Pheasant Taco Recipe

Pheasant Tacos

Pheasant Taco Recipe

Be the “taco the town” after sharing this pheasant taco recipe! Pheasant tacos are a great way to enjoy your pheasant harvest.

Shredded Pheasant Tacos

Cooking a whole pheasant with the bone is incredibly healthy, and the pressure cooker makes the pheasant extremely easy to shred… it falls right off the bone!

Ingredients Needed for Homemade Pheasant Tacos

  • Pheasant: There are many health benefits to cooking meat with bones, then removing the bones after the meat has cooked. Cooking wild game pheasant also has health benefits, so you get twice the health benefits with this meal! You can read more about the health benefits of eating wild pheasant in this article.
  • Taco shells: Fresh taco shells are extremely easy to make! You’ll never want to go back to eating sub-par store-bought taco shells after trying this recipe.
  • Chili powder: Chili powder is the base of the taco seasoning, and gives a bit of “jump start” to the Tex-Mex taco flavoring. Chili powder consists of mostly paprika and other herbs, and I’ll update the taco seasoning recipe for a 100% from the garden recipe later (once I get it perfected)).
  • Cumin: Cumin adds a bit of smokey flavoring with a hint of citrus to the tacos. Cumin is traditionally used to treat a wide variety of ailments like airway disorders (asthma, COPD, etc), chronic headache and back pain, gastrointestinal disease, and eczema (topically).
  • Salt: Salt enhances the flavors of the spices in the taco seasoning.
  • Pepper: Pepper adds a bit of bite and pine flavor to the taco seasoning.
  • Garlic powder: Garlic adds a bit of warmth to the taco seasoning, along with a mix of sweet and sour flavors. Garlic is traditionally used to treat influenza and viral infections, fungal infections, and high blood pressure.
  • Onion powder: Onion adds sharpness, sweetness, and savoryness to the seasoning. Ancient medicine traditionally used onion to treat a very broad range of ailments like respiratory disease, immune support, gastrointestinal disease, and more. New studies are also finding that onion has beneficial cardiovascular properties and anti-cancer properties.
  • Cilantro: Cilantro adds a bit of lemon and pepper flavor to the taco seasoning. Cilantro is traditionally used to treat indigestion and muscle aches (topically).
  • Paprika: Paprika adds a sweet and smokey flavor to the taco seasoning. One study found that paprika can help prevent age-related macular degeneration, in addition to possessing beneficial health properties like antioxidants, antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties.
  • Red pepper flakes: Commonly dehydrated and crushed cayenne pepper, with a mix of bell, anaheim, and jalapeno, this spice will add heat and bite to the taco seasoning.

Equipment Needed to Cook this Wild Pheasant Taco Recipe

How to Make Pheasant Tacos

This recipe makes about 2 pounds of taco meat, which feeds a family of 5 (about 10 tacos). This recipe also makes great leftovers, just put the meat in the refrigerator for up to 4 or 5 days. For a smaller family, use the 0.5x button, and for large family gatherings, use one of the large multipliers.

Pheasant Taco Recipe

Pheasant Tacos

Be the "taco the town" after sharing this pheasant taco recipe! Pheasant tacos are a great way to enjoy your pheasant harvest.
Please rate this recipe, it helps to grow the site and pays for more recipe development.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 28 minutes
Natural Release 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 10 Tacos

Equipment

Cast Iron Skillet
1 Cast Iron Skillet to cook the tortillas
Tortilla Press
1 Tortilla Press or rolling pin

Ingredients
  

  • 2 whole pheasant (1 whole pheasant will give about 1 pound of meat)

Taco Seasoning

  • 4 teaspoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1⅓ teaspoon salt
  • 1⅓ teaspoon black pepper
  • teaspoon garlic powder
  • teaspoon onion powder
  • teaspoon dried cilantro
  • teaspoon paprika
  • teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (more or less for spiciness)

Homemade Taco Shells

  • cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder (aluminum free)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 1 cup hot tap water (110℉ – 120℉)

Instructions
 

Taco Meat

  • Rinse and place the pheasant with 1 cup of water in the Instant Pot (1 cup of water minimum is required when pressure cooking). If using the delay setting, you may substitute 1 cup of water for 2 cups of ice.
    2 whole pheasant
  • Sprinkle seasoning over the top of the pheasant.
    4 teaspoons chili powder, 2 teaspoons cumin, 1⅓ teaspoon salt, 1⅓ teaspoon black pepper, ⅔ teaspoon garlic powder, ⅔ teaspoon onion powder, ⅔ teaspoon dried cilantro, ⅔ teaspoon paprika, ⅓ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • Pressure cook frozen pheasant for 28 minutes on high, or thawed pheasant for 20 minutes. Allow 15-30 minutes for a natural release.
  • Remove the pheasant from the pressure cooker, debone, and shred the meat (while the tortilla dough balls are resting).

Taco Shells

  • Whisk together flour, powder, and salt.
    2½ cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
  • Mix in butter.
    ¼ cup butter
  • Add in most of the hot water, and mix well. Mix in additional water as needed to bring the dough together.
    1 cup hot tap water
  • Knead the tortilla dough for a few minutes, (this strengthens the gluten in the tortilla to help hold its shape). (For these steps, you could prep a bread machine in the morning to save cooking time in the evening.)
  • Divide the taco shell dough into 10 balls. Allow them to rest for a few minutes (while shredding pheasant meat).
  • Flatten the balls with a tortilla press or rolling pin Then warm up the cast iron skillet on medium-high heat (about 400℉).
  • Cook tortillas on a hot skillet for 30 – 60 seconds per side.
  • Assemble tacos on freshly cooked taco shells, and enjoy!
Keyword Pheasant, Tacos
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Pheasant Taco Substitute Ingredients

  • The taco seasoning recipe uses dried herbs, however, they can be substituted for fresh herbs for more medicinal benefits. Dried herbs tend to be more concentrated than fresh herbs, so triple the amount of fresh herbs when substituting for dried herbs. (Example: for 2/3 teaspoon of onion powder, use about 2 teaspoons of freshly minced onion. For 2/3 teaspoon of garlic powder, substitute 2 teaspoons of minced garlic totaling about 3 medium sized cloves of garlic.)
  • You can also substitute the pheasant in this recipe for other wild game birds like turkey, duck, etc. The heavy load of seasoning will suppress the gamey flavor for our traditional American taste pallet.

Other Pheasant Recipes

Check out our other delicious pheasant recipes:

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