This braised rabbit in cream sauce is a delicious use of meat rabbit, wild or domestically raised. Rabbit is marinated, then braised and stewed on the stovetop with a delicious sour cream wine sauce and finished in the oven. It’s sure to become a family favorite.
Rabbit meat is highly underutilized in our modern world. Whether you raise your own meat rabbits, or hunt rabbit, it’s the perfect meat. Rabbit meat provides more protein than beef, it is low in calories (around 170 calories per serving), and is a leaner meat than beef. It also doesn’t have the gamey flavor that some people say venison does. Which makes it a favorite substitute for chicken or beef, depending on the age of the rabbit.
While it’s pretty difficult to locate it in your typical grocery store, rabbits are incredibly simple to raise and very prolific. A pair can keep your family in meat year-round without much problem. While most people choose to breed a trio, a pair can keep you in meat, you just can’t diversify the genetics and will eventually need a different doe.
Rabbits are also a great species to hunt. Here in Indiana their season is about 3 months long in the winter providing plenty of time to fill the freezer for later use. Wild rabbit is not gamey, either, so don’t think you have to raise your own to avoid the gamey taste. The younger rabbits tend to be more tender and utilized as a chicken substitute whereas the older rabbit meat is generally stronger, though still not gamey, and used more as a beef substitute.
The rabbit meat can be utilized in so many delicious, traditional dishes like hasenpfeffer or fried rabbit. But this recipe is among some of the best you can try. The wine-cream sauce is delicious and affords just enough flavor to make it a favorite, even for people who assume they wouldn’t like rabbit.
I say assume because many have never tried it. Some may think they cannot eat the adorable rabbit, but… it really does have a nice flavor and is some of the healthiest, most tender meat you can eat. Perfect for low-fat diets and those trying to eat leaner, healthier meat.
So, raise a few of your own, or keep them out of your garden and use them for supper. You won’t be disappointed.
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Braised Rabbit in Cream Sauce
This braised rabbit in cream sauce is a delicious use of meat rabbit, wild or domestically raised. Rabbit is marinated, then braised and stewed on the stovetop with a delicious sour cream wine sauce and finished in the oven. It's sure to become a family favorite.
Ingredients
- 1 Rabbit (quartered)
- 2 Tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
- Juice from 1 Lemon and half the rind
- 1 Pint Chicken Broth
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 4 Cloves Garlic (crushed)
- 1 Medium Onion Sliced (sliced)
- 1 Sprig Rosemary
- 2 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1/2 Cup White Wine
- 1 3/4 Cup Sour Cream
- 8 Ounces Mushrooms (sliced, optional)
Instructions
- Begin by quartering up the rabbit meat into four large pieces. Season it with salt and pepper to taste. Place it in a bowl with 2 Tablespoons of white wine vinegar, juice from 1 lemon and a pint of chicken broth. Allow it to marinate at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Remove the rabbit meat from the refrigerator about an hour before you're ready to begin cooking to bring the meat up to room temperature. You can leave it in the marinade. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- In a dutch oven or other oven-safe pot, add olive oil and heat over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add in the garlic cloves and onions. Sauté over medium heat until onions have softened and flavors have began to meld together (about 8-10 minutes).
- Place thyme, bay leaves, rosemary, and peel from lemon into a piece of cheesecloth, bring up the ends and tie together using a piece of kitchen twine. Add it to the pot and allow it to continue cooking a minute or two. Or until it becomes fragrant.
- Remove rabbit from marinade and add the rabbit with the white wine and and sour cream to the dutch oven and bring to a simmer. If you'd like mushrooms, you may add them to the top now.
- Cover the dutch oven with the lid and place it in the oven. Allow it to bake an hour to an hour and a half. Rotating the pieces ever half hour. Remove from oven and serve immediately over freshly cooked noodles or mashed potatoes.
Notes
- If sauce is too runny once removed from the oven, you can thicken it up by removing the rabbit from the pan and allowing the sauce to reduce on the stovetop over low heat, uncovered about 20 minutes.
- To quarter the rabbit, cut the saddle into two pieces, and carve all four legs out through the backbone.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 188Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 271mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 1gSugar: 7gProtein: 6g
Liz
Saturday 19th of August 2023
Thank you for the recipe. I used heavy cream instead of sour cream, and used dry and fresh tarragon instead of rosemary and thyme. Also added morels. Turned out amazing.
Danielle McCoy
Monday 21st of August 2023
Oh, those substitutions sound amazing!! So glad you liked it.
BFF, BigFatFather
Tuesday 21st of April 2020
I live in california and the hunting rules are so oppressive and ever changing that I leave the state to go hunting. I remember when rabbits were a pest and no license required.
To buy rabbits most Asian markets have them, also duck, fresh fish, live clams, muscles, fish, crabs and lobster. Some even have peking duck hanging and waiting for a new home.