Pheasant and Wild Rice

For those who like to hunt (I'm out!) pheasant hunting season has just come to a close and hopefully your freezer is stocked with birds. My husband loves to take our german shorthair pointer Chelsea out. She is an amazing dog and always wants to catch the bird (or the cat that comes to visit in the backyard. Or the squirrel. Or the deer that jumps out at us as we run). Even on our runs she will occasionally stop and point while I continue to run.  Sometimes we throw the pheasant she finds into a crockpot and make a sauce to go over noodles or rice. Other times we make it into a pie or place it in a roasting bag and make some pheasant and wild rice.

Having fresh meat tastes amazing. There truly is a difference between fresh meat and store bought meat.

But that doesn't mean that I allow my husband to bring home my meat feathers and all. I have a firm rule--when he brings the bird home it has to look like the bird I would buy from the store. No feathers. He did that to me one time and I almost threw up.

Pheasant tastes a lot like chicken to me. You do have to be a bit careful when cooking with it though. It can dry out easily with it's lower fat content. It's also a game meat so it can be more tough. Definetely need to keep it moist while cooking to avoid that.

If you are looking for some other pheasant recipes and tips, try these:

Where to Train Your Future Bird Hunting Dog

Pheasant Hunting 101

Pheasant Wild Rice Pie

Today we're making pheasant and wild rice--this time with a little help from a friend.

Simply Organic has started making a new line of products called Steam Gourmet. Each box contains two parchment bags and two seasoning packets--perfect for two meals. Each Steam Gourmet kit runs around $5.99-7.99 (so $2.99-3.99 per meal) and you can save $⅓ with this coupon. Yummy flavors include Garlic Herb Chicken, Paprika Chicken, Sesame Ginger Salmon and Cajun Chicken. The great thing about the kits is they are interchangeable. We used the Garlic Herb with our Pheasant and the Sesame Ginger with Chicken. We also used the Paprika chicken with a steak. They were so easy!

You simply take your pheasant (I would recommend two to three pheasants for each bag and seasoning packet)--or one whole chicken if you're using chicken--and place it on a plate.

Sprinkle the seasoning over it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simply slide your chicken or pheasant into the parchment bag.

Now cook for approximately one hour or until chicken or pheasant is cooked thoroughly. Look at all the juices it makes while cooking. YUM!

Serve with some wild rice. And then the best part.

EAT!!!!!