Spicy Pheasant Sandwich with Paprika Butter Sauce

Written by Jeff Davis

Prep Time: 2 days - Cook Time: 30 min

I planted a bunch of cucumbers in my garden this year. I planted them, and they died, so I planted them again. Those also died, I believe it was my sixth attempt before I got any plants that survived long enough to be put into the ground. I'm not sure why they kept dying, but I started them early, moving them from inside the house to outside on warm sunny days, to back indoors to avoid the cool nights. Maybe it was the shock of going from inside to outside, over and over that killed them, or perhaps I just overwatered them. All this to say, I ended up with a truckload of really nice cucumbers. I had so many that I had to give a bunch of them away, but what I kept, I made into spicy pickles. Those spicy pickles are really the reason I decided to do this recipe, plus the fact that I had some left-over Brioche Buns from the previous recipe. I've always heard that Chick-Fil-A marinades their chicken in pickles juice, and they also serve pickles on their sandwich, so this fillet sandwiched seemed like a good recipe to try, as it let me use my spicy pickles two ways. Sometimes at work, they cater to Chick-Fil-A and it always seems like a treat. I personally like the spicy sandwich and wanted to create my own home version. This isn't meant to be a copy of their recipe, it was only used for inspiration. This is my Spicy Pheasant Fillet Sandwich with a Paprika Butter Sauce.

Chick-Fil-A seems to be a huge deal around these parts. They've been putting up several new locations recently, each one stays packed. Each new opening seems like a grand event, with people driving for miles just to wait in long lines to get a sandwich. I will say they are super efficient, it's a lesson these other fast food restaurants could learn. I like Hardees food but refuse to eat there because their service is always super slow. It seems like every time I go to Hardees, I end up with food I didn't order. I've seen McDonalds and Burger King release Chick-Fil-A style sandwiches in the past, but they never seem to stay on the menu very long. If these other restaurants want to copy Chick-Fil-A, they really need to start with the service and not the sandwiches.

Frying poultry seems like it would be easy ... but I seem to mess it up more times than not, and it can be challenging to get good results. I do love some deep-fried food, but I try not to cook it too much. It's easy to end up with soggy skin that falls off or isn't very crunchy. If the oil temperature isn't right, it is easy to burn the outside without cooking the inside. In an effort to make the best-fried pheasant, I've been researching fried food secrets and thought I'd list some of them here to help you out.

• Marinade or brine your poultry in a salty solution, either with Buttermilk or Pickle juice ( adding additional salt ), for several hours.
• Add some type of spirits to your brine and wet dredge mixture, like vodka, bourbon, or whiskey. The alcohol being more volatile than water when it hits the hot grease will help create a nice crust.
• Pat the poultry dry with paper towels.
• Leave out on the counter to reach room temperature before frying to prevent a soggy crust.
• Use some cornstarch in your flour mixture, this will help make a crunchy crust.
• Season the dry mixture well with salt, pepper, and other seasonings.
• Sprinkle poultry with salt and pepper before going into the dredge.
• For a better crust, dredge in flour first, shaking off any excess, then wet dredge, then dry dredge.
• Use peanut or canola oil and allow it to reach a steady 350 degrees before starting to fry.
• Use a skillet deep enough that you don't have to flip the poultry.
• When you add the meat to the fryer, turn down the heat.
• As soon as you get the crust you want, remove it from the fryer to a wire rack that allows the air to circulate.
• Check the temperature, then allow it to cool.
• If it's not done, preheat the oven to 300 degrees, once the oven is hot and the poultry cooled, place it in the oven to finish cooking.

