Air Fryer Pheasant Recipes

EMERIL'S FAVORITE ROAST PHEASANT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F and position the oven rack in the bottom third of the oven.
• Season the cavities and the outside of each pheasant liberally with salt and pepper. Divide the chopped onion and carrot equally among the cavities of the pheasants. Squeeze the juice from both halves of the orange and set aside. Cut 1 of the squeezed halves into 3 pieces, and tuck inside of the cavities along with the veggies. Insert 1sprig of thyme into the cavity of each pheasant.
• Arrange the pheasants in a large roasting pan, breast sides up. Lay 2 strips of bacon over the top of each pheasant, cutting the bacon into pieces if necessary to cover as much of the pheasant as possible. Roast for 15 minutes, then remove the bacon strips and continue roasting for approximately 30 to 40 minutes, or until the juices run clear. (It is important to not overcook the pheasants, as they are very lean birds.) Remove the pheasants from the oven and transfer to a serving platter, loosely tented, while you make the sauce.
• Using a spoon, carefully remove as much extra fat from the pan as possible. Place the roasting pan over high heat and, when hot, deglaze with the reserved orange juice and Madeira, using a wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. When the orange juice and Madeira have reduced by half, add the chicken stock and continue to cook until sauce has reduced enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 3 to 4 minutes. Swirl in the butter and remove from the heat. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
• Remove the back bone from each pheasant, then cut along the breast bone to divide the birds into two halves. Serve 1/2 pheasant per person, napped with some of the sauce and with some of the Wild Mushroom Bread Pudding.
• Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over high heat. Add the onions and cook until golden brown and tender, 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon of the garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the Essence, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and 3/4 teaspoon of the pepper, and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are tender and have given off their liquid, about 5 minutes. Add the beer and cook, stirring, to deglaze the pan and until the mixture is almost dry, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• In a large bowl, combine the eggs, cream, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons of Essence, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and whisk well to combine. Add the mushroom mixture and cheeses and stir well. Add the bread cubes and let sit until the bread has absorbed the liquid, 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with the butter. Add the bread crumbs, shaking to cover the bottom evenly. Pour the bread pudding mixture into the prepared pan and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour and uncover. Continue baking until risen and firm in the center, and golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool slightly before serving.
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
• Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

FRIED PHEASANT

Steps:

• Cut Pheasant Meat from Carcass (I just used the Breast and Thigh Meat Tossing all those little feet far away).
• Rinse Throughly and place in Bowl.
• Salt, Pepper and Season Pheasant turning the meat over to make sure all gets covered.
• Cover bowl and place in fridge for at least 4 hours.
• In Large Heavy Skillet (I used Grandma's Cast Iron) put oil and heat on high until ready to fry.
• Retrieve Pheasant from Fridge.
• In a shallow bowl scramble eggs.
• In another shallow bowl (or plate) put flour in an even layer.
• Dip Pheasant pieces in egg first then coat with flour.
• Place in hot oil and brown on either side (lower heat to medium here so as not to burn the oil).
• The pheasant cooks REALLY fast and is SO tender and moist.
• Carrots and a green salad was an excellent addition to this meal!

PHEASANT NUGGETS

Steps:

• Preheat a deep fryer for 375 to 400 degrees F (190 to 200 degrees C).
• Sprinkle the pheasant meat with meat tenderizer and pound lightly with a mallet to make all the pieces uniform and the same thickness. Using a medium bowl, combine the flour, seasoned salt, pepper, potato flakes and crushed cracker crumbs. Mix well and set aside.
• In a separate medium bowl, combine the egg and the milk and whisk until smooth. Dip the pheasant meat strips into the egg mixture then dredge each strip into the flour mixture. Coat well and thoroughly and lay out on a plate so the strips can be easily transferred to the deep fryer.
• Place the strips in a deep fryer set at 375 to 400 degrees F (190 to 200 degrees C) until golden brown. (Note: You can also pan fry these in a skillet over medium high to high heat with 1 cup oil for pan frying, but you may need to flip them if they are not submerged in oil.)