This beautiful roasted bird was served at the Obama inaugural luncheon.

Game plan: Pheasant can be substituted with chicken.

  • Yield: 10 portions

Ingredients (9)

  • 10 pheasant breast, boneless, remove tenders and reserve for stuffing, cut small pocket in side of breast for stuffing
  • 1⁄2 cup olive oil with chopped rosemary, thyme and sage
  • 1 lb. wild rice, long grain
  • 2 quarts chicken stock or canned chicken broth
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 1⁄2 onion, diced
  • 1⁄2 cup dried apricot, small diced
  • 1 tablespoon salt and pepper mix
  • 2 tablespoons garlic, roasted

Instructions

  1. Boil the rice with the chicken stock, cook until soft and most of the liquid is gone.
  2. Add the onion, carrot, garlic and apricot. Cook until the vegetables are soft and all liquid has been absorbed. Refrigerate rice mixture until cold.
  3. In a food processor, puree pheasant tenders to a paste consistency to use as a binder for rice mix.
  4. When rice is cool, add the pheasant puree to the rice until well mixed. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and return to refrigerator until ready to stuff.
  5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  6. Make 10 small football shaped patties of the rice mix, stuff inside the pheasant, being careful not to overstuff the pheasant. Rub herb/oil mixture on top and bottom of the pheasant, season with salt and pepper. Place the pheasant on a heavy gauge roasting pan and then in a preheated oven for approximately 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and cover with lid or foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Serve over sauté of spinach.