How to Cook Pigeon Pot Stickers

If you’ve never crushed a flock of pigeons on the local dairy farm, you’re missing out. They are a ton of fun to hunt and make for great shooting practice for the waterfowl and upland bird seasons. It’s a trip to watch these birds flare and decoy just like a flock of ducks.

What most hunters don’t realize, however, is that pigeons are phenomenal eating as well. To be clear: I’m not talking about your nasty city pigeons. These are clean birds that eat the same grain and corn that goes into beef and dairy products. While there are a ton of ways to prepare the whole bird and breasts, one of my favorite ways to cook a pile of pigeons is to make pot stickers. They are easy to make and can be frozen and stored for months. Here’s an easy pot sticker recipe that can be made with pigeon or any number of other game meats.

Ingredients

For the pot stickers

• 8 pigeons, breasted
• ¼ cup ginger, minced
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 head Napa cabbage, sliced
• 2 bunches of scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 carrots, julienned
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. Asian five-spice powder
• 1 package of dumpling wrappers
• Vegetable oil for frying

For the dipping sauce

• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. ginger

Directions

1. Clean and breast out the birds, and remove the skin. Sauté the meat in a pan until its mostly cooked through, then buzz it up in a food processor along with the ginger. Add the beaten eggs to help bind the mixture, then transfer to a large bowl.
2. Add all of the remaining ingredients to the large bowl and mix thoroughly. Form the dumplings: Place a small dollop of the mix in the center of the dumpling wrapper, then lightly wet one edge of the wrapper with water. Fold and pinch the dumpling into a half-moon shape and seal the bladed edge. Tuck and pinch the dough along the edge creating a series of overlapping folds.
3. Add the dumplings to a pot of boiling water and remove them once they float the surface. You can choose to eat them like this—but they’re better when fried.
4. To make the dipping sauce, lightly simmer all of the ingredients until the sauce has reduced slightly; it should be thin, not syrupy. Let the sauce cool before serving.