Stuffed Quail

by
posted on November 6, 2012
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
2012116153343-stuffed_quail_f.jpg

With the holidays almost upon us, this recipe is one to add to your roster. It is an elegant dish, and the stuffing is good enough to eat on its own. You can serve it as a side rather than stuff your birds with it, or if you don’t have quail and want to opt for chicken, pheasant or duck—or another bird—it will still be delicious. The tanginess from the white wine mixed with the sweetness from the dried currants is a wonderful combination. The copious amounts of butter also allow the boneless, lean bird meat to stay moist and flavorful. Basting the bird with butter several times during cooking helps prevent too much moisture evaporation.

I suggest deboning the bird first so that the flavors can be scooped up and swallowed together. The birds become little packages this way, which can be tied off with a strand of green onion or chive. Deboning may sound intimidating, but it is really quite simple once you get the hang of it. There are several good online video tutorials that can teach you this process. Or you can simply get a good pair of kitchen shears and cut along both sides of the backbone and remove the spine, which will allow you to wrap the quail around the stuffing but keep the remaining bones in.

Since these birds are small, you’ll want to plan for two per person as an entrée, though you can get away with one per person as an appetizer over a bed of frisée or other tender greens. As an entrée serve it alongside whole roasted baby carrots, or crispy roasted Brussels sprouts.

10 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons finely diced shallots
4 celery stalks, peeled of outer strings and finely diced
1 cup white wine
8 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts
4 tablespoons dried currants (or finely chopped dried cherries or cranberries)
4 cloves garlic, diced
4 tablespoons bread crumbs
8 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-parsley leaves
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
8 quail, deboned if possible Salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350° degrees. Meanwhile, melt 6 tablespoons of the butter in a small sauté pan and sweat the shallots and celery over low heat, until translucent.

2. Add the white wine and reduce by half.

3. In a small bowl, combine the walnuts, currants, garlic, bread crumbs, parsley and thyme.

4. Once the wine is reduced by half, stir in the bread crumb mixture and cook until it thickens and forms a paste. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

5. Distribute a lump of stuffing onto the back side of the breast meat of each deboned quail and wrap the leg meat and breast meat around it until it is sealed. Fasten with a toothpick through the seam.

6. Lay the quail in a cast-iron skillet with 4 tablespoons of butter. Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, basting the top of the quail with butter three times during the process.

7. Remove from the oven, remove the toothpicks carefully from each bird and serve immediately. Dish serves four.

Ready to try a few more recipes? Here are some choice dishes from Georgia's Kitchen.

Latest

SG Banish 46 V2 Lead
SG Banish 46 V2 Lead

#SundayGunday: Banish 46-V2

On this week's #SundayGunday, we're talking about suppressors, specifically the Banish 46-V2, capable of taming nearly every gun in your safe, up to and including the big boys like .338 Lapua.

KelTec Named Official Stage Sponsor for 2025 NRA World Shooting Championship

The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is proud to announce KelTec as an official sponsor of the 2025 NRA World Shooting Championship, returning to Camp Atterbury, Ind., from September 30 to October 4, 2025.

Thompson/Center Arms Celebrating 60th Anniversary

Thompson/Center Arms is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2025. Since 1965, T/C Arms has built a legacy rooted in the pioneering spirit of American hunters.

Federal Ammunition Awards 2025 Tom Knapp Memorial Scholarships

Federal Ammunition recently awarded the 2025 Tom Knapp Memorial Scholarships to two 4-H shooting sports teen ambassadors: Lucy Evans from Georgia and John Bruner from Pennsylvania.

Head to Head: 7x57mm Mauser vs. .30-06 Springfield

I’ve had more than a few requests for this Head to Head, so I figured it was high time to pit two of the early 20th century’s most popular military cartridges against one another. Let's dive into the 7x57mm Mauser vs. the .30-06 Springfield.

NRA Hunter Education FREE Online Course Now Available in Louisiana

The National Rifle Association of America’s award-winning free Hunter Education online course is now available in the State of Louisiana, the latest addition as NRA works to make the course available to hunters in all 50 states.

Interests



Get the best of American Hunter delivered to your inbox.