Baked Quail Recipes

BAKED QUAIL

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 325-degrees F.
• If the quail have been shot in the wild, inspect them all for lead shot, removing any shot with tweezers or the point of a paring knife.
• Lightly rub all the quail, inside and out with the seasoned salt.
• In a large skillet, over medium heat, melt the butter and saute the mushrooms, bread crumbs, and table salt until the mushrooms tenderize a bit. Stuff the quail with this mixture.
• Using the same skillet, make a roux by pouring in the olive oil and browning the flour in it. Then, add the chicken stock, scallions, red pepper, and parsley to the roux and saute the mix for about 5 minutes, until the onions are tender.
• Next, spray a baking pan or large casserole dish with cooking spray and place the stuffed quail in it. Pour the sauce over the quail.
• Baked, uncovered, at 325-degrees F. for 45 minutes, basting 2 or 3 times during the baking process.
• Serve two quail to a person and garnish each plate with two orange slices. Serve cooked white rice as a side dish.

STUFFED QUAIL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Place the bread on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and salt. Toast for 5 to 8 minutes, until crisp. Transfer to a large bowl.
• In a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat, heat the butter until it's melted and foamy. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the parsley, sage and chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper. Add the toasted bread and toss to combine. If you need more liquid for the bread, add more chicken stock 1/4 cup at a time. Remove pan from heat and allow to cool to room temperature
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Once the stuffing is cool, wear kitchen rubber gloves to stuff the cavity of the quails with about 1 cup of stuffing per quail. Place the remaining stuffing on the bottom of a roasting pan or large cast-iron skillet. Season the quail with salt and pepper and rest on top of the stuffing. Roast the quail for 15 to 20 minutes or until juices run clear when you pierce the skin. Serve right away.

ROAST QUAIL

Steps:

• If you choose to brine your quail, boil the water or wine with the kosher salt and bay leaves, then turn off the heat and let cool. Submerge the quail in this brine for 2 to 6 hours.
• Preheat your oven to 500°F, or if it doesn't get that hot, as hot as your oven will go. This will take a little while for most ovens, up to 30 minutes. While the oven is preheating, take the quail out of the fridge and pat them dry. Coat with lard, olive oil or butter (your quail will be browner with melted butter) and salt generously. Set aside at room temperature while the oven heats.
• When the oven is hot, get a small roasting pan or cast-iron frying pan and set the quail in it. They will want to tip over, so steady them with cut pieces of the celery stick. Try to prevent the quail from touching each other to speed the cooking process.
• Roast the quail in the oven for 12 to 18 minutes. The lower end of the spectrum will give you quail that are juicy, succulent and a little pink on the inside -- but pale. The higher end of the spectrum will give you a fully cooked, browner quail, but one that is at the edge of being dry. Your choice.
• When you take the quail out of the oven, place on a cutting board and rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Use this time to make the wild game sauce of your choice, or just squirt lemon juice on the birds before serving.

QUAIL WITH RICE

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until partially done. Remove bacon; drain, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings. Brown quail in drippings. Remove and keep warm. Saute carrots, onions and parsley in drippings until tender. Add broth, rice, salt and lemon-pepper; bring to a boil. Place quail over rice; place one bacon strip on each. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the rice is tender and quail is cooked.

QUAIL ROASTED WITH HONEY, CUMIN AND ORANGE JUICE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Rub the quail with half the olive oil, then sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. Put them breast side up in a roasting pan just large enough to accommodate them. Combine remaining ingredients and brush about half of this mixture over the birds; put in oven.
• After about 10 minutes of roasting, baste with remaining mixture, then continue to roast until done, about 10 minutes more. Serve birds hot, with pan juices, or warm or at room temperature.

PAN ROASTED QUAIL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place 1 truffle shaving and 1 shallot into the cavity of each quail. Season the quail with salt and pepper.
• Heat the olive oil over high heat in a large heavy bottomed ovenproof skillet. Place the quail in the skillet breast side down and cook until the skin is golden brown in color. Turn the quail and cook for 3 more minutes. Place the skillet directly in the oven and roast for approximately 10 minutes. Let the quail rest for 5 minutes before serving.
• Heat the butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
• Add the onion, shallot and garlic and cook until translucent. Add the quinoa and toast until golden, stirring to brown evenly. Add the kosher salt. Add 1 cup of water and simmer the quinoa until all the water is absorbed. Add remaining 2 cups of water, 1 at a time, simmering until quinoa is tender.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the prosciutto, thyme and lemon zest.
• Yield: 6 servings
• Preparation Time: 15 minutes
• Cooking Time: 40 minutes
• Place the cider, white wine vinegar and brown sugar together in a stainless steel pot.
• Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
• Reduce the heat to medium and add in the dried dates, Granny Smith apple, garlic and ginger. Cook for 15 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
• Stir in the fresh figs, paprika, cardamom and kosher salt. Cook for 5 minutes.
• The chutney will keep for several weeks stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

BAKED GARLIC QUAIL

Steps:

• Combine marinade ingredients.
• Add quail and refrigerate overnight.
• Just before serving, place quail on rack over baking dish.
• Bake for 15 minutes in a moderate oven.
• Increase oven temperature to hot, cook for a further 10 minutes or until quail are crisp and tender.

QUAIL WITH MUSHROOM SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, saute mushrooms and onion in 2 tablespoons butter. Remove and set aside. In the same skillet, melt remaining butter; saute quail over medium heat for 8 minutes on each side or until juices run clear., Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat and stir cream cheese and milk over low heat until smooth. Stir in sauteed mushrooms and onion. Sprinkle bread crumbs over both sides of quail; serve with mushroom sauce.

ROSEMARY ROASTED QUAIL

Steps:

• Combine the marinade ingredients and set aside.
• Squeeze the juice from 2 of the orange sections over 1 of the quails, then rub the bird all over with the squeezed sections. Stuff the cavity with half of a rosemary sprig, an eighth of the minced garlic and a section of the squeezed orange. Secure the legs of the quail to the body by running a toothpick through a leg just above the thigh and passing it through the cavity of the bird and into the other leg. Repeat with the remaining birds.
• Place the quails in a nonreactive bowl and cover them with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or, preferably, overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Remove quails from the marinade, reserving the excess, and place them in a roasting pan. Brush the quails with the olive oil and place them in the oven. Roast for 20 minutes, stopping to baste them with the reserved marinade after about 10 minutes.
• Transfer the roasted quails to a platter, remove toothpicks and garnish with chopped rosemary. Serve immediately.

CHINESE ROASTED QUAIL

Steps:

• Whisk together water, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, xa xiu powder, and five-spice powder in a large glass or ceramic bowl. Add halved quails and toss to evenly coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Remove quail from the marinade, shake off excess, and place cut-sides up on a broiler pan. Discard the remaining marinade.
• Broil in the preheated oven until juices run clear, about 20 minutes. Turn on the broiler and flip quail so cut-sides are facing down. Broil until skin is browned and slightly crispy, about 5 minutes, keeping a constant eye on the oven to prevent burning. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).