Pair this elegant pheasant parmesan dish with a medium-bodied red wine. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo)
December 04, 2020
By Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley
Print Recipe
Tired of pheasant nuggets? This recipe is almost as easy as frying pheasant breasts, but it’s a bit extra special. Pounded, breaded pheasant with ooey, gooey cheeses melted on top and marinara sauce, turn the breast of any pheasant—young or old—into a dinner that will impress. For a light meal, serve this pheasant parmigiana with a side of Caesar salad. For something more fortifying, serve it over pasta with extra marinara/pasta sauce or between soft buns for a sandwich.
If you’d like to serve wine with dinner, I suggest medium-bodied, soft red wines such as chianti, sangiovese, merlot or pinot noir.
Serves: 4Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
4 pheasant breasts, boneless ¼ cup all-purpose flour 1 to 2 large eggs, beaten ¾ cup Italian breadcrumbs Olive oil for frying 4 slices fresh mozzarella cheese 4 slices provolone cheese Grated Parmesan cheese, to taste 2 cups marinara sauce, warmed* Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped Freshly ground black pepper *Note: Serve this dish by itself, on top of pasta or even in a sandwich. If serving with pasta, make sure to have more marinara sauce on hand.
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ degrees. Rinse pheasant breasts under cold water; look for feathers and pellets. Pat dry with paper towels and lay breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap. Pound thinly, evenly with a meat mallet.Use a meat mallet to pound the pheasant breasts. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo) Prepare dredging station: pour flour into one dish, breadcrumbs into another and beaten egg into a wide, shallow bowl. Over medium-high heat, heat enough oil to coat the bottom of a pan for shallow frying. Once oil is hot, dredge flatten breasts in the flour first—shaking off excess, egg and then coat with breadcrumbs. Fry until golden brown on both sides. Do not overcrowd the pan.Dredging station for pheasant breasts. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo) Fry dredged pheasant breasts until golden brown on both sides. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo) Transfer pheasant to a baking dish or baking sheet, sprayed or lined with foil. Top each breast with some marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, provolone cheese and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Add as much marinara and cheeses as you’d like. Broil until cheese melts and begins to toast.Top pheasant breasts with marinara sauce and cheeses before broiling. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo) Spoon some more warmed marinara sauce onto a dish and place one breaded breast on top. Garnish with chopped parsley and lightly drizzle with olive oil.
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