Recipe: Dove Breasts with Radish Chimichurri

This recipe was first featured on our brand partner's website—Wild and Whole. Danielle with Wild and Whole is a passionate hunter and chef, and you might recall GoWild™ did a Q&A with her a few months ago. Her recipes are incredible, and she's an expert bird slayer and chef, so you definitely need to bookmark this one for your dove season.

Danielle and Team GoWild agree on a lot of things, but for the sake of this blog, let's talk about doves: 

If you've ever hunted doves, you can probably relate. These aerobatic birds are a challenging hunt, and an excellent warm up to hunting season.

Another thing we agree on with Danielle, is that there are more ways to cook a dove than just wrapping it in bacon! Sure, we're guilty of this pretty much every season, but this seared Dove Breast with the Radish Chimichurri is an extremely easy and tasty way to shake up your dove game.

"One of the best and most overlooked ways to eat dove, is to breast them out and sear it in a hot pan/grill, served medium rare," Danielle said. "It’s that simple really, most of the time I only season them with salt and pepper. They really don’t need much and are usually very tender if you don’t over cook them."

That's a good reminder: Don't overcook your dove meat! It will dry out. Keep that in mind as you try this Radish Chimichurri recipe. This is a spin on traditional Chimichurri, which is a classic condiment used in Brazil to accompany meats. Danielle says the herbiness and acidity pairs so perfectly with wild game. You can actually use this Radish Chimichurri with venison or other waterfowl, too.  

Our last note before we get to cooking is that Danielle recommends hand chopping all of the ingredients.  "It feels more natural and I like the rustic look," she said. You can feel the crunch of the radish, and taste the heat of the jalapenos. Most of the time this sauce is blended or pulsed in a food processor, but there is something about doing things by hand that she said she really enjoys. Be sure to have some crusty bread on hand for dipping and snacking. Enjoy! 

• 1 C. each of Parsley and Cilantro (stems removed and lightly packed)
• ½ Red Onion, Finely Chopped
• 4 Radishes, Finely Chopped
• 1 Jalapeno, Finely Chopped
• 6 T. Lemon Juice (substitute Red Wine Vinegar)
• ⅔ C. Olive Oil
• 8 - 12 Doves, Breasted