Pigeon Breast Recipe | Game Recipes | Jamie Oliver Recipes (2024)

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Flying Steak Sandwich

Delicious pigeon breasts with caramelised onions

Pigeon Breast Recipe | Game Recipes | Jamie Oliver Recipes (2)

Delicious pigeon breasts with caramelised onions

“If you can get hold of some decent pigeon meat, this take on a steak sandwich is the business ”

Serves 4

Cooks In55 minutes

DifficultySuper easy

Jamie's Great BritainGameSteakBeefBreadSnacks

Nutrition per serving
  • Calories 487 24%

  • Fat 23.1g 33%

  • Saturates 5.1g 26%

  • Sugars 7.3g 8%

  • Protein 27.2g 54%

  • Carbs 39.2g 15%

Of an adult's reference intake

Recipe From

Jamie's Great Britain

By Jamie Oliver

Tap For Method

Ingredients

  • 2 red onions , peeled and finely sliced
  • olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon soft brown sugar
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme , leaves picked
  • 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 ciabatta loaf
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary , leaves picked
  • 4 pigeon breasts , skin on
  • 1 whole nutmeg , for grating
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • English mustard , to serve
  • 1 large handful watercress , to serve
  • cottage cheese , to serve

Tap For Method

The cost per serving below is generated by Whisk.com and is based on costs in individual supermarkets. For more information about how we calculate costs per serving read our FAQS

Recipe From

Jamie's Great Britain

By Jamie Oliver

Tap For Ingredients

Method

  1. Pigeon gets a bad rap, but good wild country birds (not the mangy kind you see wandering around cities!) produce one of the most delicious and underrated meats in the world (as long as it’s cooked medium rare). In the past, I’ve seared pigeon breast, put it inside some lovely bread and had people tell me it’s the best steak sandwich they’ve ever had! So here’s how it’s done ... This makes a brilliant casual lunch, dinner or snack with a nice salad.
  2. Turn the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Put the onions into a large pan on a medium low heat and add a lug of olive oil, a pinch of sea salt and white pepper, the sugar and the thyme leaves. Put the lid on and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. After this time, remove the lid, turn the heat up to high and give the onions a good stir, then add the vinegar and stir again. Leave the lid off and continue to cook down until the onions are really sticky and slightly golden. Keep your eye on them.
  3. Put the ciabatta into the hot oven. Heat a large non-stick pan on a high heat. Finely chop the rosemary leaves and put them into a mixing bowl. Add the pigeon breasts, drizzle over some olive oil, season with salt and pepper and grate over a few scrapings of nutmeg. Toss the pigeon until coated. Once the pan is really hot, add a lug of olive oil and the bay leaves and put in the breasts, skin side down so they crisp up nicely. Cook for around 2½ minutes on the skin side and 1 minute on the other side for tender and blushing medium- rare meat, which trust me is what you want – anything over that and it will be tough and boring. As you remove the pan from the heat, shake in a few good drizzles of Worcestershire sauce, then toss the meat in the juices. Move to a board and slice thinly at an angle.
  4. Get the warm bread out of the oven, open it out with a serrated knife, put it on a nice board and spread as much mustard as you dare on one side (be confident – you can spread a little butter on if you want, but I don’t because the meat juices are enough). Put big pinches of watercress and those sticky onions down one side. Arrange the slices of pigeon around the sandwich, then dollop small amounts of cottage cheese in and around the meat. Push the top of the sandwich down and hold it for a couple of seconds so it sucks up all those juices. You can stab a knife through the sandwich to hold it together when you take it to the table. Serve next to a pint of good British ale.

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Recipe From

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© 2024 Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited

© 2024 Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited

Pigeon Breast Recipe | Game Recipes | Jamie Oliver Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the best way to cook pigeon? ›

Quickly pan-frying breasts can yield beautiful results but remember that pigeon does not suit being served well done so aim for a pink finish. Rest the breasts for 4–5 minutes after cooking to keep them as juicy as possible and deglaze the pan to add even more pigeon flavour into sauces.

