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Butter Pheasant

Recipe and photo by Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley of Food For Hunters.

Butter chicken, or murgh makhani, is an Indian-English dish that is known around the world. This is my recipe made with pheasant. The tomato "gravy" is the star here, a creamy, rich and vibrant sauce that complements light game meats well. I suggest pairing with Passalacqua’s Fiano.

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes, plus 2 days of marinating
Cook Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • Marinade:    
  • 1 pound of skinless pheasant breasts    
  • 1/3 cup of plain yogurt    
  • 1 tablespoon of peanut oil    
  • 1 teaspoon of kosher salt    
  • 1 teaspoon of garam masala    
  • 5 cloves of garlic    
  • 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled    
  • Tomato Gravy:    
  • 1 tablespoon of peanut oil    
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped    
  • Quarter of an onion, chopped    
  • 2 tablespoons of butter or ghee    
  • 2 teaspoons of lemon juice    
  • 1 teaspoon of ginger-garlic paste (leftover from marinade)    
  • 1 teaspoon of garam masala    
  • 1 teaspoon of chili powder    
  • 1 teaspoon of ground cumin    
  • 1 bay leaf    
  • 1/4 cup of plain yogurt    
  • 1 cup of heavy cream    
  • 1 cup of tomato puree    
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper, or to taste    
  • Salt and pepper, to taste    
  • 1/4 cup of finely ground cashews    
  • 4 servings of cooked basmati rice    

Instructions

  1. In a food processor or mortar and pestle, blend ginger and garlic together to make a paste. In a small bowl, mix together 2 teaspoons of the garlic-ginger paste and the rest of the marinade ingredients. Place pheasant in a zip-lock bag and pour in the marinade. Refrigerate for 48 hours. Reserve the rest of the garlic-ginger paste in a small container, refrigerated.

  2. Grill pheasant until browned on the outside. Don't cook all the way through. Cut breasts into bite-size pieces. Set meat aside.

  3. In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 tablespoon of peanut oil over medium heat. Sauté shallot and onion until translucent. Then stir in butter, lemon juice, the reserved garlic-ginger paste, 1 teaspoon of garam masala, chili powder, cumin and bay leaf. Cook, stirring for 1 minute. Then add tomato puree, and stir for 2 minutes. Next, stir in 1 cup of heavy cream and 1/4 cup of plain yogurt. Add cayenne pepper to taste. Then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

  4. Next, stir in 1/4 cup of finely ground cashews. This will thicken the sauce. If sauce is too thick, add more cream or water. Then season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the pheasant into the sauce and heat thoroughly. Discard the bay leaf. Serve with basmati rice.

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