• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Binky's Culinary Carnival
  • Recipes
    • Food Preservation
    • Venison &Game
    • Main Dishes
    • Desserts
    • Appetizers
  • What’s for dinner?
    • Venison & Game
    • Poultry
    • Pork
    • Seafood and Fish
    • Beef
  • Food Preservation
    • Water bath canning
    • Pressure canning
    • Freezing
    • Drying etc.
  • Contact
    • Work with me
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Work with Me
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » By Ingredient » Venison / Rabbit / Game » Pheasant Tacos

    Pheasant Tacos

    Posted on June 17, 2022 By Beth Neels

    18 shares
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Pheasant tacos Pinterest image with text overlay.
    Pheasant tacos Pinterest image with text overlay.

    Pheasant tacos are an easy recipe to make with leftover pheasant. Serve with your favorite toppings and you have a delicious meal.

    Two pheasant tacos on marble board.
    Pheasant tacos

    Pheasant is by far one of our favorite things to hunt for and to cook. Chicken doesn’t hold a candle to the delicious, tender and juicy pheasant. Although you can make leftover chicken tacos with this recipe too.

    Even if you don’t hunt, pheasant, it has become fairly easy to find at restaurant stores and in some higher end grocery stores. You can also locate them online.

    This recipe will work for other upland birds such as ruffed grouse, chukar or gray partridge. These birds work hard to find sustenance so the legs and thighs are notoriously tough and contain lots of tendons. The slow cooker does a great job of breaking these down so the meat ends up tender and juicy.

    Close up of tacos on blue corn tortillas.

    What you need

    For the pheasant

    • pheasant meat – use our smoked pheasant for a different flavor profile. Or use any leftover cooked pheasant breast, whole, breast filets, legs or thighs
    • onion
    • garlic
    • orange
    • crushed tomatoes with juice
    • cumin
    • kosher salt
    • black pepper
    Ingredients for making pheasant tacos. See details in recipe below.
    Ingredients for making pheasant tacos.

    For the tacos

    • corn tortillas
    • pheasant mixture

    Optional taco toppings

    • shredded lettuce
    • diced tomatoes
    • grated cheddar cheese or Jack cheese
    • cotija cheese or queso fresco
    • pickled or fresh sliced jalapeño
    • Mexican creme or sour cream
    • chopped cilantro leaves
    • pickled or fresh onion
    • pickled or fresh radishes
    • sliced avocado
    • black olives
    • your favorite salsa or pico de gallo
    • hot sauce
    • spicy slaw
    • lime wedges or squeeze a bit of lime juice on each taco

    How to make it

    Step One

    Add leftover pheasant to small slow cooker.

    Pheasant in slow cooker.
    Add pheasant to slow cooker.

    Step Two

    Quarter onions. Place them on top of meat.

    Onions and garlic cloves added to pheasant.
    Add onions and garlic cloves.

    Step Three

    Quarter orange. Add that to top of meat.

    Onions, garlic and orange quarters in slow cooker.
    Add orange.

    Step Four

    Add spices.

    Spices added to crockpot.
    Add spices.

    Step Five

    Pour tomatoes over all with juice.

    Tomatoes poured over other ingredients.
    Top with tomatoes.

    Step Six

    Chop jalapeño. Add to crockpot.

    Jalapenos added to slow cooker.
    Add jalapeños

    Cover pot. Cook on low for about 4 hours, until pheasant shreds easily with a fork.

    If your meat contained bones, let the taco filling cool enough to handle. Then remove bones. Place meat on cutting board and “pull” the meat with two forks. Remove the orange rinds from the crockpot. Place pulled thigh meat, pulled leg meat and pulled breast meat back into slow cooker and mix with the remaining ingredients. Warm in slow cooker on the warm setting until hot enough to serve.

    How to assemble tacos

    Do Mexican street tacos which are sold by street vendors in Mexico. Just warm tortillas a few at a time in the microwave on a plate covered with a damp paper towel for about 30 seconds (or use a tortilla warmer).

