Nashville Hot Chukar Sandwich
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Giving your upland game harvest a pickle juice bath adds not only a tangy flavor to the meat, but also increases juiciness and tenderizes. For this Nashville Hot Chukar Sandwich, I soaked the breasts in pickle juice for two hours before breading and lightly frying them in bear fat. The brine does not add a “pickle” flavor to the breasts, but instead gives the meat a slightly salty-vinegar flavor that pairs beautifully with the heat from the peppers in the breading.
To kick the heat up a notch in the breading, I actually used Santa Fe peppers from my garden. I dehydrated the peppers and then used a coffee bean grinder to create homemade powder, but this recipe is equally delicious with cayenne pepper. The heat level can also be altered by the type of hot sauce used in the hot honey sauce. Tabasco or Cholula is a great starting place for hot sauces, but really any sauce will do in this recipe.
This chukar sandwich is tangy, spicy, and just a little bit sweet. It’s the perfect dish to cook up after a day in the field. Enjoy!
Cook Time: 7 Minutes Inactive Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Also works with: Grouse, Pheasant, Wild turkey
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Nashville Hot Chukar Sandwich
4
servings2
hours30
minutesKeep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
4 chukar breasts, skin removed and cleaned
Juice from 28 oz jar of pickles: dill or bread and butter works
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
2 eggs
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
¼ cup high heat oil such as avocado, vegetable, or bear fat
¼ cup honey
2 tablespoons hot sauce of choice: tabasco, sriracha, etc
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Bread and butter pickles
Shredded cabbage
Condiments of choice: ketchup, mayonnaise, hot sauce, mustard
Preparation
- Place chukar breasts in a medium size bowl filled with pickle juice. Add enough pickle juice to completely cover the breasts. Refrigerate for at least two hours but not more than twelve.
- Prep the breading station with three medium-size bowls. Mix flour, tablespoon of salt, Cajun seasoning, and cayenne pepper in first bowl. In the second bowl, beat the two eggs. Mix together the panko breadcrumbs and tablespoon of crushed red pepper flakes in the third bowl.
- To bread the chukar breasts, drain the pickle juice from the bowl and pat the breasts with paper towels to dry. For each breast, first visit the flour mixture bowl, next dip in the egg bowl, return to the flour mixture bowl and be sure to fully coat the chukar breast this time, next visit the egg bowl for another dip, and finally finish with a coating of the panko bread crumb mixture.
- Preheat the quarter cup of cooking oil in a cast iron pan or other non-stick pan over medium-high heat. I used bear fat for my cooking oil, but any high heat oil, such as avocado, canola, or vegetable, will work for this recipe.
- Add the chukar breasts to the hot pan and cook for three to four minutes per side. The panko bread should be browned. If the breading is burning too quickly, reduce the heat to medium.
- Mix the honey, hot sauce of choice, and crushed red pepper flakes in a small bowl.
- To plate the Nashville Hot Chukar Sandwich, add condiments of choice to the bun such as mustard and mayonnaise, top with a crispy fried chukar breast, add bread and butter pickles, a little shredded cabbage, and finally drizzle with a healthy spoonful of the hot honey sauce. Enjoy!
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