Pheasant meat is lean, has a delicate flavor and these characteristics make it perfect for slow cooking at a low temperature. If you want to make a full meal easily, you can add onions, carrots and parsnips or cook the meat with mushrooms and serve it on a bed of steamed rice. If you love rustic recipes, you can brown the pheasant in a pan and then transfer it to the slow cooker (the so-called "slow cooker") with garlic and cider. Let the meat cook for a long time so that it becomes tender and tasty.
Ingrediants
Pheasant with Vegetables
- About 1 kg of pheasant meat
- 1 onion, sliced
- 2 carrots, coarsely chopped
- 2 parsnips, coarsely chopped
- 4 slices of bacon
- 60 ml of chicken broth
- 60 ml of sherry
- Salt and pepper to taste
- A teaspoon of garlic powder
- A teaspoon tip of onion powder
For 4-6 people
Pheasant with Mushrooms
- 2 pheasants, cut into 4 parts
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 115 g button mushrooms, sliced
- 120 ml of chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons (16 g) of flour
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) of salt
- 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
- 300 ml of chicken cream
- Paprika to decorate the dish
- Steamed rice
For 8 people
Pheasant in Cider
- 2 whole pheasants cut into 4 parts or 6 pheasant breasts
- 8 tablespoons (120 ml) of extra virgin olive oil
- 350 ml of cider
- 475 ml of chicken broth
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- Salt and pepper to taste
For 6 people
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Pheasant with Vegetables
Step 1. Grease the inside of the pan with the olive oil spray
For this recipe you need a slow cooker with a capacity of at least 4 liters. Prepare it by greasing the inner walls and bottom with olive oil spray.
The oil prevents meat and vegetables from sticking to the pot
Step 2. Cut an onion, two carrots and two parsnips
Peel the vegetables, then slice the onion into slices about 1.5 cm thick. Then cut the carrots and parsnips into pieces at least 4 cm in size.
Try to cut the carrots and parsnips into evenly sized pieces for even cooking
Step 3. Put the meat and vegetables in the pot
Spread the onion slices and the carrot and parsnip pieces on the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the pheasant on top of the vegetable bed.
You can use pheasant breasts or any other part of the bird
Step 4. Add the bacon, stock and sherry
Arrange the 4 slices of bacon on the meat without overlapping them. Add 60ml of chicken stock and 60ml of sherry by pouring them directly over the meat and vegetables.
If you don't have bacon, you can exclude it from the recipe, but the meat won't taste quite as rich and it will lack the smoky note
Step 5. Season the pheasant meat with salt, pepper and garlic and onion powder
Distribute the salt and pepper on the meat and vegetables, dosing them according to your tastes. Add a teaspoon of garlic and onion powder respectively to give the pheasant and vegetables even more flavor.
Step 6. Close the pot, set it to "low" cooking mode and let the meat cook for 8-10 hours
Press the power button and let the slow cooker do its job by cooking the meat and vegetables to perfection. If you prefer faster cooking, set the pot to "high" and let the pheasant cook for 3-4 hours.
If the pheasant is whole, make sure it reaches a core temperature of 82 ° C by measuring it with a meat thermometer. If you are cooking the brisket or other parts of the pheasant, make sure they have reached 74 ° C
Step 7. Serve the pheasant with the vegetables
Turn off the pot and immediately serve the meat surrounded by the vegetables. If you want you can also accompany it with white rice.
You can store leftover meat and vegetables in the refrigerator, using an airtight container, for 2-3 days
Method 2 of 3: Pheasant with Mushrooms
Step 1. Grease the inside of the pot before cooking the pheasant
Grease the sides and bottom of the slow cooker with spray oil to prevent the meat or mushrooms from sticking to the pot. Cook the two pheasants after cutting them into quarters.
Use a saucepan with a capacity of at least 4 liters
Step 2. Cut the onion and mushrooms
Peel and chop the onion coarsely. Add 115 g of washed and sliced mushrooms.
If you prefer, you can use canned sautéed mushrooms. Drain them from the storage liquid
Step 3. Combine the flour, stock, Worcestershire sauce, salt, garlic and cream of chicken
Pour 2 tablespoons (16 g) of flour into a bowl and add 120 ml of chicken stock gradually, stirring until dissolved. At that point add:
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon of salt;
- 1 finely chopped clove of garlic;
- 300 ml of chicken cream (if you can't find it ready, you can easily make it at home with chicken breast, broth and fresh cream).
Step 4. Spread the onion, mushrooms and sauce over the meat
Divide the ingredients evenly in the pot, then add the mixture of flour, broth, chicken cream and spices.
Step 5. Close the pot, set it to "low" mode and let the pheasant cook for 6-8 hours
Put the lid on the slow cooker, set the cooking mode "low" and press the power button. The onions must become soft and the meat must also be cooked in the center.
Use a meat thermometer to see if the pheasant is cooked. Place it where the meat is thickest and make sure it has reached the core temperature of 74 ° C
Step 6. Season the pheasant with paprika and serve immediately
Turn off the pot and sprinkle the meat with paprika before transferring it to a serving dish along with the mushrooms. If you want, you can accompany the pheasant with white rice.
You can store leftover meat in the refrigerator, using an airtight container, for 2-3 days
Method 3 of 3: Pheasant in Cider
Step 1. Brown the meat over medium-high heat for 4 minutes
Pour 4 tablespoons (60 ml) of extra virgin olive oil into the pan and let it heat over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, place the meat in the pot. For this recipe you can use a whole pheasant cut into quarters or three pheasant breasts. Brown the meat for 2 minutes, then flip it over and cook for another 2 minutes.
- The meat should be golden and well browned, but not fully cooked.
- Brown one piece of meat at a time, then transfer it to the slow cooker. Continue like this until you have browned all the pheasant pieces.
Step 2. Season the meat with garlic and cider
After transferring all the pheasant pieces to the slow cooker using the kitchen tongs, add two crushed garlic cloves, 350ml cider and 475ml chicken broth.
If you prefer, you can replace the cider with beer or your favorite sweet wine
Step 3. Cover the pot, set it to "low" mode and let the pheasant cook for 5 hours
The meat must reach an internal temperature of 82 ° C to be considered fully cooked. At that point, you can turn off the pot.
Step 4. Serve the pheasant
Place the meat on a serving dish and let it rest for a few minutes before serving. You can accompany the pheasant with roasted vegetables or mashed potatoes.
