Forget the restaurant. This is fine dining at home - a romantic dinner anytime! Add this red velvet martini to set the mood.
If you can make chicken you know how to make quail!
Table of Contents
🗝️ Key takeaways
This easy quail recipe comes together in under 30 minutes but tastes like I spent all day trying to impress someone important—probably myself. The glaze is sweet, citrusy, and tangy with just enough sass to make that skin crisp up like it’s showing off. The meat? Buttery, tender, and melts in your mouth like it knows it's the main event. I stirred Camembert into the grits because plain just wasn’t gonna cut it, and toasted the pecans right to the edge of scorched—don’t judge me, that smoky crunch is my guilty pleasure. When you get that perfect bite with a little bit of everything, then chase it with a sip of chilled chardonnay? That’s the kind of moment I live for.
🧾 Ingredients
🔪 Step by step images
How to make Camembert cheese grits
🍗 How to truss a quail
Trussing a quail keeps the bird shaped nicely and ensures that it will brown evenly.
- Cut off 16 inches of kitchen twine for each quail.
- Start with the bird breast side up.
- Cross the middle of the string over the end of the legs and flip the quail, bringing the two ends to the front of the bird. Make sure that the string holds the wings tight against the body.
- Make a knot and turn the bird back over, breast side up.
This is what a quail looks like when it is trussed.📖 Recipe
Oven Roasted Quail
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Roasted Quail
- 4 quail, whole and bone-in. Thawed if frozen.
- 4 small pieces of sliced orange with the peel on
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 4 small sprigs of rosemary
Glaze
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar, may use lavendar balsamic if desired
- ½ cup chardonnay
- 2 tbs orange juice
- 1 slice of lemon
- 1 3-inch sprig of rosemary
Camembert Cheese Grits
- 31/2 cups water
- ½ cup heavy cream, may use milk but you'll lose A LOT of creaminess
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon salt, more to taste
- 1 cup quick cooking grits
- 8 ounces Camembert Cheese, 1 wheel - rind removed (it doesn't melt)
- ½ cup pecans, toasted in a 350F oven for about 5 to 7 minutes
Instructions
Roasted Quail
- If the quail is frozen defrost it overnight in the refrigerator.
- Let come to room temperature - about 30 minutes
- Preheat the oven to 500F.
- Pat the quail dry with paper towels.
- Truss the bird according to the instructions in the accompanying post.
- Place a small sliver of orange in the cavity of each quail and add a little thyme or rosemary.
- Brush with melted butter.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Roast in a 500F degree oven for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and brush with the lavender balsamic glaze.
- Return to the oven for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the size of the quail.
- Remove from the oven and set aside to rest for 10 minutes, loosely tented with aluminum foil.
Lavender Balsamic Glaze
- Add the balsamic vinegar, the chardonnay, the orange juice, lemon slice, and rosemary sprig to a pan - I find that a high sided frying pan helps the glaze reduce faster.
- Simmer the glaze until it is reduced by about ⅓ (5 to 10 minutes for me) It will thicken as it cools but does not need to be thick to use on the quail.
- Set aside until needed.
Camembert Cheese Grits
- In a large, heavy saucepan bring the water, cream, butter, and salt to a boil.
- Slowly pour the grits into the saucepan, stirring constantly.
- Cook according to the instructions on the package, about 5 minutes for quick grits, stirring constantly.
- Stir in the cheese and continue to stir slowly until the cheese is completely melted into the grits.
- Taste and adjust the salt.
- If the texture of the grits is too thick for you add a little cream. If it's to think cook it a little longer, stirring constantly.
Assembly
- Clip kitchen twine and remove it from the roasted quail. Remove the orange slivers and herbs from the cavity if desired.
- Spoon a portion of the grits in a circle in the center of a plate.
- Carefully add the glazed quail.
- Spoon some more of the glaze over the top.
- Sprinkle with pecans.
Notes
- Best way to cook quail is to roast it at a high temperature for a short period of time. The quail will not be quite done when you take it out of the oven but will finish cooking during the resting time. This keeps the meat juicy.
- Don't overcook!
- When quail is done the meat is still going to be a little pink. Don't worry, it's done.
- I like to put a little slice of citrus or fresh thyme (or both) in the cavity just to give it a little more flavor. Rosemary is also good for this.
- Salt it a little more than you think you should. The salt will balance out the sweetness of the meat.
- I truss the birds to maintain their shape. To do this just wrap some twine around the legs then back around the body so the quail looks like a tiny Thanksgiving turkey.
- Since the birds were frozen I wouldn't refreeze any part of this dish.
- If you're at home just eat it with your fingers. If you're at a restaurant it's usually got most of the bones removed - or choose something else on the menu.
- Keep in mind that grits are bland and they'll diminish the flavor of anything you add to them. The Camembert makes them creamier and milder than my Cheddar Cheese Grits. Get a good Camembert that's good and ripe or the flavor will be lost completely.
- Don't use a wine for cooking that you wouldn't drink!
- Lavender balsamic vinegar is merely white balsamic that's been infused with lavender. Regular balsamic can be used instead.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
🥫 How to store leftovers
This easy quail recipe is best eaten fresh from the oven. Leftovers should be covered and refrigerated promptly. They'll be fine for 3-4 days.
Since the birds were frozen I wouldn't refreeze any part of this dish. And really, it's so easy to make that there's no reason to. If fresh you can freeze them for up to 3 months.
💭 Things to know
Expert tip: The best way to cook quail is to roast it at a high temperature for a short period of time. This recipe calls for the quail to be roasted at 500F for 15 minutes and then left to rest. It won't be quite done when you take it out of the oven but will finish cooking during the resting time. This keeps the meat juicy.
- You can skip the grits if you want and serve this with fluffy, buttered rice.
