This chukar recipe is sure to impress with its stunning presentation and rich blend of sweet and savory flavors. The luscious, deep purple plum sauce caramelizes beautifully on the grilled bird, locking in moisture and creating tender, juicy bites. Meanwhile, the perfect char from the grill amplifies the sauce's bold, fruity notes and elevates the chukar’s natural flavor to mouthwatering perfection.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Smoky & Sweet Combo: The grill adds a smoky depth that perfectly balances the sweet and tangy plum sauce.
Tender & Juicy: The caramelized plum sauce locks in moisture, keeping the chukar tender and juicy.
Beautiful Presentation: The vibrant purple plum sauce and spatchcocked bird create a visually stunning plate. For another way to prepare whole game birds, try this smoked pheasant recipe.
What are chukars?
Chukars, also known as chukar partridge, are upland game birds originally from Eurasia. They inhabit high desert plains in Western North America, feeding primarily on grass seeds and leaves. They have plump, rounded bodies and are sized between quail and pheasant. Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Their meat is lighter in color than some other wild birds, and it's both tender and flavorful. These small birds are ideal for grilling, as showcased in this recipe!
Ingredients
- Whole Chukar: A whole chukar, skin-on is ideal for this recipe. However, it will work with skinned chukar and other small game birds like other partridge species, grouse, quail, and pheasant. The cooking time will need to be adjusted depending on the size of birds used.
- Plum Sauce: This homemade plum sauce is the perfect balance of sweet and savory flavors and is an excellent use of seasonal produce. If you're running short on time or plums aren't in season, there are several varieties of plum sauce available in grocery stores.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Spatchcock Chukar
Spatchcocking is a technique where the bird’s backbone is removed and the bird is flattened, allowing it to cook faster and more evenly. This method is great for grilling small birds like chukar because it allows the meat to cook quickly without drying out. Read below for a few simple steps!
- Step 1: Working with one bird at a time, place the bird on a cutting board, breast side down. Using a sharp pair of kitchen shears, cut along one side of the backbone.
- Step 2: Once you've cut from the tail to the neck on one side, repeat on the other side of the backbone. Remove the backbone and discard.
- Step 3: Flip the bird over. Press firmly with your palm on the breastbone until you hear the bone crack.
- Step 4: Pull the legs from the ends so that they are fully extended.
- Step 5: Pat the birds dry with a paper towel. Drizzle olive oil over the birds and rub it into the skin.
- Step 6: Sprinkle salt over the birds and rub the salt into the skin as well. Let the birds sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour before grilling.
How to Make Plum Sauce
Plum sauce comes together in a few simple steps and is so packed with flavor. I think it's worth it to make your own for this recipe because it has great flavor and is lower in added sugar than store-bought varieties. But you can also save some time and buy some plum sauce from the store!
The sauce makes about 1 cup but you'll only need about half of it for this recipe. You can keep it in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Step 1: Gather ingredients: plums, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, honey, garlic, shallot, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, sichuan peppercorns, and ground cloves.
- Step 2: Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil.
- Step 3: Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the plums are softened.
- Step 4: Transfer the sauce to a blender.
- Step 5: Blend until smooth
- Step 6: Return the sauce to the pan and simmer for about 5 more minutes, or until the sauce is glossy in appearance. Reserve ¼ cup of the sauce for basting and ¼ cup for serving.
How to Grill Chukar
Once you have your spatchcocked birds and plum sauce, it's time to grill!
- Step 1: Preheat grill to 350°F. Grease the grill grates with olive oil. Place chukars, breast side down directly over the flames. Grill for 2-3 minutes, or until grill marks are achieved.
- Step 2: Flip the birds and move them off the flames to cook them in indirect heat.
- Step 3: Brush about 2 tablespoons of plum sauce on the skin of the birds. Cook for 4-5 minutes and brush on about 2 more tablespoons of sauce.
- Step 4: Continue cooking for 20-25 minutes, or until the breast meat reaches 150-160°F.
Pro Tip
If the sauce is getting too caramelized but the birds are not fully cooked, you can move them back over the flames.
Serving Suggestions
This dish is stunning on its own and is best served with simple sides that don't outshine the star of the show. Some fragrant jasmine rice and stir-fried or grilled veggies are my go-to dishes.
Depending on the size of the birds and my guests' appetites, I like to use kitchen shears to cut the grilled birds in half along the breastbone to make serving easier. Don't forget to serve some warm plum sauce on the side for dipping!
Chukar Recipe FAQs
Yes! Small upland game birds like other partridge species or quail can be used. You can also use pheasant if you'd like. However, the cooking time will need to be adjusted depending on the size of birds you choose.
Chukar meat is tender and lighter in color than some other game birds. The flavor is similar to pheasant with a slightly stronger earthy flavor.
With their tender, succulent meat, chukars make for excellent table fare. Even the leg meat is tender compared to some other game birds!
Chukar meat typically doesn't need additional effort to tenderize it or keep it moist. Make sure you don't overcook it and it will be delicious! Spatchcocking and grilling the birds whole is a great way to cook them.
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Thank you!
Annie
📖 Recipe
Grilled Whole Chukar with Plum Sauce
Ingredients
Chukar:
- 2-3 whole chukar, skin on (or other small game birds)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon table salt
Plum Sauce:
- ¾ lb ripe plums, 1-2" diced (about 3 medium)
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ tablespoon garlic, minced
- ½ tablespoon shallot, diced
- ½ tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon sichuan peppercorns (or red pepper flakes)
- 1 pinch ground cloves
Instructions
Chukar Prep:
- Working with one bird at a time, place the bird on a cutting board, breast side down.
- Using a sharp pair of kitchen shears, cut along one side of the backbone.
- Once you've cut from the tail to the neck on one side, repeat on the other side of the backbone. Remove the backbone and discard.
- Flip the bird over. Press firmly with your palm on the breastbone until you hear the bone crack.
- Pull the legs from the ends so that they are fully extended.
- Pat the birds dry with a paper towel. Drizzle olive oil over the birds and rub it into the skin. Sprinkle salt over the birds and rub the salt into the skin as well. Let the birds sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour before grilling.
Plum Sauce:
- Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the plums are softened.
- Transfer the sauce to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Return the sauce to the pan and simmer for about 5 more minutes, or until the sauce is glossy in appearance.
- Reserve ¼ cup of the sauce for basting and ¼ cup for serving.
- The sauce makes about 1 cup but you'll only need about half of it for this recipe. You can keep it in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Grilling:
- Preheat grill to 350°F. Grease the grill grates with olive oil.
- Place chukars, breast side down directly over the flames. Grill for 2-3 minutes, or until grill marks are achieved.
- Flip the birds and move them off the flames to cook them in indirect heat.
- Brush about 2 tablespoons of plum sauce on the skin of the birds. Cook for 4-5 minutes and brush on about 2 more tablespoons of sauce.
- Continue cooking for 20-25 minutes, or until the breast meat reaches 150-160°F.
- Remove the birds from the grill and let them rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with warm plum sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
- A whole chukar, skin-on is ideal for this recipe. However, it will work with skinned chukar and other small game birds like other partridge species, grouse, quail, and pheasant. The cooking time will need to be adjusted depending on the size of birds used.
- This homemade plum sauce is the perfect balance of sweet and savory flavors and is an excellent use of seasonal produce. If you're running short on time or plums aren't in season, there are several varieties of plum sauce available in grocery stores.
- If the sauce is getting too caramelized but the birds are not fully cooked, you can move them back over the flames.
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