Dove Nuggets with Sweet Chili Sauce
Chinese-Inspired Dove Nugget Recipe with Sweet Chili Sauce
Dove breasts are delicate, delectable, succulent morsels. They’re gifts from nature that arrive every September first. For so many dove hunters, it’s tradition to breast out these birds and turn them into jalapeño poppers. However, if you’re looking for something new that’s just as simple—and potentially easier to cook—this dove nugget recipe is for you and your crew of dove swatters.
Also, if you’re a fan of Chinese-inspired recipes, these nuggets are a must-try. Ingredients for the sweet chili sauce can be found at most grocers. The sauce can be served as a dipping sauce, or you can toss nuggets in the sauce and serve them that way.
Jasmine rice makes for a great side, but so can rice noodles, lo mein, or fried rice. Or, you could fry these up at dove hunting camp, make the sauce, and walk around with a tray of nuggets as an appetizer for your beer lunch. You may even get ambitious, drive a little further than the gas station, and pick up some Snow Beer or Tsingtao instead of Busch Light.
When frying, the oil temperature should be kept at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. You want to fry these nuggets hot and fast, just to get them brown and crispy, but in the shortest amount of time (hence higher temp oil), so the inside stays medium-rare. Dove breasts are best served medium rare.
If you can’t find sake, I recommend soaking your dove breasts in beer before tossing them in cornstarch.
Dove Nuggets Recipe: Crispy, Flavorful & Easy to Make
Ingredients
- Breasts from a dozen doves
- Sake
- Kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- Corn starch
- Peanut oil for frying
- Sliced scallions for garnish
Sauce
- ⅔ cup Mae Ploy sweet chili sauce
- ⅓ cup honey
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- ½ lime juiced
Optional Side
- 1 ½ cups jasmine rice
- 2 cups cold water
Instructions
- Breast out your doves. Add them to a mixing bowl. Lightly dust them with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper and mix everything. Soak the seasoned breasts in sake for 3 to 5 hours or overnight if you have to.
- When you’re ready to cook, pre-heat enough peanut oil to fry your doves in to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- If you’re making rice, add the rice and cold water to a medium saucepan and cover. Bring to a boil, then set the burner to low for 8 to 10 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Then, turn off the heat. You may wish to cover it briefly to prevent a mushy texture, especially if rice isn’t being served immediately.
- Add a healthy amount of corn starch in a large mixing bowl, a minimum of 1 1/2 cups. When you’re ready to start frying, remove the breasts from the sake soak, let the sake drip off for a couple of seconds, then toss the dove breasts into the corn starch and toss them around. You want more cornstarch coating rather than less, so add more cornstarch if necessary to make your full batch.
- Add the corn starch-coated dove breasts to 400 F oil in amounts equal to half the size of the pot or vessel used for frying. You don’t want to crowd the pot, as crowding can lead to steam that will soften the crust of your fried dove nuggets.
- When the nuggets are golden brown, remove them and set them on a paper napkin-covered plate briefly to absorb extra grease. Then, transfer them to a wire rack until you’re ready to serve.
- To serve, either toss nuggets in the sweet chili sauce or serve the sauce on the side for dipping. Serve with jasmine rice and garnish with freshly sliced scallions.
Notes