- Don't overcook this small bird is overcooking which dries the meat out. Done right (and by right I mean my way) the succulent meat of this little game bird will be buttery-melt-in-your-mouth-omg tender.
- When roasted quail is done the meat is still going to be a little pink.
- No need to marinate but if you really want to you can either brine it for an hour or marinate it in a little olive oil and orange juice with a few slices of fresh ginger and maybe some fresh thyme. Don't leave it longer than an hour - the fibers in the meat can break down and get mushy. Ew.
- I like to put a little slice of citrus or fresh thyme (or both) in the cavity just to give it a little more flavor. Rosemary is also good for this.
- Salt it a little more than you think you should. The salt will balance out the sweetness of the meat. Mine were a tad under-salted for most of my family's tastes.
- I truss the birds to maintain their shape. You don't have to.
- Keep in mind that grits are bland and they'll diminish the flavor of anything you add to them. The Camembert makes them creamier and milder than my Cheddar Cheese Grits. Get a Camembert that's good and ripe or the flavor will be lost completely.
- Of course, you know the old adage, don't use a wine for cooking that you wouldn't drink!
👩🍳 FAQs
Here are the questions I am most frequently asked about this recipe.
150F then remove it from the oven and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
Quail is a small game bird that is most often found in the freezer section of your store. Most quail nowadays is farmed and only people who hunt get the wild kind. The brand I used was a Texas brand - that raises their quail responsibly and sustainably.
It is about the size of your hand and you'll need at least one per person depending on what else you're going to serve.
It's the one game bird that I don't think tastes "gamey". I think it tastes like a sweet chicken!
📚 Related recipes
Serve with
Quail recipes are perfect for romantic dinners because they look so fancy but they're so simple! That's why this works for family and friends kind of casual dinners, too.
Finish the meal with something citrus and light. Use this menu for inspiration!
- Stuffed mushrooms - get some umami on this menu!
- Glazed Oven Roasted Quail with Camembert cheese grits
- Romaine salad with a vinaigrette made with the same balsamic vinegar you used for the glaze - some grapefruit and orange sections with the membrane removed is really nice here.
- Sourdough bread
- Butter for bread (top with a little finishing salt - I like espresso salt with this)
- Key Lime Hatch Chile Gelato or this Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake
How to eat quail
Roasted quail, no matter how gorgeous it looks, is not a pretentious dish - especially when it still has the bones in it.
If you're at home just eat it with your fingers. Pull the legs and wings off first - seriously, a knife and fork are too clunky here.
If you're at a restaurant it's usually got most of the bones removed - or choose something else on the menu.
📞 The last word
Quail may seem like an exotic dish to some of y'all but here in Texas it's pretty familiar as a game meat.
As a general rule, I don't care for the game but quail has a meaty, sweet flavor without the off-putting "gamey" flavor that I find in duck and other game birds.
It's so easy - give it a try!
Originally published December 1, 2017. Last updated November 19, 2023 for better images, instructions, and more information.
✍🏻 A note from Marye...
I know y'all don't always like the stories bloggers tell so when I have one I try to put it at the very bottom so you can read or skip as you like.
Creating dishes with kaleidoscopes of flavors and textures is something I enjoy. I don't mind throwing out my brilliant ideas that turned out to be not-so-brilliant and I love when they work out as well as this one did.
I'm the gal that will talk to you all day long about spiritual things, nano-technology, and whether or not the Loch Ness Monster is real but gets tongue-tied at a party where she's expected to maintain a conversation that consists of small talk.
In other words, I like to put my whole self into anything I do. I've always thought of it as the ta da! of my life.
So when I was sipping a glass of chardonnay I started thinking about my vacation in France.
Then I had a daydream of being at a bed and breakfast in Normandy and what that would be like. Then I thought about opening a French bed and breakfast in Texas and what the menu would be like.
At the same time I was texting with my bestie and told her I was thinking about making quail. We brainstormed back and forth and all of a sudden I knew what I wanted to do -
Oven-roasted quail, glazed with balsamic vinegar and chardonnay reduction and served on cheese grits made with Camembert cheese. Toasted pecans add the garnish and sprigs of rosemary add color and a nice scent.
Whole, oven roasted quail is glazed with balsamic and served with creamy camembert grits.
Sparky says
I added garlic to this recipe and used lemon instead of orange juice/peel since that’s what I had on hand, and this was fabulous. I also marinated the quail for about 5 hours in lemon juice, garlic cloves, salt, and whole peppercorns first. 10/10 would make this again!!!
Becky says
First time cooking Quail and this was the recipe I chose. Did not disappoint…tasted fabulous and compliments from my family.
shelby says
I have never had quail! I saw your video and wow, they are tiny birds 🙂 I'm very impressed and the flavors here sound awesome. I'm going to have to see if I can find quail so we can try it!
Marye Audet says
They are tiny! one is enough for me but some people might need 2. They were so very good!!
Betsy Cohen says
You took Ta Da to a WHOLE new level!!
Marye Audet says
thanks Betsy! It was SO good
Sandi says
This is a gorgeous holiday dish. I haven't tried Quail yet, but now I need to find it.
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says
I haven't had quail in a long time -- it was some that my brother got when he hunted -- so many years ago. I have had Cornish hen and I suppose you could substitute one for the other. I know Cornish hens are easy to find. And I'm all for amore and being with my Tesoro.
Marye Audet says
🙂 You could use Cornish hens but I think they are milder in flavor so some of the balance would be off. And romance? Yep. All the romance!
Mary Beth Elderton says
I have never cooked quail. I always thought it was pretty fancy. This looks delicious and easy (...still looks pretty fancy)
Marye Audet says
Right? It does look fancy but it is SO easy.. and honestly my kids were skeptical but one bite had them digging in! It is so good!