Learn how to cook a rabbit in this simple step-by-step tutorial. We’ll first cook it in the crockpot and then make a delicious sauce for it. Cooking a rabbit is easier than you think!
I am so very excited to share this recipe with you! If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you probably remember my how to butcher a rabbit tutorial from a few years ago. I put a lot of effort into that post and many since then have used it to guide them in butchering rabbits. But I never got a chance to write a rabbit recipe…
A couple of weeks ago, my hunter came by with a couple of rabbits for me. These were wild rabbits that came straight from mother nature (they were hunting that morning). We butchered the two (you can watch the short video here) and I got to work, cooking a delicious meal of rabbit in cream sauce.
How to Cook a Rabbit…
If you raise your own rabbits for meat, or if you hunt rabbits, their meat is amazing and you’re going to love this recipe! It’s simple, you can produce a couple of different meals from it (with the sauce, without the sauce…), and it’s healthy and filling.
What Does Rabbit Tastes Like?
OK, you’re ready? I’m going to say it… rabbit tastes just like chicken. I know, it seems like everything that doesn’t have a taste of its own tastes just like chicken… But in this instance, rabbit meat does really taste just like chicken. It even has the same texture. The only difference between rabbit and chicken is that a whole rabbit has less meat than a whole chicken and the bones in a rabbit are a bit smaller and can be a little harder to handle.
Other than that, same flavor and the same texture. Rabbit, even wild rabbit, isn’t gamy at all and it isn’t tough. And you can do anything that you’d do with a chicken with a rabbit. I have a friend whose son is allergic to chicken meat but he can eat rabbit. She uses rabbit in any chicken recipe with ease.
Ingredients…
- Rabbit
- Onion
- Garlic
- Thyme
- Chicken stock
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Butter
- Flour
- Heavy whipping cream
Kitchen Tools…
Cooking a Rabbit…
Step one – cook the rabbit in the crockpot. Peel and dice the onion and garlic cloves. Add them to the crockpot with two whole rabbits. Add chicken stock, salt, black pepper, and thyme, and set the crockpot for 10 hours of slow cooking. I usually do this in the evening and let the rabbit slow-cook overnight.
Step two – separate the rabbit meat from the bones. At this point, your rabbit is cooked, and not only that you have delicious rabbit meat that you can use in many different ways (or just eat like that) but you also have the delicious stock that it produced overnight. The next step is to let the meat cool, and then separate it from the bone. If you are going to continue with this recipe, you want to make sure that at this point, you have a bowl of meat and your stock ready to be used.
Step three – make the sauce. To make the sauce, we are going to start by making a simple roux. Set your pan on the stovetop, turn the heat to medium-high, and let the pan heat for a few minutes. Add the butter and move it around until it is completely melted. Add the flour and quickly mix the butter and flour with a whisk to make a roux.
Add the rabbit stock gradually to the roux while mixing. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium to keep a gentle boil and cook for approximately 25 minutes, stirring frequently. You will notice at this point that the sauce is reduced, add the heavy cream, stir it in, and let the sauce reduce for 10 more minutes or so (if you like your sauce even thicker, keep cooking and reducing even a little longer before you add the meat).
Step four – add the meat. Add the rabbit meat, and stir it in with the sauce. Cook for 10 minutes or so. Make sure to taste and correct the seasoning. If you need, add more salt and black pepper, before you turn the heat off.
How to Serve Rabbit in Cream Sauce…
To serve this delicious rabbit in cream sauce, I made simple mashed potatoes and roasted some carrots. These delicious carrots came from the winter garden, all I did was wash them well, cut the ends, and slice them lengthwise. I placed them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, drizzled with olive oil and honey, and seasoned with salt and black pepper. Then roasted the carrots in a 425 degree F preheated oven for seven minutes or so.
To plate all of this together, add the mashed potatoes on your serving plate, add the rabbit meat on top, drizzle with some of the sauce, and serve the carrots on the side. This is a delicious, healthy, and filling dinner! Here are a few more serving ideas:
- Serve this rabbit on top of pasta, rice, or bulgur wheat.
- Serve it with a side of roasted garlic scapes.
- Serve it with a side of fennel.
- Serve it with mashed purple sweet potatoes or baked purple sweet potato.
Options And Variations…
- Use the rabbit without the sauce – once the rabbit is cooked in the crockpot you can use it in many different ways, you don’t have to make the sauce. You can freeze it just like that so you can use it later, you can use it for tacos, casseroles, soups…
- Save the stock – if you decide to not make the cream sauce and use the rabbit right out of the crockpot, make sure to save the stock! It’s full of flavor, healthy, and delicious. You can store it in the fridge for a few days or you can freeze it. And you can also can it!
