Posted By Ingrid Turner on Apr 17, 2014 in Easter, Featured, Holidays & Events, How To Cook, Main Dishes, Poultry & Fowl, Rice Recipes, Side Dishes, Stuffing | 0 comments

Quail is one of the most tender & sweetest of the game birds and this recipe for Roasted Quail with Rice & Fruit Stuffing is prepared in such a way to bring out the best in flavors of the quail.

We often serve quail for Easter dinner and what an impressive presentation to see the quail arranged on a large platter, on a huge bed of rice and garnished with lemon, cherry tomatoes, and an assortment of re-hydrated dry fruits.

How To Roast Quail with Rice & Fruit Stuffing:

Being one of the smallest of game birds, the birds used in this recipe should be between 5 – 8 oz each with one quail allotted per serving.

Quail are nicely accompanied by such side dishes as sauteed greens and rice, but certainly any side dishes you choose will serve well.

Since my recipe calls for stuffing the birds, the length of cooking time is slightly longer. If you decide to cook them unstuffed, reduce to cooking time to 10 min at 475 degrees F, reduce heat to 395 degrees F for another 10 min, and allow to stand covered & unheated for 5 min before serving.

Type: Entrée Recipe

Prep Time: 30 min
Marination Time: 4 – 5 hrs
Roast Time: 25 – 30 min
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

8 quail – 5-8 oz each
salt & pepper – to taste
2/3 cups maple syrup
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp garlic paste
3 cloves garlic – finely chopped
1/4 tsp five spice powder
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp ground ginger
few pieces of dried rosemary
12 orange segments – cut in half
1 diced fresh firm apple
4 diced prunes
2 cups cooked rice
8 slices of fresh lemon

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.
Rinse and pat dry 8 quail, seasoning with salt & black pepper inside & out.
In a shallow bowl, whisk together maple syrup, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, garlic paste, garlic cloves, 5 spice powder, poultry seasoning. ginger & rosemary.
Place quail in bowl, brushing inside & outside of birds with the mixture and allow to sit in marinade refrigerated for about 4 – 5 hrs.
Prepare a stuffing using rice, prunes, apple, parsley & orange segments. Loosely stuff each quail with prepared stuffing. After stuffing, place one slice of lemon into cavity to prevent stuffing from falling out of bird.
Remove quail from refrigerator, drain quail reserving the rest of the marinade for basting. Place quail on rack in large roasting pan. * Tip: Be sure to fold tips of wings under the birds and tie legs together.
Roast for about 12 min, and baste with reserved marinade. Reduce heat to 395 degrees F and roast, basting twice with marinade until thigh juices run almost clear, just slightly pink – about 12 – 15 min more. At this point, the the flesh will still be juicy. Turn off heat and leave oven door open.
Cover quail loosely, with an aluminum foil tent, and allow quail to stand for an additional 5 min with oven cracked open about 2 – 3 inches.
Remove from oven, and allow to stand under aluminum tent for another 5 min before serving.
The stuffing can remain in each bird for serving or removed to a serving dish for each guest to decide how much they wish to take.

This is a very delicious, festive meal, and I hope you use this recipe on How To Roast Quail with Rice & Fruit Stuffing, as it is a lovely addition to your Easter recipes.