    Or fry tortillas briefly in a cast iron skillet with olive oil coating the whole bottom of the skillet for just a few minutes on each side, until the tortillas are as crispy as you like.

    Once your tortillas are warmed, place the taco meat in a serving bowl. To assemble, spoon a few tablespoons of the pheasant mixture into the tortilla. Top with your favorite toppings.

    More taco recipes

    • Brisket Tacos
    • Instant Pot Chicken Tacos
    • Venison Tacos
    • Chorizo Tacos
    • Rabbit Tacos
    Blue corn tortillas with pheasant meat topping.
    Pheasant tacos

    Connect with us through our social media ages! Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter.

    If you have any questions or comments, please ask in comment section below. We’d love to hear from you!

    I hope you enjoyed the recipe today!

    Enjoy. And have fun cooking!

    Binky's signature
    Close up of pheasant tacos on blue corn tortillas.

    Pheasant tacos

    Pheasant tacos are an easy recipe to make with leftover pheasant. Serve with your favorite toppings and you have a delicious meal.
    See Step by Step Photos Above!Most of our recipes have step by step photos and videos! Also helpful tips so that you can make it perfectly the first time and every time! Scroll up to see them!
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 4 hours
    Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes
    Servings: 10 servings
    Calories: 121kcal
    Author: Beth Neels
    Cost: $4

    Ingredients

    • 1½ pounds pheasant breasts or one whole pheasant
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • ½ tablespoon Chili powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
    • ½ Onion quartered
    • ½ orange cut in half
    • 1 cup crushed tomatoes
    • ½ jalapeños
    • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
    • Corn or Flour Tortillas
    • Lettuce diced tomatoes, grated cheese, salsa, etc. for garnish

    Instructions

    • Place leftover pheasant meat in a slow cooker and top with the onion, orange and spices. Add 1 cup crushed tomatoes to slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for about 4 hours or on high 1 hours. Reserve liquid.
      1½ pounds pheasant breasts or one whole pheasant, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, ½ tablespoon Chili powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper, ½ Onion, ½ orange, 1 cup crushed tomatoes, ½ jalapeños
    • Once the meat is tender, remove from slow cooker and let cool slightly before pulling apart with two forks. After you shred the meat add it back to the slow cooker and heat on warm until warm enough to serve.
    • Place about 1/2 inch olive oil in a small pan over high heat. Fry tortillas on one side for about 1 minute. Turn and fold in half. Fry on first side of folded tortilla then turn and fry on the other. You can also make street tacos and heat tortillas on a plate covered with a damp tortilla in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
      3 tablespoons vegetable oil, Corn or Flour Tortillas
    • Place meat in tortilla. Serve with your favorite toppings. Lettuce, tomato, cheese, salsa, etc..
      Lettuce
    crockpot, 6 qt
    See all of my favorite tools and gift ideas on my New Amazon Store!Check out Binky’s Amazon Store!

    Notes

    Leftover meat can be refrigerated for 3-4 days.
    Reheat in microwave until hot.
    For longer storage, freeze up to 2 months.
    Thaw in refrigerator. Reheat per above instructions.
    Suggested Taco Toppings
    • shredded lettuce
    • diced tomatoes
    • grated cheddar cheese or Jack cheese
    • cotija cheese or queso fresco
    • pickled or fresh sliced jalapeño
    • Mexican creme or sour cream
    • chopped cilantro leaves
    • pickled or fresh onion
    • pickled or fresh radishes
    • sliced avocado
    • black olives
    • your favorite salsa or pico de gallo
    • hot sauce
    • spicy slaw
    • lime wedges or squeeze a bit of lime juice on each taco

    Nutrition

    Calories: 121kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 179mg | Potassium: 247mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 299IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg
    Get New Recipes Sent to Your Inbox Every Friday!Sign up to our newsletter Binky’s Culinary Carnival!
    « Smoked Rabbit
    Rabbit Tacos »
    18 shares

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sharon K

      January 13, 2023 at 6:24 pm

      Hi there! I have no experience cooking pheasant. Would it be possible to cook raw pheasant breasts in the slow cooker with the ingredients you listed? Or would that not turn out well? The recipe sounds delicious. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Beth Neels

        January 16, 2023 at 11:27 am

        I have done that on multiple occasions. It turns out great. I’ve also diced the pheasant and sautéed for a few minutes with onion and garlic, then added spices. They turn out great both ways.

