Pheasant Pot Pie

Pot pie is one of the best things you can make with wild pheasant. The birds are lean and can dry out if you're not careful, but braising the meat in a creamy sauce and baking it under a flaky crust solves that problem completely. The result is rich, savory comfort food that makes you feel like all those cold-weather walks through CRP grass were worth every step.

Ingredients

• 2 pheasant breasts, bone-in (or 3-4 boneless thighs)
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 tsp dried)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed (or homemade pie crust)
• 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

Instructions

• Place the pheasant breasts in a saucepan with the chicken broth and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and poach gently for 20 minutes until cooked through. Remove the pheasant, let cool slightly, then shred the meat. Reserve the poaching broth.
• Melt the butter in a large oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots, and potatoes. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes until the onion is soft.
• Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir for 1 minute to cook the raw flour taste out.
• Slowly pour in the reserved poaching broth and milk, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 4 minutes.
• Stir in the shredded pheasant, peas, thyme, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Remove from heat.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Roll out the puff pastry and drape it over the top of the skillet, trimming the edges. Cut 3 small slits in the top for steam. Brush with beaten egg.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling around the edges.

Tips

Poaching keeps pheasant moist. Don't skip this step — it's the key to tender, juicy meat in the final pie. Direct baking would dry the lean breast meat out.

Make individual pot pies by dividing the filling into ramekins and topping each with a round of puff pastry. Same bake time, better presentation.

You can substitute any upland bird — quail, grouse, chukar, or even leftover roasted turkey. The recipe is forgiving as long as the meat is cooked and shredded before it goes in.