Roasted Quail: An Easy and Flavorful Roasted Quail Dinner Recipe! (2024)

FAQs

Which cooking method is best for quail? ›

The easiest way to cook them is in a basket (like one used to cook fish) or skewered like shrimp. Pre-heat grill to a medium-high heat. Grill the legs on one side for about 3-5 minutes then flip and cook for another 3-5 minutes.

The easiest and most traditional way to cook quail is to simply roast them whole in the oven. You will need 1 bird per person.

For my oven, roasting quail for 14 minutes at 525 degrees is the sweet spot. The skin gets crispy after 14 minutes and the meat is still juicy. Depending on your oven, if you can go higher than 525 degrees, consider roasting it for 12 to 13 minutes. If 500 is as high as you can go, roast for 15 to 16 minutes.

When marinated and grilled, quail makes for the ultimate finger food. But the birds become sexy and sophisticated when paired with a lovely red wine sauce, plumped tart cherries, and sautéed spinach. Add a wedge of crispy polenta or some herb-roasted potatoes and you have a sweet and savory main course.

Many people will tell you to brine overnight (12 hours or so). Since quail is a smaller bird brining as little as thirty minutes can make a difference and often overnight will leave your birds too salty for many tastes. If you have the time try brining you upland game for 1-2 hours.

Many people consider quail to have a much gamier taste than chicken. It is often referred to as tasting like a mix between chicken and duck. Additionally, quail is typically more tender than chicken meat and is known for being very moist when prepared correctly.

Quail Vs Chicken

Compared to eating chicken, eating quail is better for you because quail meat is higher in vitamin C and iron. Quail gives you vitamin A whereas chicken does not. And quail also gives you more minerals and amino acids than chicken meat.

Quail is rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, iron and macronutrients such as calcium, phosphor, zinc and more. Here are a few prominent health benefits: it contains a host of vitamins, including Vitamin A, D, K and B. Quail eggs and meat are rich in selenium, essential fatty acids and antioxidants.

The flavor of quail is chicken-like, but subtly different. You want to enjoy it, especially if you've worked so hard to bring a few birds home with you.

Like most animals, quails are rich in protein. They are also a good source of iron, vitamin B6, zinc, and vitamin B3. For those who cannot bear to eat these creatures, quails are also sometimes kept as pets, and lay tiny speckled eggs that are also edible.

Should quail be served pink? ›

They are ready as soon as the skin can be pushed away from the bone of the leg. Quail is lovely when the breast is still pink but the leg meat is cooked through. Personally, I like my quail to have a crisp outer skin but still be a little pink on the inside.

Know that some types of foods can be toxic to quail.

This includes avocado, caffeine, chocolate, grape seeds, meat, parsley, rhubarb, the stems and leaves of tomato plants, salty foods and treats, uncooked potatoes, and most citrus fruits.

Try pairing nectarines with roast quail. Both ingredients contain fruity-peach lactones. And like many other varieties of stone fruit, nectarines contain nutty-scented benzaldehyde molecules, which we also find in green peas.

They taste sort of like tiny ducks, since their breast meat is dark rather than white.

Quail are quick-cooking birds that are easy to get right: They're delicious served medium-rare, medium, and even well-done. Here we pair them with a deceptively simple pan sauce featuring fresh plums.

Quail are great if you're looking to supplement your meat and egg supply but would have to be raised on a large scale if you're looking for a primary food source. Their small size also makes them more vulnerable to predators and they require a more secure enclosure than some other animals.