What is another type of poultry that I can substitute for chicken (not turkey or duck)

I think all the birds besides chicken and turkey are pretty gamy. Maybe look into making meat instead of poultry?

Any chance you’d be interested in vegan chicken – it tastes great.

Ostrich?
I don’t remember what it tasted like, only that I liked it when I tried it. I remember the person who let me try it had to guard their plate from me the rest of the meal. I had it when I was little. Now I’m not such a big meat eater, but I was then.

I think most other poultry will be gamy. Maybe pheasant or Ostrich? But I have never tried either. You could do a cornish game hen, outside of the name I don’t find it to be gamy, but I guess that might be too much like chicken.

Try Cornish game hen. Rotisserie style or roasted it is delightful. They are small, so you will need a few for a large gathering. But anyone who likes rotisserie chicken will be delighted with the disn.

Is this for Thanksgiving or Christmas? I was going to say that on Thanksgiving I don’t like a lot of surprises. Christmas I’m open.

Can’t do red meat or pork because we do not eat it. Seafood is out because my wife hates anything from the ocean.

Does Cornish game hen taste a lot like chicken? What about goose or quail?

We can’t do vegan because to others in our family, vegans are wack-a-doos.

If you can find farm raised goose, you’ll be happy. Be sure you cook it on a rack cause it is greasy but you can have crispy skin- num. Cornish games hens are fabulous-taste great and you can stuff them a tiny bit if you like.

Not too many choices outside of the ones you’ve already eliminated. There are only so many types of poultry in the world… so, I would go with Cornish game hens as others have suggested. It’s very tender and tastes very much like chicken but they are small so you have to account for that in terms of cooking and portions.

I’m not really sure what you’re looking for, but frogs legs taste like chicken. Really. Among all the cliches their taste is actually indistinguishable from chicken. But I have no idea how you would procure or cook them.

And now that @fundevogel has opened up the whole “tastes like chicken” can of worms, there’s also rattlesnake. Not the fleshiest or most appealing of animals to carve at your Thanksgiving table, but they too also taste kind of like chicken. Just one more option because, as previously mentioned, you’ve left us with very few alternatives to offer you.

Cornish game hens are yummy. Chicken like, but maybe a little more flavorful?

The game hen is a nice suggestion. I cut a lemon into 4 wedges and stuff it into the cavity, rub the outside with butter, sage, salt and garlic. Around here, pheasant is really common. I mean really. They stroll around my yard all year and I eat ‘em in the fall. They are delicious. Not really like chicken or duck.

Does everyone agree that if you serve Cornish game hens, you have to prepare a whole one for each guest?

“Seafood is out because my wife hates anything from the ocean.”
Drat- so much for my “Chicken of the Sea” suggestion. :-p

IIRC, Cornish game hens are quite small, so I’d also suggest about one per guest.

The reason I asked is that depending on the number of guests, you can get into some logistical problems. One turkey to serve, say, eight people is going to be a lot more compact in the oven than eight little hens. Also stuffing and trussing each one (with a traditional stuffing) is a bit labor-intensive compared with roasting one large bird.

There’s also the fact that even though small, one hen has a lot of meat for one person; but there’s no tidy way that I can think of to share them.

Just something to consider while the question of menu is still open.

goose, pheasant, turkducken

Dove, if you know of anyone who dove hunts.

I don’t think you have to have one hen per guest, depending on what else you’re serving. While one hen might be too little for two guests to share, it may be too much for one. So, over say, 8 guests, you might be able to get away with 5 or 6 hens.

If the reason you don’t want to make a turkey is that it’s too big/much, you could always buy a turkey breast rather than a whole bird.

Pheasant or Quail, but you have to be careful cooking them.

@jlelandg I was really disappointed with turducken. Very greasy.

Guinea fowl are very good, they are somewhat stronger in taste than chicken but about the same degree of fat content. I have always liked them.

baloots

@anartist I tried Googling that but didn’t really get anything except a few comments that it was gross. What is it?

@papayalily It is numero uno on the 6 most terrifying foods in the world list

It sure ain’t turducken.

@anartist The sounds or horror and glee could not be separated as I read that list.

