Roast Pheasant Crowns

Tender and succulent, roast pheasant crowns with their subtle gaminess is a delightful alternative to chicken or turkey for a holiday meal. Or any day really.

The first time I ever remember eating pheasant was at one my husband's company Christmas dinners, held in a restaurant in the Eiffel Tower. It was a lovely dressy affair that lasted all evening, starting with Champagne and ending several courses later with a delightful cheese selection. 

When the pheasant course was served, I was warned to be careful because, while the chefs make every effort to remove it, sometimes buckshot gets missed and it will break your teeth. I was told that finding shot was good because it meant you were eating much preferred wild pheasant, not farm raised. I did find one little ball of shot that night and one in the pheasant crowns I roasted for this post so yay! 

Crowning a pheasant is a simple way to present a beautifully cooked bird without the hassle of carving at the table. To crown a pheasant, we will simply remove the legs and wings (if any) from the carcass. Then we remove most of the back, leaving a base for the breast to sit on. The breasts can be brined and then roasted to perfection, without drying out.

The whole legs (thighs and drumsticks) are best cooked confit-style, that is to say, slow-baked covered with duck fat to keep make them tender. I’ll share that recipe in another post. 

Roast Pheasant Crowns

Start this recipe early in day you want to serve the pheasants, to allow time for brining, which is essential to ensure the birds don’t dry out while roasting. Older birds can brine for eight hours, younger ones need only four hours. This recipe is adapted from one on Hunter Angler Gardener Cook. 

Ingredients 

2 whole pheasants (Mine weighed 1.9 lbs or 867g and 1.8 lbs or 826g.)

4 cups or 946ml water

2 tablespoons fine sea salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1 bay leaf

4 tablespoons softened butter

Drizzle olive oil for roasting pan

Streaky bacon to cover your pheasant crowns before baking

Method

Separate the whole legs (thigh and drumstick) from the rest of the pheasants. 

As mentioned above, pheasant thighs and legs can be roasted but they tend to dry out, despite brining, and are better cooked confit – baked slowly in duck fat. That will be a separate recipe for later so set them aside. 

Cut the back out, leaving a small piece across the top of the breasts. 

These backs can be seasoned and pan-fried or roasted and then simmered in water to make a flavorful stock. Or if you have a collection bag for items to make stock in the freezer, toss them in.

Make a brine by bringing the 1 cup or 240ml water, salt, bay leaf and sugar to a boil.

 

Boil until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Add in the rest of the water and let cool to room temperature then chill in the fridge. When it has cooled completely, pour it in a Ziploc bag with the pheasant crowns, making sure they are completely covered. 

Keep in the fridge for 4 to 8 hours. (See note just above the ingredient list.)

When you are ready to roast, take the crown bag out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to an hour. 

Preheat your oven to 450°F or 332°C. 

Drain the brine and rinse the crowns with cool water. Pat dry with paper towels.

As you can see, one of my pheasants had the skin relatively intact. The other, not so much. I've read that some hunters can't be bothered to pluck the birds carefully, so they just pull the feathers out roughly or the skin off altogether. 

These were purchased at the same time from the same game butcher so who knows why they were different!

Rub the crowns all over with the softened butter. 

Transfer them to a roasting pan lightly drizzled with olive oil, then cover the breasts with streaky bacon slices. Use however many you’d like. I recommend full coverage so you might also want to overlap them like I do. 

Roast for 12 minutes. Baste with pan juices then roast for 8-15 minutes more, depending on the size of the breasts and how you like your game cooked. I recommend using an instant read thermometer.

Pheasant, particularly the breast, can and should be served with a slight blush of pink to keep it juicy and prevent it from drying out. A properly cooked pheasant breast should have a target internal temperature of 155° to 160°F or 68° to 71°C so take them out of the oven before they reach that as they will continue to cook as they rest. 

Leave the crowns to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing the whole breast off each side of the crowns and serving.

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing recipes made with game or foraged items for a theme I called hunter/gatherer. Check out those recipes below! 

• Chili Cheeseburgers with Bison Chili from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• How to Dry Rosemary from Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Momiji Tempura ;from Culinary Cam
• Pork Korma from Sneha's Recipe
• Roast Pheasant Crowns from Food Lust People Love
• Urban Foraged Stovetop Potpourri from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Venison Tater Tot Shepherd's Pie from A Day in the Life on the Farm

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

Pin these Roast Pheasant Crowns! 

.