Pheasant Over Chicken

Preparing dinner can be one of the most stressful times in a household. Between the lack of time, picky eaters, and just the idea alone of having to come up with a dinner idea, it is not all too surprising that some nights may result in frozen pizza....again. Once dinner is over, the guilt sets in, and you know that you wanted better for your family and yourself. So you tell yourself, "Tomorrow, I WILL plan ahead."  But what to make?
You want what most want, something high quality, rich in flavor, and healthy for your body.  Have you considered cooking...pheasant?
If your initial response is, "But I don't know how to cook a whole pheasant!", then you are in the right place.
Cooking pheasant is as easy as cooking with chicken, pork, or turkey. In fact, due to similar prices, they are completely interchangeable! Any recipe you have tried, or have wanted to try that calls for chicken, try substituting pheasant. I came across a recipe that called for a roasting chicken, and thought this was a great opportunity to take my own advice and try something different. It was a hit!
I made minor modifications to take into account the lower fat content of a pheasant vs a chicken.
The recipe I used was as follows:

Perfect Roast Pheasant(formally chicken)

2 (2 to 2.5 pound) pheasants
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch fresh thyme, plus 20 sprigs
1 lemon, halved
1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks
Olive oil

Directions
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Remove the pheasant giblets. Rinse the pheasant inside and out.  Pat the outside dry. Salt and pepper the inside of the pheasant. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Liberally brush the outside of the pheasant with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the pheasant on top.

Roast the pheasant for 3 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the pheasant and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the pheasant onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

Knowing I wanted the healthiest option for my family, and that I had no idea how to cook a whole pheasant, I went online and ordered from a reputable farm that sold pheasants at www.pheasantfordinner.com.
I can't wait to find another "chicken" recipe!