In my area of Central Wisconsin, I don’t have a heavy dove population, but the local farmer did plant corn around the property this past fall. I took advantage of this and setup to harvest a few mourning doves. It is so quick and easy to make these amazing bacon-wrapped dove breasts. Give this gluten-free recipe a try!
The recommended products are a good value or investment for anyone passionate about outdoor hobbies. When possible, I include links to the product. Some of these links may be Amazon or other affiliate links in which I am paid a small commission at no cost to you. All opinions and recommendations are my own.
The fall season is full of opportunities to harvest game for the table. I spend most of my time pursuing deer, ducks, and a little upland bird hunting. I don’t make a lot of time to hunt dove; it takes a lot of them to make it worth a meal. If I lived in a region with high dove numbers, I know I would put the pursuit of these delicious little morsels of red meat higher on my list. Nonetheless, I do harvest a few given an opportunity to do so. It’s good retrieving training for Stella (our chocolate lab) when she is not trying to get other kinds of birds for me.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
- 12 De-boned dove breast
- ½ cup Cream cheese – softened at room temperature
- 6 Jalapeno peppers – sliced
- 2 Tablespoon Brown sugar
- 6 slices bacon, I prefer applewood smoked
- Croix Valley Hot’ N Spicy Marinade
How To Make Applewood Smoked Bacon Wrapped Dove Breast
Rinse the dove breast and check to see that all shot is removed. You can give yourself a visit to the dentist’s office if you ignore this little detail. With a sharp knife, remove the breast meat from the bone. I prefer to do this at the time of harvest before freezing them for storage. This saves time when it comes time to cook them.
Marinate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. I like to use Croix Valley Hot’ N Spicy Marinade. It’s gluten-free. Drain and discard the marinade, and pat the dove breasts dry with a paper towel.
Slice jalapenos in half, scrape seeds from jalapenos, and fill with cream cheese. Sprinkle a pinch of brown sugar on top of the cream cheese. Depending on the size of your jalapenos, this could be as many as two teaspoons.
Place dove breast meat on top of the cream cheese-filled jalapeno.
Wrap the entire jalapeno with half of a piece of bacon.
They are ready for cooking now! You will soon be enjoying bacon-flavored dove breast with a slight sweetness and just a hint of spicy. You will want more than one of these appetizers!
How To Cook Applewood Smoked Bacon Wrapped Dove Breast
There are several ways that you can cook these wrapped dove breasts. One of the great things about this recipe is that it offers versatile methods of creating this delicious bite-size appetizer.
Oven Method – Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the entire wrapped dove breast on a wire cooling rack placed on a foil-lined baking sheet for easy cleaning. Bake for 25 minutes or until the bacon is crisp and the peppers are soft.
Grill – If you are going to grill these, use low heat and try to use indirect heat. The bacon drippings will cause flare-ups. Grill until the bacon is crispy and the peppers are soft.
Air Fryer – One of the hottest kitchen gadgets around. Of course, you can make these in your air fryer. Place the bacon-wrapped breast on the air fryer rack in a single layer. You will cook them in your air fryer for around 12 minutes, setting them at 400 degrees.
How To Store Dove Breasts?
When the decision comes to storing dove breasts for future use, I prefer to use a vacuum sealer. I store almost all my game and fish in vacuum sealer bags. That system gets all the air out and helps avoid freezer frostbite.
Here are some recommendations on vacuum sealers if you don’t own one:
Final Thoughts –
What is there not to love about bacon? You can get a little heat with the Croix Valley Hot’ N Spicy marinade and jalapeno peppers. Try other marinade options if you want to pull different flavors. The marinade process helps to enhance flavor, add extra moisture, and tenderize the meat before choosing your cooking method. You could even try different kinds of meat, such as venison tenderloin and duck breast. I wonder how grouse or pheasant breast meat would taste on these? Let me know how you try different variations of this recipe.
If you try this recipe, share and tag @thankfuloutdoors on your Instagram. I enjoy seeing how others are using these great recipes!
Celebrate The Experience!