What is the famous pigeon dish? ›

Pigeon pie is a savoury game pie made of pigeon meat and various other ingredients traditional to French cuisine and present in other European cuisines. It has been eaten at least as early as 1670 in French cuisine. Similar dishes to pigeon pie exist in other cultures.

What is the best pigeon for cooking? ›

Meat production (Utility)

Common pigeon breeds raised for meat production include white king, red Carneau, French Mondain, and giant homers. Young pigeons bred for meat are called squab . Usually , squab have yet to fly and consume only “pigeon milk,” which is formed in the crop of the parents during brooding.

What goes well with pigeon? ›

Alternatively, pan-fry the breasts until they are golden-brown but still slightly pink in the middle and serve with garlicky mashed potato. Tender slices of pan-fried wood pigeon also go well with bitter salad leaves or chicory.

Is pigeon healthier than chicken? ›

These concentrations are much lower than in other animal meats. In addition, vitamins A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin E along with trace and macro minerals help bring many health benefits to users. Therefore, the nutritional composition of pigeon meat is higher than that of chicken.

How long does it take to cook a pigeon? ›

Add the pigeon and brown for 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour in and stir well. Add the wine and stock, season generously, then increase the heat and bring to the boil. Lower the heat, stir in the parsley, then simmer with the lid on for 4 hours.

When did Americans stop eating pigeons? ›

By the 1890s, however, the squab were gone from the American Antiquarian Society's menu and were replaced by snipe and plover. As is well known by now, the passenger pigeon went from plentiful to extinction in the United States before the nineteenth century ended.

What is eating pigeon called? ›

Squab is the culinary term for a young pigeon, usually around four weeks old, that is raised for eating. Squab has been eaten in Europe and Africa for centuries. Pigeon is easy to raise and breed but does not take well to mass production techniques.

Is pigeon a healthy meat? ›

In fact, the nutritional value of pigeon meat is comparable to that of other lean meats, such as chicken, turkey, and beef. Pigeon meat is relatively low in fat and high in protein, which can be beneficial for people who are looking to maintain a healthy weight or build muscle mass.

Is pigeon meat good or bad? ›

Nutritional value: Pigeon meat is a good source of protein, iron, and B vitamins. It is also relatively low in fat and cholesterol compared to other meats. Taste: Pigeon meat is considered to have a rich, gamey flavor that is often described as being similar to dark meat poultry.

What is cooked pigeon called? ›

In culinary terminology, squab is a young domestic pigeon or its meat. The meat is widely described as tasting like dark chicken.

What do you eat pigeon breast with? ›

Scatter over the mushrooms and fry for 3-4 mins until softened, then add the spinach, season and splash in the vinegar. Turn the heat up to high and stir-fry until the spinach is wilted. Divide the spinach mixture between the fried bread slices. Finely slice the pigeon breasts, arrange over the spinach and serve.

What is the best pigeon mix? ›

Versele Laga Best All Round is specially formulated for the British fancier, and is ideal for feeding all year round for all pigeon breeds. The unique pigeon mixture has been specially formulated for the British fanciers and ensures that your pigeon's nutritional requirements are met.

What is the difference between a squab and a pigeon? ›

In culinary terminology, squab is an immature domestic pigeon, typically under four weeks old, or its meat. Some authors describe it as tasting like dark chicken.

Is pigeon meat good to eat? ›

In parts of the world, squab meat is thought of as distasteful by some consumers because they view feral pigeons as unsanitary urban pests. However, squab meat is regarded as safer than some other poultry products as it harbors fewer pathogens, and may be served between medium and well done.

Why can you eat pigeon rare? ›

Unlike chicken or turkey, squab is often cooked until medium-rare or medium-well, leaving the interior slightly pink and keeping the meat from drying out. The risk of salmonella and other pathogens is much lower in pigeons; however, the spread of disease is still possible.

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