Chukar Recipe - Roast Chukar or Partridge | Hank Shaw (2024)

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5 from 6 votes

By Hank Shaw

October 20, 2021 | Updated May 28, 2022

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This is a lovely, simple chukar recipe for roast chukar, brined overnight to keep it juicy. This same recipe works with partridge, quail, small grouse and Cornish game hens.

Chukar Recipe - Roast Chukar or Partridge | Hank Shaw (2)

Let me stress that while I designed this as a chukar recipe, a chukar is just another partridge, which is just another small cousin of the chicken. So your experience with chicken will come in handy.

Like chicken, chukars can get dry in a hurry. That’s why I advise brining the birds overnight before roasting. It will give you wiggle room in the roasting process without making the bird a desiccated mess.

You will, ideally, serve one chukar or similar bird per person, or two quail or woodco*ck, or maybe just one pheasant for two people. But a chukar is a great single serving game bird.

Obviously this is for a plucked chukar. If you skin your chukars, I don’t advise this recipe. Try using chukars in recipes like my pheasant and dumplings, or pound the breasts out into cutlets for wiener schnitzel, or make chukar stock, and then use the meat shredded off the carcasses to make a batch of chukar taquitos.

Back to this chukar recipe. You don’t have to brine, and I don’t anymore because I’ve roasted a lot of small game birds. The tradeoff is crispy skin; it’s harder to get that perfectly crisp skin with a brined bird, but an unbrined bird can dry out more easily.

Chukar Recipe - Roast Chukar or Partridge | Hank Shaw (3)

Under no circ*mstances do you want the breast meat of a chukar or similar bird to get above 155F. This is fully cooked, but with a blush of pink. I prefer 150F. This is perfectly safe with wild birds; no one gets salmonella from wild chukars.

To be perfectly honest, my preferred method of cooking partridges, quail and chukars is to pan roast them. Here is my method for pan roasted chukar.

As for a sauce for this chukar recipe, it’s up to you. I really like this apple-based sauce with apple brandy and cider vinegar. But a traditional Cumberland sauce would be nice here, too.

5 from 6 votes

Roast Chukar or Partridge

The sauce I chose to go with this recipe is an apple-based one; I like the combination of “chickeny” birds and apples. You make the sauce at the end, while the chukars are resting, so have everything ready to go before you get to that point. Serve this with polenta or mashed potatoes.

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 2 people

Author: Hank Shaw

Prep Time: 1 hour hour

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 chukars or Hungarian partridges
  • Kosher salt
  • Celery stalks

BRINE

  • 1/4 cup kosher salt
  • 4 cups water

SAUCE

  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons demi-glace, or 1 cup stock, boiled down by half
  • 3 tablespoons Calvados or other apple brandy
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Pinch of salt

Instructions

  • Get your tap water as hot as it'll go and pour 4 cups of it over the salt. Stir to dissolve. Let cool to room temperature. Submerge the birds in the brine, cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.

  • Remove the partridges and pat them dry. Let them sit out at room temperature for 20 minutes, while you preheat the oven to 450°F. Because I often brine overnight, I sit the birds out uncovered in the fridge all day to dry. This helps a lot with crispy skin.

  • Stick a quarter of a lemon into each bird. Lightly salt the birds; they'll already be a little salty from the brine, so don't go overboard.

  • Get a cast-iron pan or other oven-proof pan and lay down the celery stalks — these are to keep the partridges up off the bottom of the pan. Roast in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Check for doneness with a thermometer. You want the thick part of the breast to be about 150 to 155°F.

  • Remove the birds to a cutting board to rest, then put the pan on the stove. Turn the heat on to medium and remove the celery. Remember it's hot, so use a mitt!

  • Melt the butter in the pan and sauté the shallots until the begin to brown. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well to combine. Cook down by half and turn off the heat.

  • Serve the sauce over mashed potatoes or polenta and under the chukars. I prefer a big white wine with this, like a Chardonnay or a white Cotes du Rhone.

Nutrition

Calories: 1113kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 162g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 386mg | Potassium: 1897mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 351IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 35mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @huntgathercook or tag #hankshaw!

Categorized as:
American Recipes, Pheasant, Grouse, Quail, Recipe, Wild Game

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About Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet’s largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

Read More About Me

Chukar Recipe - Roast Chukar or Partridge | Hank Shaw (2024)

FAQs

Are chukar partridge good to eat? ›

Chukar meat makes fine table fare, especially when it is seasoned with hard work and memories from the hunt.

