Sweet Honey Barbecue Fried Pheasant Bites

Sweet, tangy and crunchy and family friendly Honey BBQ Pheasant Bites. These crispy nuggets make for an easy dinner or crowd pleasing appetizer.

These Honey Barbecue Fried Pheasant Bites are coated in crunchy cornflakes and tossed with a sweet Honey Barbecue Sauce. They’re seasoned to perfection before getting dredged into an egg wash and then into a cornflake breading. After being smothered in our quick bbq sauce, these pheasant bites are to die for! They are perfect as an appetizer for a crowd or for an easy weeknight wild game dinner the entire family will enjoy. If you have pheasant in your freezer, you have got to try these.

These are super easy to make. In just a few steps, you have a delicious wild game meal in under 30 minutes. You’ll start out by cutting up your present breast into bite-size pieces. Then will coat our pheasant in a delicious seasoning combination before dredging it in our egg wash then into crushed cornflakes. After that, they’re ready to be fried whether you choose to put them in the air fryer or deep fry them up to you. Either way they turn out delicious! While they’re cooking, we’ll just wish together the simple honey barbecue mixture using your favorite barbecue sauce and once the pheasant is finished, you can dredge it into the sauce and you’re ready to enjoy.

I hear it all too often that pheasant or just game meat in general is “too dry.” Well, I have some news for you, you’re doing something wrong. Game meat can be just as tender as commercial bought meat if cared for properly. For this recipe specifically, we want to make sure we don’t overcook the pheasant which would cause it to dry out. I like to use an internal meat thermometer to closely monitor the internal temperature of the pheasant bites as they cook so I can get a perfectly tender and juicy result.

Looking for More Upland Recipes?

Here’s a few of my other favorites that you can find on this website. Plus many more!

• Pheasant Tikka Masala 
• Air Fryer Cajun Grouse Sandwich
• One Pot Cheesy Pheasant Fajita Pasta

Sweet Honey Barbecue Pheasant Bites

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These Honey Barbecue Pheasant Bites are sweet, tangy and crunchy. The whole family will love them! These crispy nuggets are perfect for an easy dinner or crowd pleasing appetizer.

• Author: Jenn Homa
• Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

Ingredients

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• 4–6 Pheasant Breasts, Cut Into 1 inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• ½ teaspoon Pepper
• 1–2 Large Egg(s) Mixed mixed with 1 teaspoon Hot Sauce (or water)
• 3 cups Cornflakes, Crushed
• Oil

Honey BBQ Sauce

• 1 tablespoon Butter
• 1 cup BBQ Sauce (Use your Favorite)
• ⅓ cup Honey
• 1–1.5 tablespoons Water

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Instructions

1. Cut pheasant into bite sized, one inch pieces.
2. Sprinkle garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper over top and mix until combined.
3. Set up your two dredging stations. In one station, beat one large egg with hot sauce or water. In the second station add crushed cornflakes.
4. Dredge the pheasant pieces into the egg wash then into the cornflakes. Repeat with all of the pheasant pieces, setting them aside as you coat them.
5. Fry:
   1. Air Fried Method: Set the air fryer to 375 degrees F and spray with cooking spray. Once preheated, place the pheasant bites in a small layer. Cook for about 6-8 minutes, or until fully cooked and golden brown, turning halfway.
   2. Deep Fried Method: Heat oil of choice to 350 degrees in a cast iron skillet or deep pot. Fry the pheasant pieces in batches if needed until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes .
6. While the pheasant is cooking, add butter to a pan over low heat. Once melted add bbq sauce, honey and water. Stir to combine. Simmer for 2 minutes. Add more or less water depending on how thick you want your sauce.
7. Once the pheasant is cooked to 165 remove it from the fryer and serve coated in the honey bbq sauce or with the sauce on the side.

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