie is ideal)
    • 1 small onion, chopped
    • 3 celery ribs, chopped
    • 3 carrots, chopped
    • 2/3 cup frozen peas
    • 8 button mushrooms, sliced
    • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
    • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
    • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
    • 2 cups chicken broth
    • 2/3 cup half-and-half cream
    • salt and ground black pepper to taste
    • 1 can of “jumbo-sized” refrigerated flaky biscuits
    • Dried thyme, for topping

    Makes four individual servings.

    Directions:

    1. Make sure your bird dog is nearby, preferably napping with his pet monkey
    2. Clean your birds, and make sure you have a good IPA to accompany this grisly chore
    3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C)
    4. Melt 1/4 C butter in skillet over high heat, and brown (sear) the cubed bird meat and put aside.
    5. Melt remaining 1/4 C butter in a skillet over medium-low heat, and cook the onion, celery, carrots, and mushrooms until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in peas, parsley, thyme and flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until the flour coats the vegetables and begins to fry, about 5 minutes. Stir in chicken broth and half-and-half, and cook until the sauce is thick and bubbling. Season to taste with salt and black pepper, and mix in the bird meat.
    6. Cut biscuits in half, making two discs. Put one disc in the bottom of a baking dish.
    7. Transfer the meat, vegetables, and sauce into the baking dishes. Arrange top half of biscuits on top of the filling. Sprinkle with dried thyme.
    8. Bake in the preheated oven until the biscuits are golden brown and the pie filling is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.
    Brittany with stuffed monkey
    Angus napping with his monkey
    Pheasant, chukar, Hungarian partridge ready to clean
    Blessed with birds
    Cleaning game birds
    Clean your birds with a good craft beer

     

    Saute with mushrooms
    Saute with mushrooms
    Add the peas
    Add the peas
    Add the cream
    Add the cream
    Fill baking dishes
    Fill baking dishes
    Top with biscuit
    Top with biscuit
    Partridge Pot Pies
    Partridge Pot Pies