Pheasant has a slight tendency to dryness but pot-roasting it like this, with plenty of rich chorizo to provide a little fat and extra flavour, ensures a very satisfying result. The butter beans are a fine addition: they soak up all the flavours of the meat, wine and herbs and then you can mash them deliciously into the juices on your plate. If you prefer, you can joint the pheasants and brown the individual pieces rather than the whole birds. This recipe works brilliantly for a couple of jointed rabbits, too.
Rate this recipe:- 20 mins
- 2hrs
- 4
- A knob of butter
- 3 tablespoons rapeseed or olive oil
- 2 onions, finely sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- A few sprigs of thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 oven-ready pheasants
- 300g cooking chorizo, skin removed and cut into 2cm chunks,
- 400ml white wine
- 500ml vegetable, chicken or light pheasant stock
- 400g tin of butter beans, drained and rinsed
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Place a large flameproof casserole (one that will accommodate both birds) over a medium heat and heat the butter with 1 tablespoon of the oil until foaming. Add the onions, garlic, thyme and bay leaves and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are soft and slightly golden. Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan.
Season the pheasants all over with salt and pepper, add to the pan and brown on all sides over a high heat for 3–4 minutes. Transfer to the casserole. Add the chorizo to the frying pan and fry for 3–4 minutes, until browned, then add to the casserole too.
Deglaze the frying pan by pouring in a little of the wine and stirring to scrape up any bits from the base of the pan. Add to the pheasants with the rest of the wine, the stock and the butter beans. The liquid doesn’t need to cover the birds but it should come at least halfway up. Bring to a simmer, cover and place in an oven preheated to 140�C/Gas Mark 1.
Cook for 2 hours, until the birds are tender.
Remove the pheasants from the casserole and leave to rest in a warm place for 15–20 minutes. If the chorizo has released a lot of fat, skim some off the juices in the pan. Cut the birds into halves or quarters
and divide between 4 warm plates. Spoon over the chorizo, beans and sauce, and serve with mash or lots of bread.
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I halved this recipe and made it in a shallow casserole with one jointed very lean cock pheasant. I did not bother with browning the pheasant and chorizo in a separate pan, just added them to the onion and herb mixture for a few minutes before adding the liquid ingredients. The chorizo works REALLY well with what would have been an otherwise very dry bird. Delicious! Thank you!
The recipe title says Parsley in the title but not in the ingredients or instructions.
Is this added with the tyme and bay and cooked off or added later after the wine as a sauce component?
Thanks
Pete
We modified it as we ended up with just turkey breast, and left out the beans as most Christmas dinners are windy enough.
It was a winner, chorizo and turkey are made for each other, the flavour of the chorizo did away with the need for sausage meat or any bacon wrapped over the turkey when cooking.
Thanks RC for a great idea at a perfect time!!!!!!!!!!
Just bought four pheasants from Borough Market - this recipe looks like a winner!
Absolutely brilliant timing for this!!!!!!!!
We are pot roasting breasts of chicken and pheasant in spiced red wine on Christmas day on the woodstove.
Must dash out into the mad hordes and get some chorizo, an obvious addition which I didn't think about when making a list of things I need.
Might as well add myself to the general mayhem out there!!!!!!