        Reply
    2. Laressa

      July 20, 2022 at 1:52 pm

      These look great! I’ve never tried pheasant but having it in a taco seems so approachable for newbies. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • Beth Neels

        July 20, 2022 at 2:42 pm

        Thanks Laressa. Let me know if you try it.

        Reply
    3. Andrea

      July 20, 2022 at 1:48 pm

      5 stars
      This is a fabulous use of leftover pheasant. Love the flavors and the blue tortillas.

      Reply
      • Beth Neels

        July 20, 2022 at 1:52 pm

        My family loves the blue tortillas. We always buy them when we can find them. Thanks Andrea!

        Reply
    4. Amy Nash

      July 20, 2022 at 1:41 pm

      5 stars
      Love this idea for using leftover pheasant in tacos! The added citrus is a great flavor touch!

      Reply
      • Beth Neels

        July 20, 2022 at 1:51 pm

        We love citrus with poultry. We think it really adds to the flavor.

        Reply
    5. Kris

      July 20, 2022 at 1:39 pm

      5 stars
      This was an absolute flavor bomb! We can’t wait to make again. Thank you for another winner!!

      Reply
      • Beth Neels

        July 20, 2022 at 1:51 pm

        Thanks Kris! I’m so glad you liked them.

        Reply
    6. Tayler Ross

      July 20, 2022 at 1:36 pm

      5 stars
      I’ve never tried pheasant until I made these tacos, but wow is it delicious! I can’t wait to make them again1

      Reply
      • Beth Neels

        July 20, 2022 at 1:50 pm

        I’m so glad you like them Tayler. They are one of our favorite!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    photo of Beth Neels aka Binky

    Welcome! Thanks for stopping by! I am Beth "Binky" Neels, wife, mother of 2 boys and 3 dogs! I will impart tips and tricks I have learned over the years, to make cooking easier and fun for you!

    More about me →

    Subscribe to our newsletter so you don't miss a recipe

    Popular

    • Air Fryer Hot Pockets | Homemade – Frozen
    • How to Dry Cranberries
    • Homemade Cranberry Vinegar
    • Smoked Meatballs

    TRENDING RECIPES

    • Hildabrötchen Shortbread Cookie with Jam
    • Haselnussmakronen, German Hazelnut macaroons
    • Santa Claus Cut Out Cookie Recipe
    • Gugelhupf – Kugelhopf
    • 125+ Edible Gifts – Fun for Any Season!
    • Ischler – Austrian Shortbread, Chocolate & Apricot
    • How to Make Vanilla Sugar {Vanillin Zucker}
    • Jam Filled Cookies
    photo of Beth Neels aka Binky

    Welcome! Thanks for stopping by! I am Beth "Binky" Neels, wife, mother of 2 boys and 3 dogs! I will impart tips and tricks I have learned over the years, to make cooking easier and fun for you!

    More about me →

    Subscribe to our newsletter so you don't miss a recipe

    Popular

    • Smoked Meatloaf
    • Roast Wild Duck
    • Blue Hubbard Squash Recipe
    • Canning Apple Pie Filling

    TRENDING RECIPES

    • Hildabrötchen Shortbread Cookie with Jam
    • Haselnussmakronen, German Hazelnut macaroons
    • Santa Claus Cut Out Cookie Recipe
    • Gugelhupf – Kugelhopf
    • 125+ Edible Gifts – Fun for Any Season!
    • Ischler – Austrian Shortbread, Chocolate & Apricot
    • How to Make Vanilla Sugar {Vanillin Zucker}
    • Jam Filled Cookies

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Media Kit

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates
    • Check out my Amazon Store!

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Services

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2014-2022 Binky's Culinary Carnival