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KeepItSimpleAnnaSue

Sous Vide Quail - A Simple and Delicious Recipe

Alright, here's the deal - sous vide quail is super easy, and it will not be dry! Rinse, pat dry, season, sous vide, sear, and then top with juice. That's it! Easy - peasy. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 4 whole quail
  • 3-4 tbsp. olive oil (or 2 tbsp. of butter per bag)
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • 1 tsp. all purpose seasoning (Kinder's All Purpose Seasoning)
  • 2 shallots, thinly sliced
  • fresh thyme or rosemary (optional, but so good)

Equipment

  • sous vide cooking element & container
  • 4 ZipLock Baggies or vacuum seal bags (one for each bird)

Method
 

Prepping the Quail
  1. Rinse the quail under cold water and then pat dry with paper towels.
    rinsed-quail-on-paper-towels-on-a-cutting-board.jpg
  2. Put the birds in the bag (one bird per bag), pour in the olive oil (or drop in the softened butter) and then coat with the seasoning.
    seasoned-quail-on-paper-towels-on-a-baking-sheet.jpg
  3. Add the sliced shallots to the bag. Season to your liking.
    bagged-quail-with-seasoning-butter-and-onions.jpg
  4. Massage the bag to make sure the birds are covered.
  5. Push out as much air as possible and then seal the bags.
Turn on the Sous Vide
  1. Set your sous vide to 150° for 90 minutes (1 hour and 1/2).
  2. Use your sous vide lid or clips to attach the bags to the sous vide.
  3. Make sure that the birds aren't touching and that the meat is completely under the water bath. Double check to make sure that the water can not get into the top of the bag that has been clipped in place.
  4. If the birds are floating, use a plate to push them down. You can purchase weights specifically for this, but a plate works for us.
Time for the Sear
  1. After 90 minutes, remove the bag from the water bath and take out the quail. Do NOT dump out the juices. Set the bags of juices to the side.
  2. Heat a cast iron skillet, grill pan, or out door grill over medium heat to medium-high heat. Add 1-2 tablespoons of butter of olive oil to the pan before heating.
  3. Once heated, sear the quail for 30-60 seconds per side. This goal here is to add some beautiful sear marks and get a golden color, NOT cook the birds further. We don't want to dry out these little babies!
  4. Set the quail to the side, but keep the juices that are in the pan from the butter or olive oil.
Making the Sauce (optional, but recommended)
  1. Pour the juices from the bag in the the skillet with the butter or olive oil. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until it thickens slightly. You can throw in 1/4 tsp. of cornstarch to help thicken it.
    It is really up to you how you want it. You can add more seasoning, butter, or cornstarch to the sauce. Just experiment a bit at a time here. A little goes a long way.
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  2. Pour the sauce over the birds and serve! Yum!