Like twins joined at the frontal lobe.

I really liked a goose the one time I prepared it, but if you don’t like duck I am not sure that you would like it.

It has to really be cooked well.

quail, game hen, goose

Pheasant, goose, Cornish game hens are all good suggestions.

Yes @Jeruba I would agree that you would need one hen for each person.

@ETpro suggestion is the best as Cornish Game hens can be prepared is so many elegant ways and will really wow your guests. Best part is they are so yummy….my favorite poultry by far and a real treat!

Typically it is one hen per person, but thanksgiving is so much food it is reasonable people will only eat half. But, if it is not one per person you lose part of the deal with the hens and that is presentation. If it is the only meat being served, no ham or other meats then I think one hen per person is probably the right way to go. But, if you have vegetarians or people who are not happy about eating animal or seeing whole animals, game hens will be a huge turn off in my opinion.

If you think duck is gamy, then forget the goose, which not only is gamier (and all dark meat), is about half fat. Now goose fat is a delight, and should be collected, clarified and used to fry potatoes in for the next year or so, but you won’t be doing a goose.

Similarly, if chicken is what you want to stay away from, you’ll want to stay away from Cornish Game Hen. They taste just about the same and have the same feel on the tongue.

That leaves Pheasant, which I have never tried. I would assume it would be gamier than duck (I don’t know how you find duck to be gamy), because it is a wild creature.

I would suggest wild turkey, but that’s going to be gamy, too. I think you’ve boxed yourself in. There’s nothing that isn’t either too gamy and fatty, or too much like chicken. Good luck!

Thanks, all. There is nothing wrong with chicken or turkey, we just want something different. I think the game hens sound like a good idea.

There will only be 8 people attending. 1 per person isn’t too much, is it?

Cornish game hen is just a baby chicken, with a different name for marketing purposes.
Pheasant is great!

Ok, I have another comment. Cornish Game hens are to be served, not family or buffet style. It is presented on a plate, served to the dinner guest. It will be odd in my opinion to have a bunch of hens in the middle of the table, or on a counter to take one. Just my opinion.

@anartist, thanks so much. I was on my first cup of coffee when I had the bad judgment to click your link. Just as it says, I may never look at an egg the same way again. Or the people of an entire nation or three.

At least I already knew what casu marzu was.

Okay. I decided against game hen; ⅔ of birds sold in America come from Tyson, which I do not patronize. So my next choice is pheasant. Now, where to find pheasant?

@Jeruba I just checked out @anartist‘s link about an hour or so ago myself and I’m still trying to recover; but there are some bells that just can’t be unrung, I’m afraid.

@psychocandy It’s a little to late to order one to be shipped for Thankgiving, that’s the holiday your talking about, right? Unless you’re planning a head for Christmas. But… I did a search on yahoo for pheasant farms and if there’s one near you, you might be able to get on in time.

Also, for future reference, these smoked turkeys from Pittman-Davis are very good. We used to get one every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas. They’re really tender and juicy and the smoked flavor is just right; not to mild and not too strong. They’re still turkeys but smoked is a little different if you’re interested in different.

@psychocandy I’m afraid to ask, why not Tyson? I only buy Tyson and Purdue, and I know asking means I might limit myself more, but I feel compelled to learn why I should not be happy with Tyson’s.

@psychocandy So you are going to prepare something you have never eaten before for a party? I think that is brave. I mean that seriously, I am not trying to be obnoxious. I tend to go with things I feel confident about when I am making a meal for others, something I have made before.

@JLeslie I’m not cooking, my wife is, so I’m not scared about fucking up.

Party isn’t until 12/24, so we have plenty of time. Maybe we’ll cook one before to practice.

@psychocandy Oh, it is for Christmas. I thought it was for Thanksgiving.

@psychocandy Oh, Christmas, then you have more than enough time to figure this out and order anything you might need. Good!

One of the most remarkable and memorable dinners of my life, at which I was a fortunate guest, involved homemade pâté de foie gras, roast pheasant, and a selection of very old, very fine wines. Decades later I can still conjure the essences. Mmmm. Make a dinner like that.