Bacon Stuffed Pheasant Breast

Directions:

1. Take one breast and place it between plastic wrap and pound thin. Breasts should be as thin as you can without the breast tearing apart. Each breast is going to be a little different, but be careful not to pulverize. Pound all breasts thin.
2. Cook bacon in skillet (preferably cast iron) and remove to paper towel lined plate. Retain around 2 tbsp of bacon grease in the skillet and drain the rest.
3. Place pheasant breast on cutting board. Place one piece of bacon and one chunk of cheese in the breast, roll up as tight as possible, tucking in the ends if you can. Use toothpicks to secure the roll. Repeat the process with remaining breasts.
4. Sprinkle wilderness blend, salt, and pepper over both sides of all rolled breasts. Brown pheasant breast rolls in bacon grease over medium-high heat roughly 2 minutes per side. Transfer browned breast rolls from skillet to slow cooker.
5. Add a little olive oil to skillet if necessary, and add chopped onion. Cook over medium-high heat until onions are tender and translucent. Dump over breasts in crockpot.
6. Pour wine into hot skillet over medium-high heat to deglaze. Make sure to un-lodge all brown chunks from the bottom of the pan. Add chicken broth and thyme, bring to a boil, and cook until reduced by about half. Remove from heat and stir in heavy cream. Pour everything over the top of the breasts in the crockpot.
7. Set crockpot to low, and cook for roughly 4 hours or until pheasant is done. Keep an eye on the pheasant after the first couple of hours to make sure you do not overcook, as pheasant can still dry out even in the crockpot! Internal temp should be around 165 degrees to be considered “done”.