An easy pan-fried pheasant breast recipe in a creamy white wine sauce with sliced chestnut mushrooms and smoky pancetta.
It's a rich and meaty dinner party classic that will impress your guests. Serve with carrot and swede mash and roasted Tenderstem broccoli.
I used to be a little intimidated by cooking pheasant. But after some research and a few attempts, I discovered that pheasant breasts can be treated much like chicken breasts-though they bring a richer, more distinctive gamey flavour to the table.
Try my garlic butter chicken recipe next.
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
- Pheasant offers a distinct taste that's both richer and more nuanced than traditional poultry.
- The rich, gamey flavour of pheasant complements the creamy white wine sauce.
- Pheasant breasts are lean cuts, providing a good source of protein with less fat compared to some other meats.
Best pheasant recipe I've ever made! Whole family loved it!
- Kathleen
🛒 Ingredient notes
Pheasant Breasts - four skinless pheasant breast fillets.
Butter and Olive Oil - for pan frying.
Garlic - finely chopped.
Chestnut Mushrooms - or use closed cup mushrooms instead.
Pancetta - this can be substituted for smoked bacon lardons or chopped streaky bacon.
Creamy Sauce - made with white wine, double cream, wholegrain mustard, and freshly chopped parsley.
Salt and Pepper - for seasoning.
🔪 How to cook pheasant breast
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
One: Heat the butter and oil in a frying pan until foaming. Season the pheasant breasts with salt and pepper then place in the pan and cook for 5 minutes.
Two: Turn the pheasant breasts over and cook for a further 4 minutes until golden brown (check with a sharp knife to see if they are cooked through). Remove the pheasant to a plate to rest.
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Three: Put the chopped garlic, sliced mushrooms, and pancetta in the frying pan (on a medium-high heat) and cook for 3-4 minutes until the mushrooms are tender.
Four: Pour in the white wine and let the majority of the liquid evaporate off.
Five: Stir in the cream, wholegrain mustard, and parsley and simmer on a low heat for 2-3 minutes.
Six: Return the pheasant breasts to the pan and warm through for 2 minutes before serving.
Top Tips
- If your pheasant breasts are small, turn them after about 4 minutes.
- Once cooked, allow the pheasant breasts to rest for 5-10 minutes to let the juices redistribute, ensuring a moist, flavoursome bite.
- Pheasant breasts are very low in fat, so don't skimp on the olive oil and butter when pan-frying; otherwise, the meat can dry out quickly.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Serve the pheasant breasts with creamy mash, roast sweet potatoes, air fryer broccoli, and slow cooker red cabbage.
📖 Variations
- Don't like mushrooms? Swap them for fresh spinach.
- Use a dry cider instead of white wine for a twist on the creamy sauce.
- Make a sauce with fresh blackberries, red wine, and balsamic vinegar-the sweet and tangy flavours pair beautifully with pheasant.
- Wrap the pheasant breasts in sage leaves and prosciutto before pan-searing for extra flavour.
- Try flavouring the sauce with tarragon instead of parsley.
- For a different cooking method, oven-roast or slow-cook the pheasant instead of pan-frying.
- When pheasant isn't in season, chicken breasts or pork steaks make a great substitute.
🥡 Storage
Store - Place the cooked pheasant breasts and sauce in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 48 hours.
Reheat - Reheat in the microwave until piping hot.
Freeze - Allow the dish to cool down, place it in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge before reheating.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Either the heat is too high or it has been cooked for too long. Pheasant breasts are smaller than chicken so need slightly less time to cook than a standard chicken breast.
It's best to cook it thoroughly so there is no pink remaining.
It's fairly similar to chicken and turkey in texture, but a little more gamey in taste.
Pheasant meat is lower in fat and higher in protein than chicken. It's generally considered a lean meat.
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Recipe
Easy Pan Fried Pheasant Breasts Recipe
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Equipment
- Chopping Board
- Knife
Ingredients
- 4 Pheasant Breasts skinless
- 1 tablespoon Butter
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- 1 Garlic Clove peeled and chopped
- 160 g Pancetta cubed
- 250 g Chestnut Mushrooms Sliced
- 60 ml White Wine
- 100 ml Double Cream
- 1 teaspoon Wholegrain Mustard
- 1 tablespoon Parsley chopped
Instructions
- Heat the butter and oil in a frying pan until foaming. Season the pheasant breasts with salt and pepper then place in the pan and cook for 5 minutes.4 Pheasant Breasts, 1 tablespoon Butter, 1 tablespoon Olive Oil, 1 teaspoon Salt, ½ teaspoon Pepper
- Turn the pheasant breasts over and cook for a further 4 minutes until golden brown (check with a sharp knife to see if they are cooked through). Remove the pheasant to a plate to rest (or continue to cook for another minute).
