Season the fully thawed chukars with salt and pepper the night before you plan to cook them. Leave the birds uncovered in the fridge with ample ventilation on all sides so the skin can dry. Dry skin makes for crispier skin when cooking.
Truss the chukars ahead of cooking. Use kitchen twine to tie legs close to the body for more even cooking. Also, rub a thin layer of avocado oil over all sides of the birds.
To make the sweet potato puree, pre-heat the oven to 400 F. In a large skillet heated on medium, add 1 tablespoon of salted butter along with thinly sliced shallot. Cook the shallot until it’s soft and slightly brown. Add the freshly minced ginger and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes more, stirring frequently.
Meanwhile, on a baking sheet, roast the diced sweet potato for 10 to 15 minutes or until the cubes are fully cooked. Add them to the skillet with shallot, ginger, and garlic along with another tablespoon of salted butter. Stir in and add the rice vinegar, mandarin zest, and hard cider. Turn the burner to medium-low and stir for 5 minutes.
Add the skillet ingredients to a blender. Blend thoroughly until puree texture.
In a medium saucepan heated on medium-low, add the heavy whipping cream. Once warm, add the puree from the blender and stir it all together. Cover the saucepan and turn the heat to low until you are ready to serve. If it’s too thick, add a bit more cream or hard cider.
To cook the chukar, using either a very hot air fryer or a broiler, sear both sides until the skin is crispy, about 5 minutes each side. Remove the birds from the oven. Lower the oven or air fryer temperature to 300 degrees F. Once the oven reaches 300 F, put the birds back in and roast them for 15 to 20 minutes or until fully cooked. Remove the birds from the oven and allow them to rest for 10 minutes prior to serving alongside the sweet potato puree.
