Pan Roasted Rabbit in Wine and Garlic Sauce
Pan Roasted Rabbit in Wine and Garlic Sauce is the best and easiest way to cook whole rabbit — flavorful and moist with minimum time and effort. Rabbit meat is white and tender, and in taste is very comparable to chicken; the Italians, French and Russians eat rabbit the way Americans eat chicken. HOW TO DEFROST A RABBIT: Usually you buy a whole rabbit that is frozen. Let it defrost in a deep dish (a baking pan or a large plate) inside the fridge, as defrosting a whole rabbit releases quite a bit of liquid and you don't want your fridge swimming in raw rabbit's juices. WHAT SKILLET TO USE: Your pan needs to be at least 12 inches so there is room to get a nice color on the rabbit — spaced too closely the liquid has nowhere to go, giving steamed rather than pan seared rabbit. Use a good heavy skillet such as cast iron. HOW TO CUT UP A RABBIT: Butchering a rabbit is no harder than cutting up a chicken. Lay the whole rabbit on a cutting board and cut it into 4 parts: back legs, 2 pieces for the bust, and front legs; then divide each leg piece in two so each is a single leg. HOW TO COOK: Use either sunflower oil or regular (not extra virgin) olive oil; sunflower oil is a better choice due to its high heating point. Sear the rabbit on all sides until well browned (5 minutes per side). Be patient when coloring the meat — don't turn too often — and season with salt and pepper while it cooks. Deglaze with white wine on medium heat to lift the caramelized juices, then add chicken stock. Roast, then rest (the internal temperature keeps rising during resting).
Nutrition
Ingredients
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | olive oil (or sunflower oil) |
| 1 lb. | 455 g | rabbit (defrosted and cut up) |
| 3 | garlic cloves (chopped) | |
| 1 cup | 240 ml | dry white wine |
| 1/2 cup | chicken stock | |
| — | sea salt | |
| — | fresh thyme | |
| a splash | water |
Instructions
Cut the rabbit down:
- Using a very sharp knife or a meat cleaver, cut the rabbit in 4 parts: back legs, 2 pieces for the bust and another piece front legs. Then divide the leg pieces in two so that each piece is only one leg.
Pan sear the rabbit: 2. Heat a large pan on medium-high heat and add oil. Add the rabbit pieces and sear them on all sides until well browned (5 minutes per side). Be patient when coloring the meat — don't turn too often. Season the rabbit with salt and pepper while it's cooking. 3. Reduce the heat slightly and add the chopped garlic. Brown the garlic while continuing to cook the rabbit, about 2-3 minutes; make sure the pan is not too hot at this point. 4. Preheat oven to 350°F. 5. With the pan on medium heat, season the rabbit again and deglaze with white wine to lift the caramelized juices from the bottom of the pan. After the wine has evaporated to a syrupy substance, add the chicken stock. 6. Put the pan with the rabbit into the preheated oven and roast for about 30 minutes until the internal temperature is about 140 to 145°F. The meat will continue to cook while resting and reach about 150°F. 7. Serve with fresh thyme.
Notes: The wine garlic sauce should be reduced quite a bit to intensify the flavor — not too thick, but not too runny. When cooking, add a little water rather than more chicken stock, otherwise the stock flavor will be too strong.
Source: https://whatsinthepan.com/how-to-cook-pan-roasted-rabbit-in-wine-sauce/