Chicken Fried Quail With Creamy Thyme Gravy Recipes

CHICKEN-FRIED QUAIL WITH CREAMY THYME GRAVY

Steps:

• Quail
• Preheat the oven to 200°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a brown paper bag.
• Rinse the quail and pat dry with paper towels. Combine the buttermilk, egg, and hot sauce in a shallow bowl and whisk to mix. In a separate shallow bowl or plastic bag, combine the bread crumbs, flour, salt and black pepper to taste, and cayenne and stir or shake to mix.
• Pour canola oil 1/4 inch deep in a large skillet, add the bacon drippings, if using, and place over medium-high heat until sizzling hot (see Know-how, page 100).
• Dip each quail into the buttermilk mixture, then into the bread crumb mixture to evenly coat. Place in the skillet 3 or 4 at a time, taking care not to overcrowd the skillet. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side, until golden brown and crispy and the interior is slightly pink. If the quail are browning too quickly, reduce the heat slightly. Transfer the quail to the lined baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining quail, and pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the oil, reserving the pan drippings.
• Gravy
• Add the shallot to the same skillet and cook and stir over medium heat for about 1 minute. Sprinkle the flour over the shallot and cook and stir for 1 minute more, scraping up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Whisk in the milk, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring, until the gravy is thick and creamy, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Spoon the gravy over the quail and serve warm.
• On the Side
• This chicken-fried quail is delicious with Summer Succotash (page 232), Spring Coleslaw with Fresh Herbs and Light Honey Citrus Vinaigrette (page 258), and Watercress Angel Biscuits (page 54). Or try them for breakfast over Country Ham and Hominy Hash (page 82) or with Buttermilk Waffles (page 91) in place of fried chicken.
• Chew on this: About Quail
• Southerners have long been crazy for quail, a small bird favored for eating and-perhaps especially-hunting. It was one of the few game species to flourish in the new landscape carved out by cotton farming, and the birds remain a favorite catch of hunters today.
• That was certainly true in my family, and I've been eating quail for as long as I can remember. Whenever my dad and grandfather brought them home from a hunt, Granny Foster would dust them lightly with flour and fry them in a skillet for breakfast along with pan gravy and angel biscuits. Like many Southerners, my grandfather called quail "bobwhites" for their characteristic whistle, which sounds like they are singing "bobwhite! bobwhite! bobwhite!" The meat tastes sort of like chicken, but with a lovely, nutty-sweet twang, and quail can be prepared in all the ways you'd prepare chicken-but with much shorter cooking times.
• Quail are so dainty that you will want to budget at least one, but more likely two, per person. Farmed quail can be bought from a number of online providers and usually come partially boned (see Sources, page 377).

FRIED CHICKEN WITH CREAMY GRAVY

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, beat together 1/2 cup milk and egg. In a resealable plastic bag, mix together the flour, garlic salt, paprika, pepper and poultry seasoning. Place chicken in bag, seal, and shake to coat. Dip chicken in milk and egg mixture, then once more in flour mixture. Reserve any remaining flour mixture.
• In a large skillet, heat oil to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C). Place coated chicken in the hot oil, and brown on all sides. Reduce heat to medium-low, and continue cooking chicken until tender, about 30 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet, and drain on paper towels.
• Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the frying oil. Over low heat, stir in 2 tablespoons of the reserved flour mixture. Stirring constantly, cook about 2 minutes. Whisk in chicken stock, scraping browned bits off bottom of skillet. Stir in 1 cup milk, and bring all to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Serve immediately with the chicken.

SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN WITH GRAVY

Steps:

• In a shallow dish, combine the first 7 ingredients. In a shallow bowl, beat egg and milk. Dip chicken pieces into egg mixture, then place in flour mixture, a few pieces at a time, and turn to coat. , In a large skillet, heat 1/4 in. oil; fry chicken until browned on all sides. Cover and simmer for 35-40 minutes or until juices run clear and chicken is tender, turning occasionally. Uncover and cook 5 minutes longer. Drain on paper towels and keep warm. Drain skillet, reserving 3 tablespoons drippings. , For gravy, in a small bowl, combine the flour, salt, thyme and pepper. Gradually whisk in milk and cream until smooth; add to skillet. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with chicken.

PAN-FRIED CHICKEN WITH BACON AND THYME GRAVY

Steps:

• Combine chicken, buttermilk and 1 teaspoon thyme in glass pie dish; turn chicken to coat well. Mix 3 tablespoons flour and cornmeal in another pie dish or shallow bowl. Add chicken (with some buttermilk still clinging) to cornmeal mixture and turn to coat completely. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
• Cook bacon in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat until brown and crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels. Add chicken to drippings in skillet. Pan-fry until cooked through and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Using metal spatula, transfer chicken to plates.
• Whisk broth, remaining 2 teaspoons thyme and remaining 2 teaspoons flour in small bowl to blend. Add mixture to skillet and boil until thickened and reduced to 1/3 cup, whisking occasionally, about 3 minutes. Whisk in green onions and bacon and bring to boil. Season gravy with salt and pepper. Spoon gravy over chicken and serve.

QUAIL IN MUSHROOM GRAVY

Steps:

• Combine 1/2 cup flour, salt and pepper; coat each quail. Melt butter in skillet; brown the quail. Transfer to an ungreased 2-1/2-qt. baking dish. In the pan drippings, saute the mushrooms until tender. Add remaining flour and stir to make a smooth paste. Add broth and thyme, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil; boil for 1 minute or until thickened. Pour over the quail. Cover and bake at 350° for 40-50 minutes or until tender and juices run clear. Serve over noodles if desired.