Roast Chukar or Partridge
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
1 hr
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Cook Time
35 mins
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Total Time
1 hr 35 mins
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Servings
2 people
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Calories
1113 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
American
Roast Chukar or Partridge
Description
This recipe features whole chukar or Hungarian partridges submerged in a kosher salt brine to enhance juiciness and seasoning, refrigerated for up to eight hours. After brining, the birds are dried and brought to room temperature before roasting. Lemon quarters are placed inside each bird, and they receive a light salt sprinkle before roasting at 450°F on a bed of celery stalks to elevate them from the pan.
The roasting takes 20 to 25 minutes until the thickest part of the breast reaches 150 to 155°F for doneness. Resting the birds post-roast allows the juices to redistribute. A sauce is created from the roasting pan drippings by sautéing minced onion or shallot in butter, adding demi-glace or stock, apple brandy such as calvados, cider vinegar, and cinnamon, then reducing to meld flavors.
Serving the roasted bird with this warm, spiced sauce brings out the savory richness of the meat and complements its gamey characteristics. The brining and drying steps are key to achieving moist meat and crispy skin, characteristic of this preparation.
Ingredients
- 2 chukars or Hungarian partridges
- kosher salt
- celery stalks
BRINE
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
- 4 cups water
SAUCE
- 1 onion minced, or shallot
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons demi-glace boiled down by half, or 1 cup stock
- 3 tablespoons calvados or other apple brandy
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- salt pinch
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 Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 2people
Amount Per Serving
Calories 1113 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 1113kcal | 56% |
| Carbohydrates | 2g | 1% |
| Protein | 162g | 324% |
| Fat | 43g | 66% |
| Saturated Fat | 7g | 35% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 3g | 15% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 30mg | 10% |
| Sodium | 386mg | 16% |
| Potassium | 1897mg | 40% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 1g | 2% |
| Vitamin A | 351IU | 7% |
| Vitamin C | 1mg | 1% |
| Calcium | 25mg | 3% |
| Iron | 35mg | 194% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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