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Upland drunken noodles made with pheasant meat

Upland Drunken Noodles with Thai Peanut Sauce

This delicious Thai recipe can be adapted for grouse, pheasant or quail meat.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Thai
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 12 oz. worth of upland breast and thigh meat
  • Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
  • Peanut oil
  • 12 oz. wide rice noodles
  • 1 bunch green onions (scallions) cut into 1-inch strips
  • 1 cup dry red Thai chili peppers Optional for spicier noodles
  • Crushed peanuts for garnish (optional)

Drunken noodle sauce ingredients

  • 2 tsp freshly minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp freshly minced ginger
  • ¾ cup chicken stock minimum
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • ¼ cup sake rice wine
  • 6 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 2 tbsp dry Thai basil
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp Sambal chili paste
  • 4 tsp Mirin sweet rice wine
  • ½ cup water leftover from boiling rice noodles

Peanut sauce ingredients

  • 1 ½ cup coconut milk
  • 1 ½ cup creamy peanut butter
  • 3 tbsp red curry paste
  • Juice from half a lime
  • ¼ cup brown sugar Optional for sweeter peanut sauce

Instructions
 

  • Lightly dust your thawed upland meat with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Leave in the fridge for couple hours uncovered to dry and absorb salt.
  • When you’re ready to cook, heat a thin layer of peanut oil with medium heat in a large (preferably cast-iron) skillet. Finely dice the thigh meat and add it to the skillet. Once the meat is seared, add the freshy minced garlic and ginger. Cook for one more minute, stirring often. Deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup sake wine. Stir.
  • In a mixing bowl, add the remaining drunken noodle sauce ingredients other than leftover rice-noodle water (chicken stock, soy sauce, oyster sauce, dry Thai basil, fish sauce, Sambal chili paste, and Mirin). Mix the ingredients together and add it to skillet. Turn heat to low and simmer the sauce and meat for 20 minutes.
  • At this point, you can make the Thai peanut sauce by combining all its ingredients in a medium saucepan and heating to low. Stir every so often, careful not to let it burn. If it’s not sweet enough for your taste, make sure to add the quarter cup of brown sugar. Leave it on low heat until you’re ready to serve.
  • After the bits of thigh meat and the sauce have simmered for 20 minutes, start the rice noodles. To make rice noodles, follow instructions on the packaging. Aim for an al dente texture. Once the noodles are done, take 1/2 cup of water from the pot used to cook the rice noodles and add it to the sauce. Drain the rest of the water. Add al dente noodles and cut green onions to skillet with sauce and thigh bits and turn noodles over until the noodles are coated with sauce. If you want a spicier dish, add Thai red chilis to the skillet.
  • To cook your upland bird breasts, heat a separate skillet or grill to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly coat breasts with peanut oil and sear both sides adequately and continue cooking them until their internal temperature is 150. If the noodles look like they’re drying out while you sear the breasts, add more chicken stock to the noodles.
  • To serve, plate drunken noodles and top with sliced breast meat and peanut sauce. Garnish with crushed peanuts.

Notes

Enjoy! Reach out to me on Instagram (@WildGameJack) with any questions or comments.
Keyword Grouse, Pheasant, Quail
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