I love the smell of a roasting bird in the oven…
Especially when the bird is massaged inside and out with garlic butter and filled with a spicy ground cooked chorizo.
I had a young two pound pheasant in the refrigerator for a few days before I decided that pheasant is what’s for dinner. I didn’t brine the bird, but that’s not to say you shouldn’t brine your bird first. You can never go wrong with giving your fowl a soak overnight. Just make sure that the bird is pretty dry prior to roasting.
I brought this bird up to room temperature before smothering it and stuffing it with flavorful fragrance. I also added a side of parsnip sticks to roast alongside the pheasant – think french fries without the fry. So good. Of course, if you don’t like these yummy root veges you could always substitute with carrots or potatoes.
Carve, serve and enjoy!
Heat a skillet over medium-low heat and brown the ground chorizo until fully cooked. Remove the chorizo and discard the grease.
Melt the butter in a saucepan and remove from heat. Using the side of a wide blade, smash the garlic cloves on a cutting board and add to the melted butter. Let cool.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Set the pheasant in a roasting pan and rub the garlic butter all over the bird including the cavity and under the skin. Generously season with salt and pepper. Stuff 1/2 of the cooked chorizo into the cavity of the bird. Tress the legs closed with butchers twine and tuck the wing tips in so they don’t burn. Place the parsnip sticks in the pan along with the remaining chorizo. Wet the parsnips with olive oil and season a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the lemon halves to the roasting pan.
Place the roasting pan in the oven and cook for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the pan, baste the bird and turn the parsnips. Set the roasting pan back in the oven and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until the thickest part of the pheasant registers 165 degrees and the juices run clear. Remove from oven, baste the bird again and set aside to rest for 10 minutes.
Carve the pheasant and serve with the parsnip sticks, chorizo and a side salad.
Oh… and finish with a pinch of salt and the roasting pan juices = KILLER!
Celebrate your harvest from the field to the dinner plate with my favorite Wild Game Cooking and Kitchen Essentials – because every meal tells a story.
Visit my Amazon store to order some of my TOP PICKS for preparing and cooking Wild Game. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases which helps me to continue to share my Wild Game Recipes. ~ Sincerely, Kristy
Ingredients
- 1 whole pheasant (2 - 2 1/2 lbs), room temperature
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 lemon, cut in half
- 4 tbs olive oil
- 3-4 parsnips, peeled and cut into sticks
- 1 lb ground chorizo, mild or spicy
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat a skillet over medium-low heat and brown the ground chorizo until fully cooked. Remove the chorizo and discard the grease.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan and remove from heat. Using the side of a wide blade, smash the garlic cloves on a cutting board and add to the melted butter. Let cool.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Set the pheasant in a roasting pan and rub the garlic butter all over the bird including the cavity and under the skin. Generously season with salt and pepper. Stuff 1/2 of the cooked chorizo into the cavity of the bird. Tress the legs closed with butchers twine and tuck the wing tips in so they don't burn. Place the parsnip sticks in the pan along with the remaining chorizo. Wet the parsnips with olive oil and season a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the lemon halves to the roasting pan.
- Place the roasting pan in the oven and cook for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the pan, baste the bird and turn the parsnips. Set the roasting pan back in the oven and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until the thickest part of the pheasant registers 165 degrees and the juices run clear. Remove from oven, baste the bird again and set aside to rest for 10 minutes.
- Carve the pheasant and serve with the parsnip sticks, chorizo and a side salad.
Celebrate your harvest from the field to the dinner plate with my favorite Wild Game Cooking and Kitchen Essentials – because every meal tells a story.
Visit my Amazon store to order some of my TOP PICKS for preparing and cooking Wild Game. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases which helps me to continue to share my Wild Game Recipes. ~ Sincerely, Kristy
I was wondering if it is worth brining the pheasant before? Don’t want a dry bird…
you can never go wrong with brining beforehand. I would say YES.
Great recipe for my first try cooking with pheasant! The chorizo really gave a wonderful flavour, added some other root vegetables since i’m not the biggest parsnip fan. Added bacon on the sides which helped keep the meat juicy!
This recipe was exceptional! I added a couple quartered onions and used fileted pheasant and rolled it in the sauted garlic butter. I used 2 lemons – quartered – added such great flavor.
Use 5 parsnips as they were so good with the pheasant! I didn’t use the chorizo in the recipe, but may try that next time.
This is a wonderful recipe – thank you.
Simple and absolutely delicious!