Bacon-Wrapped Quail Stuffed with Goat Cheese
4.2
(10)
These tiny birds, stuffed with creamy goat cheese, make fun yet elegant turkey stand-ins. Since the quail are small and there's not much meat on each one, plan on serving guests two to three per person, and encourage them to chew the meat off the bones rather than trying to cut it off with a knife and fork.
Ingredients
Makes 8 servings
Preparation
Step 1
Season each quail inside and out with salt and pepper. Transfer to 1 to 2 large bowls, add oil, thyme, and garlic, and toss to combine. Refrigerate, covered, at least 1 hour and up to 48 hours.
Step 2
Preheat oven to 500°F. Remove 1 quail from marinade. Stuff cavity with 1 ounce goat cheese and 1 sprig rosemary and tie legs together loosely with kitchen string. Wrap 1 strip bacon around breast and transfer quail, breast side up, to rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining quail, using 2 to 3 baking sheets. Roast until just cooked through (cut into inner thigh; meat will still be slightly pink), about 15 minutes.
If you prefer, the quail can be grilled rather than roasted. To avoid flare-ups from dripping fat, cook the bacon separately and stuff it in the cavity of each bird along with the cheese.
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Reviews (10)
Back to TopVery good recipe and guest-worthy! Used wild quail but still ended up very tender. Huge hit.
Lreichle
4/7/2015
This was fantastic! Absolutely adored this dish. Made only 2 small adjustments. I ended up marinating this dish for 2 days. I used a thick cut prosciutto instead of bacon as that is simply what I had on hand. Cooked at 400 degrees for 20 mins and then broiled for 5. Served on rice but will use couscous next time. And there will definately be a next time!
bigv
Calgary, Canada
12/9/2013
This was great. My husband and a friend shot 6 quail last weekend and this recipe really worked well. Since these were hunted desert quail and not fat farmed quail, I got just the breasts without any skin. The bacon wrapping kept the meat moist and the flavors were great. I left out the goat cheese but thought they were still excellent.
Anonymous
payson, az
1/19/2010
Made this last night. Kept them in a bit longer, broiled with the oven door open just a bit at the end. Juicy, tender, salty, savory, creamy, and wonderful. Served it with rosemary roasted red potatoes and sauteed garlicky broccolini. Nice bottle of 2006 Flowers Frances Thompson Vineyard Pinot Noir. It really went perfectly.
spatulabetty
Napa, CA
9/29/2009
This was surprisingly easy and filling. I used rosemary in place of the thyme and extra garlic. I roasted the quail for 25 minutes at 400, then briefly crisped it under the broiler. I got that plan from the package the quail came in and it worked well. I like my poultry well done. Served on a bed a baby greens with couscous. It was a beautiful and impressive meal.
hillarybug
San Marcos, TX
5/8/2009
I forgot the rosemary but excellent overall. Served with brown rice with toasted pecans, and steamed asparagus and snow peas. Note: 15 min @ 500 F leaves quail very medium-rare. I did 20 minutes, plus 5 min under broiler to crisp bacon; would actually probably do 25 min + 5 broil next time- I dislike underdone poultry.
robotsari
Cambridge, MA
3/17/2008
NIce marinade for quail, but cooking bacon-topped skin-on quail at 500 degrees produces too much splatter and heat...and an active fire alarm. I'm cleaning my oven today and airing out my h ouse (still) from all the smoke. Not worth the effort!
Anonymous
San Diego
11/20/2007
I used regular bacon (not thick-cut) and marinated for 24 hours. I fit six quail on a sheet and roasted them for 22 minutes. They were beautiful and delicious! One was enough for most people (served w/ rice and sautéed napa cabbage). Very easy to prepare and a very elegant presentation.
katastrophe
Baltimore
5/28/2007
The quail was awesome. I used just deboned breast and wrapped the small legs together with the cheese and rosemary with the bacon. Unbelievable flavor. We will definitely do this recipe again.
Anonymous
Austin, TX
1/16/2007
Absolute perfection. I bbq'ed the quails and they were moist and flavourful. Left the quails for 24 hours and all the flavours blended. Followed the suggestion of putting the bacon in the cavity however the last 5 minutes wrapped it around the birds to crisp. YUM
pgreyling
Sydney, Australia
11/19/2006
