14 Thanksgiving Mains That Will Make You Neglect All Concerning the Turkey

There are many folks on the market who aren’t a giant fan of turkey. Whether or not it is not your most popular poultry otherwise you’re simply searching for a smaller chook to serve, there are many options to select from. A hen generally is a show-stopper when seasoned and roasted accurately, whereas varied duck preparations could make the desk really feel slightly extra particular. If there are solely two or three folks to prepare dinner for, take into account making even tinier birds, like quail or Cornish hens, which is able to give every visitor a scrumptious chook of their very own. One of the best half about a few of these birds is that they take a lot much less time to arrange than the standard turkey. So whether or not you wish to tackle a minimal effort chook or a huge duck challenge, these are 14 of our favourite recipes for birds that aren’t turkey.

Hen

Spatchcocked (Butterflied) Roast Hen With Fast Jus

A wonderfully cooked hen might be difficult—the hen legs want to achieve a temperature of 175°F (80°C), however the breast dries out if cooked past 150°F (66°C) or so. The answer? Spatchcocking your chook. By doing so, the hen legs are uncovered to a better warmth, which helps them prepare dinner sooner than the breast, leaving you with juicy meat and crispy pores and skin. Right here, we rub the hen with a mix of recent herbs earlier than roasting, then whip up a fast jus for serving.

Roasted Hen With Traditional or Curry Soubise (Onion Sauce)

This roast hen is paired with a easy French onion sauce for a chic contact. Although soubise is historically made with a béchamel base, we subbed in cream for a lighter take. For added depth of taste, we additionally attain for curry powder or vadouvan, a French kind of curry powder with garlic and shallots.

Italian Roast Hen Beneath a Brick (Pollo al Mattone)

Roasting or grilling your hen beneath one thing heavy, like a brick, is likely one of the finest methods to get crispy pores and skin rapidly. For those who don’t have any bricks available, you should utilize something from a forged iron skillet to an Italian hen press. Begin off by spatchcocking your chook, then marinate it in a easy mix that features rosemary, sage, garlic, and olive oil earlier than cooking.

Soy Sauce Hen With Cola

For those who’re already eliminating the turkey side of Thanksgiving, why not take it a step additional and go Cantonese type? This soy sauce hen is a traditional Cantonese dish with a twist—our recipe makes use of Coca-Cola rather than conventional elements like rock sugar and sun-dried tangerines, which might be tough to supply within the US. The soda provides candy, tangy, and caramel-like notes that play nicely with the opposite elements—ginger, star anise, cinnamon, and white pepper. Serve over steamed rice for an unconventional however scrumptious Thanksgiving dinner.

Cornish Hen

Grilled Cornish Hens with Lemon and Rosemary

In case your grill remains to be in fee, it’s value getting on the market and throwing some Cornish hens on the fireplace. Due to their small measurement, they end cooking via simply as their pores and skin reaches most crispiness—as long as you spatchcock them. On this recipe, we increase the flavour of the chook with a lemon and rosemary rub. The result’s an excellent flavorful Cornish hen with tender, juicy meat.

Cornish Recreation Hens with Prosciutto and Rosemary with White Beans

This recipe for Cornish hens consists of prosciutto for an Italian twist. We begin by rubbing the birds with garlic, olive oil, and rosemary, then wrap it in prosciutto di Parma. Because it cooks, the pores and skin bubbles up and the prosciutto crisps right into a salty shell. The juices of the chook make the proper cooking liquid for white beans, a easy and scrumptious facet.

Duck

Duck à l’Orange

Although cooking duck requires extra consideration than roasting a hen, the result’s a young, juicy chook that feels slightly extra particular. This traditional French recipe produces a duck with crispy, crackling pores and skin (because of a dry-brine) doused in a candy and bitter sauce referred to as sauce bigarade. By roasting the duck trimmings with fragrant greens, the greens can then be utilized in a inventory that may later change into included into the sauce. When making the sauce, attain for bitter oranges if you’ll find them; they make the dish extra fragrant and provides it a extra advanced taste.

Pan-Seared Duck Breast

Cooking a duck breast at dwelling requires minimal effort. You’ll wish to begin by scoring the pores and skin so the fats renders rapidly. Then, prepare dinner the duck breast low and sluggish, giving the fats extra time to render whereas the meat turns into tender and juicy. As soon as the duck has completed cooking, the browned bits left within the pan can simply be became a pan sauce with the assistance of some hen inventory and orange juice and zest.

Dry-Aged Roast Duck Breast

For those who’ve determined to dry-age a duck, it’s value exhibiting it off with this roast duck breast preparation. By roasting the duck crowns rapidly beneath excessive warmth, the meat stays moist and tender with out drying out, whereas the dry pores and skin browns superbly. The trick right here is to tug the duck out of the oven earlier than it reaches its goal inside temperature to keep away from overcooking, permitting carryover cooking to do the remainder of the work. After carving, spoon our crimson wine duck jus over the meat for a show-stopping end.

Conventional Duck Confit

Regardless of its French title, this duck preparation is not as intimidating because it sounds. The traditional preparation begins by curing duck legs for twenty-four hours with salt, black pepper, thyme, and a mix of shallots, onion, garlic, and parsley. (Be certain to softly rinse off the treatment earlier than cooking.) The duck legs are then submerged within the fats and cooked in a low oven till tender and silky. As a result of the duck fats acts as a protecting seal, the duck legs might be saved for not less than a month after cooking, making early Thanksgiving prep a simple possibility.

Sous Vide Duck Confit

Making duck confit sous vide eliminates the necessity for buckets of rendered fats—the small quantity that renders within the vacuum-sealed bag is simply sufficient. Go away the sealed duck in a water bathtub for 36 hours; with the exact temperature management that sous vide cooking permits for, it’s simple for the meat to realize a silky, fork-tender texture. When able to serve, take away duck from the bag and roast or broil till the pores and skin is browned and crispy.

Koji Duck Confit

This recipe is much like our conventional duck confit, however makes use of funky shio koji for the treatment. It’s slathered on the duck legs together with black peppercorns and star anise, imparting an intensely savory taste with a contact of sweetness, because of the pure sugars from the koji kin. These sugars additionally assist the meat kind a golden brown coloration when crisped up. After the treatment is rinsed off, the duck legs are submerged in fats and cooked within the oven till tender.

Quail

Pan-Roasted Quail With Plum Pan Sauce

One of the best half about choosing quail is that it cooks rapidly and it’s virtually foolproof. Observe our steps for deboning and spatchcocking the quail, then season and sear it. The chook might be served medium-rare, medium, and even well-done. For a closing contact, we pair the quail with a fast and chic plum sauce simmered with shallot, thyme, honey, and butter.

Goose

Crisp-Skinned Roast Goose and Gravy

For those who merely desire a chook that isn’t turkey, no matter its measurement, attempt your hand at roasting a goose. Although the chook tends to lean on the pricier facet, it’s an excellent various for many who love wealthy, juicy darkish meat. The important thing to a roast goose that’s moist and flavorful is rendering the chook’s fats correctly. We obtain this right here by pricking the pores and skin and blanching the goose earlier than roasting. Moreover, we dry-brine the chook in a mix of kosher salt and baking powder to make sure tender meat and extra-crispy pores and skin. Serve with gravy and revel in on Thanksgiving day, and some days after, too.

November 2020