Crock Pot Pheasant (or Chicken) With Wild Rice and Mushrooms

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Updated on 04/22/22
Crock Pot Pheasant With Wild Rice Recipe

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 8 hrs
Total: 8 hrs 10 mins
Servings: 6 to 8 servings

This slow cooker pheasant (or chicken) recipe makes a tasty everyday meal, and it is a snap to fix. A simple combination of condensed soups, chicken or pheasant parts, wild rice, onion soup mix, and mushrooms flavor the dish perfectly. 

Use farm-raised or wild pheasants in this recipe, or make it with two cut-up fryer chickens. Bone-in chicken leg quarters, thighs, or chicken breasts are all good alternatives if you do not have pheasant. Or you might use split Cornish hens in the dish. 

Paprika and curry add depth of flavor and color to the browned pheasant pieces, making for a tastier and more attractive dish.

The recipe makes enough for about six to eight servings, and it is easily halved for a family of four. Scale all of the ingredients down by half, using one can of condensed soup—cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, or cream of celery—and half of an envelope of dry onion soup mix.

Add a brightly colored side dish to make a full, satisfying meal. Green beans, broccoli, peas, or carrots are superb options. Mop up the delicious sauce with biscuits or crusty French bread or rolls.

Ingredients

  • 6 to 7 pounds pheasant

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

  • 1 teaspoon curry powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

  • Dash kosher salt

  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 1 envelope dry onion soup mix

  • 8 ounces wild rice (about 1 cup)

  • 1 (10.75-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup

  • 1 (10.75-ounce) can cream of chicken soup

  • 1 (4-ounce) can mushrooms, undrained

  • 2 cups water

  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Cut each pheasant up into 6 pieces: 2 legs with thighs attached, 2 wings, and the pheasant breast, split in half. Pat dry and sprinkle with paprika, curry powder, pepper, and salt. Dust the pieces with the flour.

  3. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the seasoned pheasant parts, turning to brown all sides.

  4. Transfer the browned pheasant pieces to the slow cooker. Sprinkle with the dry onion soup mix.

  5. In a bowl, combine the rice, canned soups, undrained mushrooms, and water; stir to blend and then pour over the onion soup layer.

  6. Cover and cook on the low setting for 5 to 7 hours.

  7. With a slotted spoon, remove the rice and mushroom mixture to a shallow serving bowl. Top with the chicken pieces and drizzle sauce over all. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley, if desired.

Tips

  • A farm-raised pheasant generally weighs from 2 1/2 to 3 pounds and should be enough for 3 to 4 servings.
  • These birds are lean so be careful not to overcook, or it will result in a dry, bland-tasting meat. 

Recipe Variations

  • You can substitute chicken for the pheasant if you desire.
  • Use cream of celery soup instead of cream of mushroom.


What does pheasant taste like?

Pheasant is thought of as a game bird, but farm-raised pheasants are raised like other kinds of poultry.


There is a definite difference in taste between farm-raised and wild pheasants. Both have a gamey flavor, but the farm-raised pheasant has a flavor and texture that is like chicken, while the wild pheasant has a stronger taste.


If you are put off by the stronger, gamey flavor of wild pheasant, you might prefer the milder farm-raised pheasant.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
1128 Calories
57g Fat
21g Carbs
134g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories 1128
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 57g 73%
Saturated Fat 17g 87%
Cholesterol 359mg 120%
Sodium 1191mg 52%
Total Carbohydrate 21g 7%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 134g
Vitamin C 9mg 47%
Calcium 137mg 11%
Iron 7mg 39%
Potassium 1269mg 27%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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