Game Bird Recipes

Preparation of game bird recipes can be very tricky and usually one of three things can go wrong.

  1. The birds are not cooked long enough.
  2. Too high of a temperature is used when cooking.
  3. The birds are cooked too long.

Typically in the case of birds being tough, it’s usually caused by being undercooked. Always make sure to have lots of liquid in the pan during the entire cooking process.

Betty’s Pheasant Baked in Cream

2 pheasants, cut up
1 1/2 cups of bisquick or flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning (or spice of your choice like thyme)
1 cup milk or buttermilk
1/4 cup butter
1-2 cans of chicken broth
1 pint of whipping cream

Cut pheasant into separate pieces (breast, drumstick, thigh), you will end up with 12 pieces (discard the wings).  Mix bisquick and seasonings in plastic bag.  Dip pheasant pieces in milk and drop into plastic bag with seasonings and shake to thoroughly coat.  Melt butter in frying pan and brown coated pheasant pieces.  When all pieces have browned, transfer pheasant to a roaster pan or oven proof dish.  Add 1 can of chicken broth and bake for 1 1/2 hours in 325 degree oven.  Check periodically for liquid, if dry add more chicken broth.  After 1 1/2 hours of baking, pour 1 pint of whipping cream over the pheasant.  Bake another 45 minutes to 1 hour, check to make sure whipping cream doesn’t dry up (especially if you want some gravy).

Adjust seasoning to desired taste.  Serve with wild rice and cranberry orange relish.

Betty’s Easy Wild Rice

1/2 lb wild rice
4-6 cups of water
1/4 cup butter
1 cup celery (chopped)
1 cup yellow onion (chopped)
Salt & pepper to taste

Add rice to 4-6 cups of water. Bring to a boil, let boil for 1/2 hour and drain water. Add another 4-6 cups of water to rice and repeat process until water is clean and/or rice has popped (this could take several hours). Sauté celery and onion in butter. Add celery and onion to wild rice and salt and pepper to taste.

Cranberry Orange Relish

1 bag of frozen cranberries
1 orange
1/2 or 1 cup sugar

In food chopper, chop one bag of frozen cranberries and one orange with rind on. Add 1/2 to 1 cup of sugar. Mix thoroughly. Refrigerate overnight.

Oakwood’s Deep Fried Pheasant Nuggets

Breast meat of pheasants
2 eggs
Shore Lunch

Cube or cut in strips the breast meat of pheasants. Whisk eggs and dip meat into egg mixture. Roll in shore lunch or your favorite batter mix. Cook in deep fryer until done or nice and golden brown.

Smoked Pheasant Spread

8 oz Philly cream cheese
1/2 jar (3.75 oz) whipped horseradish
All the breast meat from one smoked pheasant
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Soften cream cheese to room temperature.  Cut breast meat from pheasant and chop fine or put in food chopper and pulse a few times.  Mix the pheasant with the cream cheese until well blended, then add the horseradish and garlic powder.  Refrigerate several hours or overnight.  Serve with crackers.