Dove season is one of my favorite times of year! Having grown up in the far west valley in Phoenix where the hunting is awesome I was very lucky. I was even luckier that my dad was a farmer and would plant a field of millet every year just as a little insurance policy the birds would be flying! There are a ton of ways to cook dove from making biscuits and gravy with the meat, to wrapping them in bacon and grilling. This is one of my new favorite recipes that my 4 year old daughter will eat. Now I might be a chef but she thinks Mr Chic-Fil-A is the greatest culinary master in the world! So we have dove nuggies to give him a run for his money. The time of year is perfect to go out for a hunt Friday and Saturday morning and bring back the bounty to be cooked up for the afternoon football games!

Ingredients:

20-30 Dove breasts, removed from bone

¼ gallon buttermilk

Vegetable oil for frying

1 cup flour

1 cup Panko bread crumbs

3-4 Tbl Spicy or Original Slavo Salt

1 Tbl Red pepper flakes (Optional)

2 Tbl Hot sauce (I like Valentina)

Preparation:

1. In a bowl cover the breasts in the buttermilk. Cover and place in fridge overnight.
2. When ready to serve, heat oil in a cast iron skillet or pot to 350 degrees, enough so it fills the skillet 2-3”. Careful to not overfill as this will cause an eruption and a hell of a clean up after when you add the breasts.
3. In a paper grocery bag, combine the flour, bread crumbs, pepper flakes and Slavo Salt (Spicy or OG depending on the crowd being served)
4. Take a handful of the breast out of the milk mixture and shake off excess liquid. Drop them into the paper bag and shake all around. You’ll want to do these in batches so you don’t end up with a bag of goo!
5. Carefully dip one breast into the oil to see if it starts frying immediately. If not remove the breast and allow oil to get hotter. You want the oil to be about 350 degrees.
6. Once, the oil is fully up to temp add in breasts, don’t overcrowd. Cook until one side develops a nice golden brown and then turn over and repeat. Total cooking time is 5-7 minutes +/-.
7. Have a plate covered in paper towels beside the stove and as the breasts are cooked remove them and place on the towels. Sprinkle over either OG or Spicy Slavo Salt and serve.
8. Another great step is to toss the cooked breasts in hot sauce and go Buffalo style.