In my opinion, the best way to cook pheasant is in a pressure cooker. Pheasant has wonderful flavor, but can be tough so it is a natural for the pressure cooker which preserves the flavor and juices, but makes it tender. I’ve cooked it different ways over the years, but this is my go to, all purpose, never fail pheasant recipe. It doesn’t have a lot of ingredients, because pheasant is so wonderful, it doesn’t need much dressing up.
PrintHow to Cook Pheasant in a Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- pheasant
- eggs
- flour
- salt & pepper from the mill
- Hungarian Paprika
- about a cup of chicken broth
- 2 or 3 T of butter
- vegetable oil
Instructions
- Beat a few eggs with a little water
- Mix the flour, salt, pepper and paprika in another bowl
- Dip the pheasant in the egg
- Dredge it in the flour mixture
- Heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil in the bottom of the pressure cooker, on the brown setting
- Brown the pheasant in the oil
- Add the chicken stock
- Cover and bring up to full pressure for 25 minutes
- Let the pressure release naturally
- Remove the pheasant
- Add the butter to the pan and whisk in while on the brown setting to make a rich sauce
I haven’t given exact amounts of flour, etc. because it depends on how much pheasant you have. You don’t need much salt, pepper or paprika, just enough to flavor the coating. You could probably omit the paprika if you want, but it does add a nice flavor.
I usually pair pheasant with Pinot Noir
xxoo,
RMW
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It looks really delicious ! And I love the picture on your previous post !! 😀
Long ago gave away my pressure cooker. Space was a real problem when I made my move to Florida. I used to hunt pheasant (I’d not admit that to many people) and so ate if often as a child and into motherhood. My mother lightly floured it and fried it as I recall. I don’t remember it being tough, but never liked it as well as wild duck. Probably because I am not a white meat lover.
Now, where the heck did you get a pheasant? I last cooked one in a crock pot about 30 years ago after picking the buckshot out of it (my husband’s first and last foray for pheasants). So much work for such a little bird!
Barb,
I have a bunch in my freezer right now! A friend of mine hunts them and gives them to me in exchange for cooking them for him….
I love pheasant, it’s probably my favorite game bird…
xxoo,
RMW
Hi It looks to me by reading your first post, that you have an electric pressure cooker. Right? My pressure cooker is not electric and uses a 15 lb clicker. Do you think the time of 25 minutes you recommend would be the same with my cooker?
Thanks for sharing.
Scott
Hi Scott,
I do have an electric pressure cooker and more recently, I’ve been using an Instapot. I have no experience with stove top pressure cookers, but I would think that 25 minutes is a good place to start. If it isn’t done after 25 minutes, you can always just simmer it on the stove until it’s done.
Good luck!
Let me know how it turns out?
RMW
I buy them at Wegmans. They always have the D’Artagnan brand.
I love my pressure cooker so thank you so much RMW for the pressure cooker friendly recipe!! 😀
I have never used a pressure cooker or cooked pheasant. This looks like a wonderful meal.
Growing up on a farm in the middle of Kansas, I had plenty of pheasant on the table. Never quite loved it. As you said a little tough. I got a pressure cooker for Christmas and haven’t used it yet. Now, if I can just find a pheasant. 🙂
My father always cooked rabbit and pheasant in the pressure cooker. He would brown it up, place the meat in about 1″ of water and put whole peeled potatoes on top of the meat and pour BBQ Sauce over both potatoes and the game meat. Then pressure cook it for about 35 minutes. 🙂
Laura,
I will try that! It sounds wonderful…
Thank you. I am going to try that as well.
We fixed Pheasant and Chukar in pressure cooker. My sister and I actually put 3 fowl in and cooked 30 minutes instead of 25…. Ooo my loved by all!! Some of us,around 10 give or take a few, had never had in pressure cooker! Let us just say Yum and so rich in flavor and not dry at all! Actually was very moist! Even the young kids liked! Great recipe!
Thank You!
Marci
Marci,
Thanks for taking the time to let me know that you liked the recipe. It made my day!
xxoo,
RMW
Thanks for the pressure cooker recipe. I always slow cooked the pheasant for 4 hours in cream of mushroom soup and water right after cleaning, then dipped in flour and browned making a sauce from the COM soup adding the spices you like of course.
Is the pheasant held together enough to fry afterwards or does it fall apart and has too much moisture?
Thanks,
JohnnyD
Hi JohnnyD,
I usually brown it first and then cook it in the pressure cooker. It’s fall apart tender and if you want a sauce, you can make one from the drippings in the pressure cooker. If you really wanted to fry it after you cooked it in the pressure cooker, I don’t think it would stay together.
Thanks for coming by!
RMW
Followed receipe exactly. Came out just as you said. Delicious!! Certainly will make again.
Hi Dave,
I am so happy you liked it!
Made my day hearing from you.
RMW
Did you keep the pheasant whole, or broken down into pieces? Or, did you debone it? Thanks!
Hi Rebekah:
I cut it into pieces.
Let me know if you try the recipe!
xxoo,
RMW
Thanks Rebekha. I was just about to do it whole. Here in Scotland. My garden is full of pheasant. If I put the pot out. With the lid off. They would jump into it. My neighbor shot me this one. I will give it a try. Will be a change from supermarket chicken. I make tastier sawdust than that.
I just cooked this. It was the best pheasant I ever had. I like hunting them, but never cared much for the meat because it was tough. This was fantastic! Thank you very much
Hi Marty,
Thanks for taking the time to let me know. You made my day!
RMW
Is there a difference between old school pressure cooker cook time and an insta-pot cooking time?
You came to my rescue when I’d been given a brace of pheasant and a brace of partridge…. and I was cooking for one person with the use of only one arm, and a blind lady! I cooked the birds following your recipe, but then removed all the bones, made a sauce with bacon, onions and the cooking juices and popped it all in a pie with a puff pastry crust. Delicious, and moist…. easy to eat for several reasons. Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Hi Liz,
That makes me so very happy!
I’ll have to try making a pie from pheasant. It sounds amazing!
RMW
I picked up a whole, frozen pheasant at grocery store and I’m wondering…hoping that’s what you used here, not cut up pieces. The recipe sounds good and I will be cooking it in my instant pot.
No, I had a fresh pheasant from a friend who hunts. I would think you could use a thawed frozen bird, cut into pieces. Let me know how it turns out!