Home / Crispy chilli pigeon: a gamey twist on the Cantonese takeaway classic

Crispy chilli pigeon: a gamey twist on the Cantonese takeaway classic

Cai ap Bryn reworks crispy chilli beef with pigeon breast cut into thin strips, so it crisps hard and drinks up the sweet-and-sour sauce. Mid-harvest, with pigeon in abundance, it is the fakeaway to have pre-cut in the freezer

Crispy chilli pigeon in a cast iron pan with a bowl of egg-fried rice alongside
Cai ap BrynCai ap Bryn

Who doesn’t love a good takeaway? There is something so gloriously lazy about getting an Indian or a Chinese, but what I also love is trying to replicate takeaway recipes at home.

The dish I’ve been dreaming of lately is a pigeon-based reimagining of that Cantonese classic crispy chilli beef. Though certainly not healthy, it is delicious and the subtle spice with the sweet-and-sour-style sauce lends itself perfectly to game.

You could use venison here, but right now, given we are mid-harvest, pigeon is in abundance. Like most of my other pigeon recipes, this dish primarily uses breast meat. In truth, there is little on the legs.

If you are catering for people who have never tried pigeon, or may be apprehensive about it, this is certainly a good starting point. It tastes almost exactly like crispy chilli beef and it is simple to make, too. It’s also worth noting that, if you would like to make this for children, you can reduce or remove the heat by not including the chillies or by decreasing the quantity.

  • Prep time15 minutes
  • Cook time15 minutes
  • Total time30 minutes
  • Serves2
  • DifficultyEasy

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp Chinese five-spice
  • Pinch of salt
  • 5 heaped tbsp cornflour
  • 350g pigeon breast, cut into thin strips
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil
  • Half a small white onion, sliced
  • ½ chilli, deseeded and finely diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely diced
  • 2 bell peppers, sliced into strips
  • 3½ tbsp rice vinegar
  • 3 tbsp ketchup
  • 3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
  • 1½ tbsp soy sauce
  • 500ml vegetable oil

How to make crispy chilli pigeon – step by step

  • Step 1. Put the Chinese five-spice and pinch of salt into a bowl together with the cornflour.
  • Step 2. Place the thin pigeon strips in the cornflour mix until they are fully coated on all sides.
  • Step 3. In a wok, heat the sesame oil on a medium to high heat. Add the onion, chilli, garlic and peppers, and fry for 2 minutes.
  • Step 4. Add the rice vinegar, ketchup and sweet chilli sauce, and cook on medium heat for another few minutes. Add the soy sauce, stir and then set aside.
  • Step 5. In a fryer or a deep-sided pan, heat the vegetable oil until it gets to around 180°C. Add the pigeon strips and fry until they are golden brown.
  • Step 6. Remove from the pan and put on a paper towel to drain. Mix the strips with the contents of the wok.
  • Step 7. Top with a sprinkle of sliced spring onions, if you have some, and serve with egg-fried rice or noodles.

Serving suggestion

Serve with egg-fried rice or noodles, topped with a sprinkle of sliced spring onions.

Tips for the crispiest pigeon strips

When preparing the pigeon, the breasts need to be cut into thin strips. The thinner they are, the crispier they become. Because the strips are thin, they absorb the sweet-and-sour flavour of the sauce, becoming incredibly moist and moreish.

This indulgent fakeaway dish has become a regular go-to for me, and I always make sure that I have some pre-cut pigeon slices in the freezer ready to go at a moment’s notice. Admittedly, though, it’s still not quite as quick as simply making a phone call.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use venison instead of pigeon?

Yes. Cai ap Bryn names venison as the alternative, and the method is unchanged: cut it into thin strips, coat it in the five-spice cornflour and fry it the same way. Pigeon is simply the more abundant meat mid-harvest.

Do I need the pigeon legs for this recipe?

No. This dish uses breast meat only, as most pigeon recipes do, because there is very little on the legs.

How do I make it less spicy for children?

Leave the chillies out altogether, or reduce the quantity. The recipe calls for half a deseeded chilli, so the heat is easy to dial down without changing anything else.

How thin should the pigeon strips be?

As thin as you can manage. The thinner they are, the crispier they become in the fryer, and the more of the sweet-and-sour sauce they take up afterwards.

Is this a good recipe for someone who has never eaten pigeon?

It is a very good starting point. It tastes almost exactly like crispy chilli beef, so it does not ask a nervous eater to get used to anything unfamiliar.

Related articles

Crispy chilli pigeon recipe – An earlier take on the same dish from the ShootingUK archive, with a different cook and a different method.

Woodpigeon with fresh asparagus and mushrooms – A lighter way with the same breast meat, for when you do not want a fryer involved.

Woodpigeon shooting kit reviewed: from hides to decoys, what really works – Filling the freezer in the first place, over the same harvest stubbles.

Grouse sausage rolls with wild mushrooms and chestnuts – Another game bird treated as something familiar rather than something formal.

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