Roast Stuffed Quail with Goat Cheese, Figs, and Walnuts

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Roast stuffed quail are an easy seasonal main course! They cook quickly and are full of rich flavor and fall stuffing like goat cheese, figs, and walnuts. Perfect for the holidays!

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Here in my little corner apartment in New York things are getting chilly! We were a little late in taking the air conditioner out this year, which meant the whole apartment was freezing for way longer than it should have been.

This morning we could actually hear the 26 degree wind whistling around the corner of the building…through the cracks in our AC into our living room. Which prompted us to finally take it out. Much to Daisy’s dismay.

Not that I particularly mind a chilly apartment! The colder it is, the more hot chocolate I can justify. And the more sweaters and cozy blankets and fuzzy socks. The more pies. And the more hot buttered rum.

It really just means I can keep the oven on as long and as high as I like. Because convince myself I’m just “heating the apartment.” So I’ve been cooking and baking up a storm the past few weeks. Lots of roasts and pies.

And today we’re going to cover one of those recipes today: roast stuffed quail.

Quail is inexorably linked with my dad. He used to buy these vacuum-sealed packs of four quail and roast them up for he and I on nights when my mom worked. I remember thinking they tasted so delicious and I was always so impressed that dad had figured out how to cook quail.

A great appetizer to serve with these little guys is this rustic chicken liver paté!

To this day, I still haven’t tasted quail that good. But this recipe is pretty darn close! (Dad hasn’t testing it yet though, so be warned!)

But Vasiliy still had qualms about the size of these birds, so I felt like I had to do something special. I made my family’s favorite green beens in yogurt and dill recipe and a butter mushroom sauce on the side. And then we watched an episode of Babylon 5. So all-in-all, it felt very much like an evening at home with Dad.

What are Quail?

Quail are tiny game birds. And I do mean tiny. You’ll need to at least serve two per person to consider it a meal.

If you’re looking for a comparison, the most realistic would be the old world partridge. But since I don’t think anyone in my acquaintance other than me has ever had a partridge, let’s just call them little chickens. With slightly darker meat.

There are over 130 species of quail spread across both the old and new world. While they vary in flavor and size a bit, they can all be cooked similarly. If you want for more information on species, hunting, and plucking quail, Hank Shaw at Honest Food has some great information!

Where do I buy Quail?

You can find quail in some supermarkets in the poultry section, though you may have to ask them to order in. If you’re in a big city, you’ll likely be able to find some in butcher’s shops or game markets.

I lucked out and found my four quail fresh from the farmer’s market that day. But frozen quail is just as good!

How to Roast Quail

Roasting quail is incredibly easy, easier than nearly any other bird. There’s no flipping or turning or basting or brining. (You could brine, using a variation of this chicken brine recipe, but quail are already pretty flavorful and small, so you run the risk of overwhelming them.)

All you need is your quail and some oil and a bit of your favorite seasoning. You’ll want to roast at a very high temperature for a fairly short time.

You don’t even need a roasting pan! Simply lay them on a baking sheet. If you’re worried about the quail falling over, use celery stalks or carrots to keep them propped upright. These extra aromatics are always tasty to roast with poultry.

The one downside of quail is that it doesn’t really get the chance to brown. Coating it in butter helps because it adds all those easily browned proteins. (We’ve talked about the Maillard reaction in this beef stew recipe.) But you won’t get that crisp brown skin you find on turkey, duck, or chicken.

I chose not to do a full truss on these birds. Partly because I was hungry and lazy. But partly because they didn’t seem to need it. Their wings were already fairly tucked in to their bodies and weren’t in danger of sprawling all over the place. So I just tired their legs together to help the stuffing stay in.

If your birds are particularly limp or floppy, you probably will want to truss them. It only takes about 1 minute per bird if you have the string ready to go. Follow the instructions here at SimplyRecipes!

How to Stuff Quail

Stuff quail just like any other bird. Spoon the stuffing in while they are raw and then cook as usual.

Like any stuffed bird, the cooking time increases slightly. But since quail are so tiny it really only increases about 3-5 minutes so this is one case where you shouldn’t let cooking time stop your stuffing!

Quail will be less drippy than other birds, so don’t expect your stuffing to get super fatty.

They taste alot like chicken. But quail are slightly richer, darker, and more gamey. Which means they are in a perfect middle ground for both a more exotic stuffing and a simple classic. You choose whether you want the stuffing or the quail to be the star.

Quail has always felt like a holiday treat to me, but I can’t really explain why. Maybe it’s because I always roast other game birds like duck and goose around this time of year.

So I chose a rustic autumn theme with goat cheese, figs, and walnuts. (Vasiliy and I are trying to cut down on bread, and this combination seemed like the perfect fall substitute!) With the gamey flavor of quail, a bit of a wild stuffing paired so wonderfully.

The honeyed goat cheese added just the right touch of sweet with figs, and some savory thyme was the cherry on top. (And don’t forget your salt and pepper!

What pairs with Quail?

Other than a rustic stuffing…

Stick with an autumn theme and serve it with a side of homemade creamy roasted pumpkin and apple soup! Or go for a hearty side salad like this fresh winter pear and kale salad with figs, candied pecans and homemade cranberry balsamic dressing!

Quail also goes very well with country-style vegetables like simply sautéed green beans with garlicky mushrooms (or try these yogurt & dill green beans!), roasted brussels sprouts, or toasted kale. I also love these butternut squash cubes with quail!

Looking for another rustic country-style appetizer to pair? This Mushroom and Leek Galette is an elegant option. Or you could go for this Easy Homemade Chicken Liver Paté for a more casual appetizer!

Quail pairs best with light red wines like Gamay or heavy white wines like Pouilly-Fuissé.