Ingredients

Spicy Pickles

2 cup(s) Water

2 cup(s) Vinegar

6 tbsp Spicy Maple Syrup

2 tbsp Kosher Salt

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

4 clove(s) Garlic

5-6 Cucumbers

3-4 Hot Peppers, Jalapeno, Serrano or Habareno

Fresh Dill

Brioche Buns

3 1/2 All Purpose flour

1 tbsp Sugar

1 tbsp Honey

1 Packet of Active Dry Yeast

1 tsp Kosher Salt

1 cup(s) Warm Milk

1 Egg

4 tbsp Butter, Unsalted

Egg Wash

1 Egg

1-2 tbsp Milk

Paprika Butter Sauce

4 tbsp Butter

1 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Smoked Paprika

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1/2 tsp Kosher Salt

Pheasant Brine

2 tbsp Vodka

1 cup(s) Spicky Pickle Juice

1 tbsp Kosher Salt

Spicy Pheasant Sandwich

1 cup(s) All Purpose flour

1/4 cup(s) Cornstarch

1 tbsp Cayenne Pepper

1 tbsp Garlic Powder

1/2 tbsp Paprika

1/2 tbsp Kosher Salt

1/2 tbsp Ground Black Pepper

2 cup(s) Buttermilk

2 tbsp Hot Sauce

4 Pheasant Breast

Brioche Buns

Spicy Pickles

Olive Oil

Canola or Peanut Oil

Instructions

Spicy Pickles

Step #1 Add water, vinegar, spicy maple syrup, salt, cayenne and red pepper flakes to a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Boil for heat minute then turn off heat.

Step #2 Clean cucumbers.

Step #3 Slice in cucumber into desired thickness on mandolin.

Step #4 Slice garlic cloves.

Step #5 How hot do you want your pickles. Pick your poison.

Step #6 Add cucumber slices, sliced garlic, whole hot peppers and dill to mason jars.

Step #7 Cover with liquid brine. Seal and allow to cool, before placing in refrigerator. Pickles need to be in the fridge for at least two days, but one to two week is better.

Brioche Buns

Step #1 Add flour, sugar, salt and yeast to mixer.

Step #2 Add Milk, Egg and Honey

Step #3 With dough hook attached, set mixer to lowest settings and allow to incorporate all the ingredients.

Step #4 While mixer is running on low, cube up some unsalted butter then slow add to mixer a couple of cubes at a time.

Step #5 Turn mixer speed up to a medium setting and allow to work dough for 5-8 minutes.

Step #6 Turn dough out onto a well floured surface and begin to work by hand, kneading for about two minutes. You should be able to press your finger into the dough and it bounce back.

Step #7 Divide the dough into 8 equal size pieces

Step #8 Take a baking sheet and sprinkle it with water. Tear off a piece of parchment paper large enough to cover the baking sheet. The sprinkled water will help the parchment paper stick to the baking sheet.

Step #9 Take your cut pieces of dough and form them into round shape, then place on parchment paper lined baking sheet. I form these pieces into balls by pinching the edges underneath, then press flat.

Step #10 Place in a warm area, cover with a dish towel and allow to rise for about an hour.

Step #11 Preheat oven to 400 degrees. When warm, create an egg wash by combining one egg and tablespoon or two of milk. Brush mixture over top of buns.

Step #12 Place in oven to 15 minutes.

Step #13 Once done, move to wire rack to allow to cool.

Paprika Butter

Step #1 Add butter, paprika, cayenne and salt to small skillet. Set heat to low and allow butter to melt, stirring with spatula. Optional add a dash of your favorite hot sauce.

Pheasant Brine

Step #1 Remove skin from pheasant breast then add to a zip lock bag. Pour in pickle juice, vodka and salt. Shake to combine. Seal and place in the refrigerator for up to 6 hours.

Spicy Pheasant Sandwich

Step #1 Remove pheasant from brine. Dry off with paper towels. Leave the pheasant out and allow it to reach room temperature.

Step #2 Fill dutch oven with enough oil to cover the pheasant breast. Turn heat to high and allow to warm to 350 degrees. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Step #3 Setup dredging stations. Add buttermilk and hot sauce to one bowl. Add flour, cornstarch and seasoning to another. Alternately, instead of adding cayenne, garlic and paprika to flour, add five tablespoons of crawfish boil.

Step #4 When oil is at temp, season the pheasant with salt and pepper. Then run through the dry mixture, shacking off any excess mixture. Add to buttermilk and coat evenly. Then back through the dry mixture.

Step #5 Add coated pheasant to hot oil, then reduce the heat.

Step #6 Allow to cook for 3-4 minutes or until crust has browned. We'll finish the pheasant in the oven.

Step #7 Check the temperature. Allow to rest for a ten minutes, then add to oven. Cook until internal temperature is around 155-160.

Step #8 I didn't do it here, but can toast your buns by brushing them with olive oil and placing under broiler.

Add fried pheasant to bun and cover with paprika butter.

Step #9 Top with spicy pickles

Step #10 Top with bun and serve.

Recipe Card

Spicy Pheasant Sandwich with Paprika Butter Sauce

Written by Jeff Davis Visit : Visit authors website

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Prep Time: 2 days - Cook Time: 30 min