Pheasant Fried Rice: A Quick Way to Use Leftover Pheasant
If you have leftover pheasant in the refrigerator and aren't quite sure what to do with it, fried rice is one of the easiest ways to turn it into a completely different meal. It's quick, filling, and perfect for those nights when you don't want to spend an hour in the kitchen.
Pheasant works especially well in fried rice because the vegetables, eggs, rice, and sauce add plenty of moisture and flavor to the lean meat. It's also an easy recipe to change depending on what you already have in the refrigerator or freezer.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
2 cups cooked pheasant, diced or shredded
3 cups cooked rice, cold
2 tablespoons oil, divided (vegetable, avocado, or sesame)
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup frozen peas
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
1 tablespoon oyster sauce, optional
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 green onions, sliced
Salt to taste
Directions
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and carrots and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, or until they begin to soften.
Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
Push the vegetables to one side of the skillet. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the empty side, then pour in the beaten eggs. Scramble the eggs until cooked through, then stir them together with the vegetables.
Add the cold rice, breaking apart any clumps as you add it to the skillet. Stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the cooked pheasant, frozen peas, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and black pepper. Toss everything together and continue cooking for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until the pheasant is heated through and everything is well combined.
Taste and add salt or additional soy sauce if needed.
Top with sliced green onions and serve hot.
A Few Tips
Cold, day-old rice works best for fried rice because it has had time to dry out slightly. Freshly cooked rice contains more moisture and can leave you with softer, stickier fried rice. If you're planning ahead, cook your rice the night before and refrigerate it.
This is also one of those recipes you don't have to follow perfectly. Have bell peppers, mushrooms, corn, or other vegetables that need to be used? Throw them in. Want a little heat? Add sriracha, chili crisp, or chili garlic sauce. You can also substitute teriyaki sauce for some of the soy sauce if you prefer something a little sweeter.
Most importantly, don't overcook the pheasant. Since you're starting with already-cooked meat, you're really just warming it through at the end.
From Field to Table
Wild game doesn't always have to mean an elaborate dinner. Sometimes the best recipes are the ones that help you use every bit of your harvest while getting dinner on the table quickly.
Pheasant fried rice is especially good for using the pieces left after a previous meal. Instead of reheating the same dinner twice, you've got an entirely new meal in about 30 minutes.
And if we're being completely honest, sometimes leftovers thrown into a skillet end up being better than what we made the first time.
