Quail Mushroom Ramen
Quail is the kind of protein that stops people in grocery stores, which is either because it's unfamiliar or because it looks impossibly small, or both. But it's one of the most forgiving game birds you can cook, it takes on flavor aggressively, it roasts in twenty minutes, and it has an earthiness that chicken wishes it had. Paired with chanterelles in a French-style mushroom consomme, the whole bowl smells like a bistro in a good forest. The ramen noodles are the least French thing here, obviously, but they absorb the dark, complex broth better than any pasta shape would, and the bowl ends up tasting like something that took considerably more skill and money than it required.
Small birds roast dark brown—chanterelles hold the forest—the broth turns to silk
Let Me Tell You...
There is a version of this dish that a bistro in Lyon would charge forty euros for, and this version of it takes about an hour and costs considerably less, which is either a win for home cooking or an indictment of restaurant pricing depending on how you look at it.
Quail has always been French country cooking's answer to the question of what to do when you want something special but not overwrought.
Small birds, serious flavor, a broth that takes the drippings and turns them into something worth eating with a spoon.
Moisture on the skin creates steam and prevents the deep browning you're after.
Chanterelles are the mushroom here because their apricot-orange color against the dark broth looks like something you'd see in a food magazine and their flavor is fruity and peppery in a way that cremini or button mushrooms can't match.
If you can't find them, trumpet royale or oyster mushrooms are the better substitutes.
Stay away from shiitake here, they'll overpower the delicacy of the quail.
They have high water content and need room to brown rather than steam.
The broth builds from the quail roasting drippings, which get deglazed with dry white wine and then enriched with mushroom broth and fresh thyme.
It sounds like a production but it's twenty minutes of simmering while the quail rests, and the result is a liquid that tastes like it has been going for hours.
The quail goes in whole or split down the backbone, because the visual of a whole roasted bird sitting in a bowl of dark broth is the kind of thing that makes people feel like they're at a restaurant even when they're in their kitchen on a Tuesday.
Cooking wine won't build the broth correctly.
A glass you'd drink is the standard. This is the bowl you make when you want to impress someone without letting them know you were trying to impress them.
That's the French move.
That's always been the French move.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dried ramen noodles (2 bricks, seasoning packets discarded)
- 4 whole quail (about 4-5 oz each), backbone removed or left whole
- 8 ounces fresh chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned and torn into pieces
- 4 cups low-sodium mushroom or vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2 shallots, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce (for umami depth)
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (for finishing)
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 425F. Pat quail completely dry with paper towels. Season generously with salt and black pepper, inside and out.
- Heat oil and 1 tablespoon butter in an oven-safe skillet over high heat until shimmering. Sear quail breast-side down for 3-4 minutes until deeply golden. Flip and transfer skillet to the oven. Roast for 15-18 minutes until juices run clear. Transfer quail to a plate and let rest 10 minutes.
- Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add shallots and garlic to the drippings and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in white wine and scrape up all browned bits. Cook until wine is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
- Add mushroom broth, thyme sprigs, bay leaf, and soy sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes until broth is slightly reduced and deeply flavored. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a clean pot, discarding solids. Keep warm over low heat.
- In a separate skillet, melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. Add chanterelles in a single layer (work in batches). Sear without stirring for 3-4 minutes until golden. Season with salt. Add to the strained broth.
- Bring a separate pot of salted water to a boil. Cook ramen noodles for 2-3 minutes until just tender. Drain and divide between serving bowls.
- Ladle broth and chanterelles over noodles. Rest one or two quail across the bowl. Finish with fresh thyme leaves, a drizzle of truffle oil if using, and serve immediately.