Course
Main
Duration
30 minutes
Serves
4 to 6
Chef’s notes
Essentially a chicken tender sandwich, the South Carolina bird dog is a regional favorite. In addition to fried “bird,” the dog is also filled with bacon, melted cheese, and drizzled with a mustard-honey sauce that’s akin to the state’s iconic Carolina Gold barbecue sauce. Pheasant breasts are perfect in this recipe because when you cut them in half lengthwise, they’re close to chicken tenders in shape and size.
Ingredients
- 3 pheasant breasts
- Salt and pepper
- Frying oil
- 4 to 6 hot dog buns
- 4 to 6 slices bacon, cooked
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Chives, minced
Coating
- ¾ cup flour
- ½ tsp. fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp. paprika
- ½ tsp. onion powder
- ¼ tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tbsp. water or milk
- 1 egg
Honey-Mustard Sauce
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- 2½ tbsp. honey
- 4 tsp. mayonnaise
- Louisiana hot sauce, to taste
Also works with
Any gamebird
Preparation
- Separate tenders from pheasant breasts. Then cut each breast into two long strips. Season generously with salt and pepper and set aside. Combine honey-mustard sauce ingredients in a zip-top bag and massage bag to mix.
- In a wide, shallow bowl, beat egg until you can no longer see whites and the egg becomes foamy. In another bowl, combine the remaining coating ingredients; stirring in the water or milk at the end to form little lumps in the flour.
- Heat frying oil to 350°F. Before the oil approaches temperature, lightly coat pheasant strips in flour, then wet in the egg, and then coat in the flour again. Fry until golden and crispy on all sides. Fry pheasant in batches if needed. Drain fried pheasant on paper towels or a cooling rack.
- Place hot dog buns on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Stuff each bun with shredded cheese and a piece of bacon. Broil buns until the cheese is melted, which takes about a minute—watch carefully. Finally, fill each bun with fried pheasant. Cut a tiny opening in the corner of the zip-top bag with the mustard-honey sauce and drizzle over the chicken. Garnish with minced chives.
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Save this recipe
South Carolina Pheasant Bird Dog
Recipe by:Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley
Course
Main
Duration
30 minutes
Serves
4 to 6
Chef’s notes
Essentially a chicken tender sandwich, the South Carolina bird dog is a regional favorite. In addition to fried “bird,” the dog is also filled with bacon, melted cheese, and drizzled with a mustard-honey sauce that’s akin to the state’s iconic Carolina Gold barbecue sauce. Pheasant breasts are perfect in this recipe because when you cut them in half lengthwise, they’re close to chicken tenders in shape and size.
Ingredients
- 3 pheasant breasts
- Salt and pepper
- Frying oil
- 4 to 6 hot dog buns
- 4 to 6 slices bacon, cooked
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Chives, minced
Coating
- ¾ cup flour
- ½ tsp. fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp. paprika
- ½ tsp. onion powder
- ¼ tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tbsp. water or milk
- 1 egg
Honey-Mustard Sauce
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- 2½ tbsp. honey
- 4 tsp. mayonnaise
- Louisiana hot sauce, to taste
Also works with
Any gamebird
Preparation
- Separate tenders from pheasant breasts. Then cut each breast into two long strips. Season generously with salt and pepper and set aside. Combine honey-mustard sauce ingredients in a zip-top bag and massage bag to mix.
- In a wide, shallow bowl, beat egg until you can no longer see whites and the egg becomes foamy. In another bowl, combine the remaining coating ingredients; stirring in the water or milk at the end to form little lumps in the flour.
- Heat frying oil to 350°F. Before the oil approaches temperature, lightly coat pheasant strips in flour, then wet in the egg, and then coat in the flour again. Fry until golden and crispy on all sides. Fry pheasant in batches if needed. Drain fried pheasant on paper towels or a cooling rack.
- Place hot dog buns on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Stuff each bun with shredded cheese and a piece of bacon. Broil buns until the cheese is melted, which takes about a minute—watch carefully. Finally, fill each bun with fried pheasant. Cut a tiny opening in the corner of the zip-top bag with the mustard-honey sauce and drizzle over the chicken. Garnish with minced chives.