Guinea fowl are an ancient species that originated in Sub-Saharan Africa. Chef Wanda gets her’s from Saba Live Poultry in Oakland.
Serves 4-6
1 guinea fowl, cut into 8 pieces
2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons Creole seasoning (like Creole Season All by Wanda's Cooking)
Remove the neck and giblets if you find them stuffed into the bird's cavity and freeze for a later use. Place the guinea fowl pieces in a deep bowl along with the buttermilk and salt. Turn the pieces to make sure they are covered in buttermilk and arrange the breast sides down inside marinade. Cover the bowl and let marinate overnight in the fridge.
One hour before roasting, pull the fowl from fridge and let drain. (You can use your hands to remove the excess buttermilk from the pieces, but do not rinse it off the meat.)
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Generously coat each piece of meat in the Creole seasoning and arrange on a flat roasting pan so the pieces don't touch. Poke a meat thermometer into the thickest piece of meat.
Measure out a sheet of aluminum foil large enough to tent over the meat and place the tented pan in the center of the preheated oven.
Roast for 40 minutes, then rotate the pan for even browning and cooking. Check the thermometer and continue roasting until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Continue to roast with foil in place until meat is cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes longer.
Remove from oven and set the cooked pieces on a serving platter to rest. Serve surrounded with your choice of vegetables.
(We highly recommend Chef Wanda's Southern-Style Braised Mustard Greens recipe from Edible East Bay's Spring 2022 issue.)