Sous Vide Quail

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If you’ve never tried cooking quail, you’ll want to try this Sous Vide Quail recipe! The quail are juicy and tender, made with only 7 ingredients and take just 90 minutes to cook using the sous vide method.

Quail tend to cook quickly and dry out easily, especially the delicate breast meat. Cooking them sous vide style means you never have to worry about overcooked and dried out quail again!

While roasting is perhaps the most common way to cook quail, like this Cajun roasted quail recipe, the sous vide is my new favorite way!

Not only is it hands off, it’s pretty fool-proof and the meat turns out moist and juicy.

For the most amazing meal, serve this easy quail recipe with garlic mashed potatoes and Instant Pot carrots!

Jump to:

• What are quail?
• Why this recipe works
• What is Sous Vide?
• Ingredients
• Step by step instructions
• Expert tips
• Common questions
• More sous vide recipes
• Recipe
• 💬 Comments

What are quail?

Quail are small game birds in the same family as pheasants, partridges and turkeys. There are a number of different species of quail, so they tend to vary a little in size and appearance.

Why this recipe works

1. The extremely small size of quail means that they can easily overcook and dry out. This makes them well suited to sous vide cooking, where the temperature of the water bath is precisely controlled so they turn out moist and juicy.
2. While 1.5 hours is a much longer cooking time than roasting quail, there is very little active time. The sous vide does most of the work and the quail are always cooked to perfection.
3. If the crispy quail skin is your favorite part, no worries. After the birds come out of the water bath, you can quickly brown them in a hot skillet. 

What is Sous Vide?

Sous vide is basically a method of cooking using what is called an immersion circulator (i.e. the sous vide machine). This immersion circulator circulates water in a temperature controlled water bath at a certain temperature to perfectly cook your food every time.

Because the temperature doesn't change, and it keeps your meat (or dessert, veggies, etc.) at the same temperature, your risk of overcooking becomes very minimal.

To learn even more about sous vide cooking, head over and read "what is sous vide cooking and the benefits of sous vide cooking."

What is the Water Displacement Method?

The displacement method is where you slowly submerge a ziplock bag in water pushing the air out of the top of the bag (the bag should be slightly open at the top to allow air to escape).

Use a clip (I use sous vide magnets) to clip the bag to the side to keep it from floating and getting air and/or water inside.

Tools Used

• Anova Precision Sous Vide Cooker
• 12 quart container
• Vacuum sealer
• Vacuum-seal bags

You will also want to check out these posts on the best sous vide containers and the best sous vide bags for more information!

Ingredients

The full list of ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

You’ll need 6 quail for this recipe with the legs removed. If you’re having trouble finding quail at the grocery store, check your local butcher shop. You may also be able to specially order them. Look for quail that are plump in appearance and avoid ones that have a grey-ish color.

The quail are seasoned with salt, pepper, Dijon mustard, honey, thyme and shallot.

I prefer to use grainy Dijon mustard but you can use smooth Dijon if you prefer. You'll need 2 tablespoons.

One tablespoon of honey is added to balance the strong flavor of the mustard. I haven't tried substituting with maple syrup, but it should work fine.

You’ll need 2 sprigs of fresh thyme to add an earthy flavor. You can substitute with dried thyme, but use less of it since it is more potent than fresh.

Lastly, 1 thinly sliced shallot will also cook with the quail. If you don’t have a shallot, try using a small yellow onion in place of it.

Step by step instructions

Heat a sous vide water bath to 136F degrees.

Mix all the ingredients together and rub all over the quail.

Place the seasoned quail in a vacuum seal bag (add in any extra seasoning that didn't stick to the quail). Seal the bag.

Place in the water bath and cook for 90 minutes.

Remove quail from the bag, reserving the bag sauce.

Heat the bag sauce in a saucepan, adding some chicken stock if needed to make a sauce. Simmer until thickened, about 2-3 minutes.

Serve the quail drizzled with the bag sauce.

**Optional - brown the quail in a hot skillet for 30-60 seconds per side. Be careful as the breast meat will dry out very quickly. 

Expert tips

1. To keep bacteria out of the sealed bag, make sure you seal the bag properly to remove the air.
2. You don’t want the bag to float in the water bath. If it does float, you'll need to open it, let the excess air out and reseal it. 
3. To prevent floating in the first place, try using something heavy to weigh it down like a sous vide sinker weight. This will help keep the bag submerged in the water.
4. Don’t throw out the bag sauce. You'll want to simmer it on the stove to create a sauce to serve over the quail.
5. While the quail are fully cooked when they come out of the water bath, if you want crispy skin, you can brown them in a hot skillet.
6. Be careful not to brown them for more than 30-60 seconds per side. The delicate breast meat can easily dry out on these small birds.
7. For extra crispy skin, pat the quails dry before placing them in the skillet. Also, make sure the skillet is extremely hot so the quail brown quickly.
8. If you have a kitchen torch, you can also use that to brown the quail instead of using a skillet.

Common questions

More sous vide recipes

• Sous Vide Cornish Hens
• Sous Vide Chicken Breast
• Sous Vide Turkey Thighs
• Sous Vide Teriyaki Chicken

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