Wild Game Recipes: Stir-Fried Pheasant with Ginger and Orange

A delicious pheasant meal is the reward after a successful pheasant hunt! Many hunters enjoy the challenge of hunting these birds, and they enjoy the tasty meat even more.

So, whether you're looking for a new recipe or your first recipe to prepare the pheasant you brought home after your latest hunt, we hope you'll try this one for stir-fried pheasant with ginger and orange from Pheasant City!

How to Hunt Pheasant

If you're used to larger targets (like elk, deer, or even bear), pheasants might present a different challenge for you. However, pheasant hunting is a lot of fun and can yield plenty of bird meat for your freezer.

To make sure you come home with some birds, plan your hunt carefully. Start by learning about the best locations to find pheasants in your area. Then, plan to get us early to be ready when legal shooting hours begin.

For many hunters, going after pheasants is a full-day event, starting early and ending only after the "golden hour" of the day when the sun sets. At this time of day, pheasants leave the fields and head toward the taller grass for their nightly roost. It can be an ideal time to catch them in flight.

Be sure to bring the right gear. You'll need blaze orange clothing per your state's regulations, waders or hip boots to stay dry when walking through watery and muddy areas where pheasants eat or roost, and the right firearm. Many hunters recommend a 28-gauge, .410, 20-gauge, or 12-gauge for hunting these birds.  

Wild Game Recipes: Stir-Fried Pheasant Recipe

After a successful pheasant hunt, you're ready to cook up some meat and enjoy the fruits of your labors! This Asian-inspired wild pheasant recipe is delicious and should be a hit with your family.

Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb. boneless, skinless pheasant breast
• 4 green onions (thinly sliced)
• 2 Tbsp. fresh ginger root (grated)
• 4 Tbsp. dry sherry (divided)
• 6 Tbsp. fresh orange juice (divided)
• 4 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
• 1/2 c. chicken stock (divided)
• 2 Tbsp. peanut oil (divided)
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 tsp. cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3/4 lb. snow peas (trimmed)
• 1/2 lb. shiitake mushrooms (thinly sliced)
• 4 c. cooked rice

Cut the pheasant meat into 3/4-inch pieces. Mix with three tablespoons of orange juice and two tablespoons of sherry. Set it aside.

Next, combine the remaining orange juice and sherry with 1/4 cup of chicken stock, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, cornstarch, and salt in a small bowl. Set this aside, as well.

Over medium-high heat, heat one tablespoon of peanut oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet or wok. When it's hot (but not smoking), add the snow peas, green onions, mushrooms, and ginger. Stir and toss everything together for one minute.

Then, add two tablespoons of chicken stock and continue cooking until the liquid evaporates (about one minute). Add the remaining two tablespoons of chicken stock and cook again until it evaporates. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and set it aside.

Add the remaining tablespoon of peanut oil to the pan. Place it over medium-high heat. Add the pheasant mixture and stir-fry for about three minutes until the pheasant is done.

Stir the cornstarch mixture well and add it to the pheasant with reserved vegetables. Stir and cook for about one minute until the sauce bubbles and thickens.

Immediately transfer to a serving bowl and serve with hot rice.

Return from Every Pheasant Hunt Safely With Hunter Education

To enjoy delicious wild game recipes (and others) every season, hunters must return from every hunt safely. So, whether you're after pheasant, deer, turkey, or other wild game, make sure you have the hunter safety education you need to protect yourself in the field and bring home more meat for your freezer.

Hunter-Ed wants every hunter to enjoy tasty meals and the benefits of each successful hunt! Our online courses help equip hunters with crucial knowledge, like how to transport firearms safely, what to do after the kill shot, and how to stay safe when hunting with others. Plus, most states require hunters to pass a safety certification before buying a hunting license – and Hunter-Ed courses meet those requirements.

Before your next hunt, make sure you and everyone you hunt with are safety certified. Find the course for your state and start learning.

Originally published October 20, 2015. Content updated May 31, 2024.