- Put the chopped garlic, sliced mushrooms, and pancetta in the frying pan (on a medium-high heat) and cook for 3-4 minutes until the mushrooms are tender.1 Garlic Clove, 160 g Pancetta, 250 g Chestnut Mushrooms
- Pour in the white wine and let the majority of the liquid evaporate off.60 ml White Wine
- Stir in the cream, wholegrain mustard, and parsley and simmer on a low heat for 2-3 minutes.100 ml Double Cream, 1 teaspoon Wholegrain Mustard, 1 tablespoon Parsley
- Return the pheasant breasts to the pan and warm through for 3-4 minutes before serving.
Brooks Milling says
Just right!
Daree says
This an amazing recipe! I no longer make pheasant any other way. If I run out of pheasant, I plan to make it with chicken. Substitutions I use: bacon for pancetta, white button mushrooms for Chestnut mushrooms. This recipe is regularly in the menu rotation. Thank you!
Frankie Pulley says
Wonderful recipe. Restuarant quality for sure.
Sharon says
This is an excellent recipe! I only had a sweet reisling for the white wine - thought it was a bit of a gamble but the flavors balanced nicely. Also used bacon as I didn't have pancetta. LOVE the mushroom sauce. Well done!
Renae says
Great recipe. I live in the US and over the holidays, my husband went pheasant hunting. Most of what he killed was donated to a local food bank, but he brought several breasts home. I had no clue how to cook them and I found this recipe. It was easy and so tasty. As I live in the US, I had to convert some of the measurements (grams and ml to cups), and substituted heavy whipping cream for double cream, and it turned out great. Thank you!
Don Beermann says
Outstanding recipe for pheasant breasts; prepared 1/1/2025. I used for two large pheasant breasts and saved portion of sauce for another use. Compatible flavors and keeps the pheasant moist. Will highly recommend to my hunting friends. Served with breakfast sausage and apple stuffing and seared broccoli.
Kathleen says
Best pheasant recipe I’ve ever made! Whole family loved it!
Christine Foster says
I made this last night for 5 us...one was the person who shot the pheasant. All were DELIGHTED with the flavor! I had chunks of proscuitto, rather than panchetta, added more wine & cream and it was DELISH!
I also tried dredging some of the breasts in flour & corn starch with the seasoning in it. Make sure to use LOTS of butter. 4 mins MAX per side, as they continue to cook when removed from the pan and then when you reheat after the sauce is made.
Everyone raved and wanted the recipe. 🙂
Victoria says
Excellent recipe, cooked it today and will keep trying it with other meats & poltry.
Rod says
I found myself home alone with a couple of Pheasant breasts, short of mushrooms and garlic, used bacon and onion. Brilliant way to get breast meat cooked without drying it out. Delicious. Thankyou
Chris wheeler says
Absolutely lovely.
We re in our 70s but still do one new recipe a week. This was supposed to be New Year’s Eve but covid took over and just had it tonight, its gorgeous, rich without being sickly!loved it. Followed recipe exactly? Def do it again.
Becky says
Excellent. We usually get grouse but happened to have pheasant. Will definitely try this again with grouse. The only modification I made was a little more cream and 1/2 tarragon 1/2 parsley. Turned out great! Love that the ingredients to each step were included with the step, made it so easy!! Every recipe should be like that!
Beth Sachs says
Glad you enjoyed it Becky!
Kevin says
Possibly breasts needed slightly less cooking time.
Heidi Reed says
I made this recipe tonight and it turned out five star! I did find that I had to use extra oil for pan frying the pheasant breasts. Also, I substituted bacon for the pork belly that was included in the recipe.
sherry M says
i'm not sure we can get pheasant here in australia but you could use chicken i guess!
Beth Sachs says
Hi Sherry! Yes chicken breasts would work well, although they would need a few minutes longer cooking as they are thicker than pheasant breasts.
KeithL says
Very good. I had a breast fillet (I. e. just one side) so I reduced the cooking time by 1 min each side and tenderness was spot on. The mushroom & mustard sauce was so tasty, I didn't have enough spare tastebuds for the pheasant flavour. I'd also like to support the other reviewer who said they liked the quantity reminder you include in the "recipe card" at the end. Thanks.
Lynne Tann-Watson says
Very tasty though perhaps a bit less tender than I would have liked. I had no pancetta so used smoked bacon. I'd definitely do it again...maybe a bit less salt.
Alice says
I’d like to try this in the slow cooker for ease. Could it be done on high for 4 hours and would the pheasant need sealing first?
Beth Sachs says
That would work but definitely seal the pheasant breasts first