What does chukar meat taste like? ›

Their white meat is firm, but very tender and juicy with a distinct clean flavor of its own. Said to be the tastiest of all game birds. They are sold with head and feet on. Firm, tender, and juicy, a distinct clean flavor said to be the tastiest of all game birds.

What is a Chukar's favorite food? ›

In North America, Chukars' preferred foods are the leaves and seeds of annual and perennial grasses (primarily introduced cheatgrass). Chukars also eat seeds from pinyon pine, sunflower, rough fiddleneck, and tansy mustard. During the late fall and winter, green grass leaves provide the bulk of their diet.

What is the lifespan of a chukar? ›

The male is slightly larger in size than the male and the female does not have the spur. The tail has 14 feathers, the longest is the third primary while the first primary is leveled with the fifth and sixth primaries. The average lifespan is 2–5 years of wild chakoor. It can run at an average speed of 20 kmph.

Does chukar taste like chicken? ›

Steep, grassy terrain with rock outcroppings. Tender white meat has a similar taste to chicken.

What is the best tasting bird? ›

The 8 Best Tasting Game Birds
  • Mallard cooked to medium rare. Brad Fenson.
  • Wild turkey schnitzel. Brad Fenson.
  • Butter and herb roasted goose. ...
  • Sandhill crane grilled to medium rare. ...
  • Roasted ruffed grouse. ...
  • Canvasbacks are one of the all-time beast eating ducks. ...
  • Roasted pheasant. ...
  • Sharpies bring lots of flavor to the plate.
Oct 28, 2022

What is the difference between a partridge and a chukar? ›

Gray partridge and chukar are closely related upland game birds native to Eurasia. The gray partridge has a rusty colored face and a gray chest with a dark colored U-shaped blotch on their belly. Their beak is dark and legs gray. The chukar is similar with a red bill and feet and a black necklace.

Which wild animal has the tastiest meat? ›

The 5 Most Delicious Game Meats: Our Picks
  • Nilgai. The nilgai is a medium-sized antelope, sometimes called the South Texas Antelope. ...
  • Axis Deer. ...
  • Bison. ...
  • Red Lechwe. ...
  • Elk. ...
  • Try Them All at Stone Creek Ranch.

Are chukar and partridge the same? ›

The chukar is a rotund 32–35 cm (13–14 in) long partridge, with a light brown back, grey breast, and buff belly. The shades vary across the various populations.

How can you tell if a chukar is male or female? ›

Male chukars tend to be slightly larger, and the shape of their head is often blockier than those of females. The red of their beaks and legs may also be more vibrant than that of females. Additionally, some (but not all) female chukars will have a metatarsal spur.

How big is a chukar partridge? ›

An adult chukar measures 13 to 14 inches long and weighs about three-quarters of pound, a little larger than a valley quail and a little smaller than a ruffed grouse.

Can chukars survive cold weather? ›

Chukar Partridge can be kept in a wide variety of climates, but they do better in drier locations. If you live where winters are cold, you will need to provide a good, draft-free shelter for protection.

Where do chukars sleep? ›

At night chukars roost on rocky slopes, under shrubs, or in other protected areas or caves. A group may roost in a tight circle with their heads pointed outwards to conserve heat and keep a lookout for predators.

Is chukar white or dark meat? ›

For a bird that lives in such harsh terrain, chukar taste good. The ample breast meat is mild and white, looking and tasting much like a Cornish game hen. The legs are dark but have a decent amount of fat in them. They're good in a slow cooker stew, smoked, or prepared like hot wings.

What is the best partridge to eat? ›

There are two main types of partridge available in Britain: the native grey partridge and the red-legged partridge. The former has delicate and tender flesh which, when young, is pale and full of flavour. It's a small bird, so a whole one feeds one person.

What does a partridge taste like compared to a chicken? ›

Partridge is a medium sized bird which has a subtle, delicate taste similar to chicken but with a stronger, gamier flavor.

What does partridge taste like? ›

Partridge is delicious a more subtle game flavour than the other game birds. It s is a plump and tender bird, sweeter in taste than the pheasant.It s very low in fat and high in iron giving it great health benefits. These fillets can be added to most chicken recipes.

Is partridge healthier than chicken? ›

Like wild deer, gamebirds enjoy a varied, foraged diet and plenty of exercise. As a result, pheasant, partridge and pigeon are all lower in fat, and offer more protein, iron, zinc and selenium than chicken.

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