- Use coconut cream – you can substitute the heavy cream for coconut cream. It adds a bit of coconut flavor to the dish which I think is very fitting.
How to Store Leftovers…
- In the fridge – store for a few days in an air-tight container. Reheat individual servings in the microwave or on the stovetop.
- In the freezer – this dish freezes very well! I like dividing leftovers into individual servings and then either add them to freezer-safe containers or ziplock bags. I place them in the fridge and I have ready-made, individually packed servings for lunch or dinner.
Frequently Asked Questions…
I find that the only difference between wild rabbit and farm-raised rabbit is that the ones you grow yourself are usually larger, they have more meat on them. Other than that, the taste and texture are the same to me. Feel free to use this recipe with either wild rabbit or farm-raised rabbit.
You sure can! Just use one chicken in place of two rabbits.
Absolutely! Let the dish cool and stick it in the fridge. Before serving, heat it on the stovetop on medium heat.
Sure, and you don’t even have to let it thaw. Just place it in the crockpot frozen and follow the recipe.
If you raise rabbits for meat or hunt rabbits, I hope that you’ll give this recipe a try. It’s simple and can easily feed a large family or can be frozen in smaller portions to make many individual meals. It’s very rich and flavorful but also filling and healthy! And one last note… If you happen to process rabbits for meat, make sure that you check out my tutorial on how to tan a rabbit hide.
More Delicious Recipes…
- Savory Sweet Potato Pies
- Processing Pig into Breakfast Sausage
- Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves
- One Pan Chicken and Veggies
- Grilled Whole Tilapia
How to Cook a Rabbit
Learn how to cook a rabbit in cream sauce. This is a delicious, filling, and healthy dinner.
Ingredients
To Cook the Rabbit in the Crockpot
- 2 whole rabbits
- 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
- 5 cloves of garlic, peeled and diced
- 1 tablespoon dry thyme
- 2 1/2 cups of chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
For the Sauce
- 6 tablespoons of butter
- 1 1/2 tablespoon of flour
- The rabbit stock from the crockpot (should be around 4 cups)
- 1/2 cup cream
- Rabbit meat
- Salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Add the rabbits, onion, garlic, thyme, chicken stock, salt, and pepper to the crockpot. Set the crockpot for 10 hours and let slow cook overnight.
- At this point, your rabbit is cooked, and not only that you have delicious rabbit meat that you can use in many different ways (or just eat like that) but you also have the delicious stock that it produced overnight. The next step is to let the meat cool, and then separate it from the bone. If you are going to continue with this recipe, you want to make sure that at this point, you have a bowl of meat and your stock ready to be used.
- To make the sauce, set your pan on the stovetop, turn the heat to medium-high, and let the pan heat for a few minutes. Add the butter and move it around until it is completely melted. Add the flour and quickly mix the butter and flour with a whisk to make a roux. Add the rabbit stock gradually to the roux while mixing. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium to keep a gentle boil and cook for approximately 25 minutes, stirring frequently.
You will notice at this point that the sauce is reduced, add the heavy cream, stir it in, and let the sauce reduce for 10 more minutes or so (if you like your sauce even thicker, keep cooking and reducing even a little longer before you add the meat). - Add the rabbit meat, and stir it in with the sauce. Cook for 10 minutes or so. Make sure to taste and correct the seasoning. If you need, add more salt and black pepper, before you turn the heat off.
Notes
Cooking Suggestion...
To serve this delicious rabbit in cream sauce, I made simple mashed potatoes and roasted some carrots. To roast the carrots, wash them well, cut the ends, and slice them lengthwise. Place the carrots on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, drizzle with olive oil and honey, and season with salt and black pepper. Then roast the carrots in a 425-degree F preheated oven for seven minutes or so.
Frequently Asked Questions...
- Is there a difference in the taste between wild rabbit and farm-raised rabbit?
I find that the only difference between wild rabbit and farm-raised rabbit is that the ones you grow yourself are usually larger, they have more meat on them. Other than that, the taste and texture are the same to me. Feel free to use this recipe with either wild rabbit or farm-raised rabbit. - Can I follow this recipe with chicken?
You sure can! Just use one chicken in place of two rabbits. - Can I make this ahead for a party?
Absolutely! Let the dish cool and stick it in the fridge. Before serving, heat it on the stovetop on medium heat. - Can I make this with rabbit that was previously frozen?
Sure, and you don’t even have to let it thaw. Just place it in the crockpot frozen and follow the recipe.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 269Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 79mgSodium: 580mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 17g
Hi! I’m Lady Lee. I help homesteaders simplify their homesteading journey while still producing a ton of food! I am a single mother of four, I was born in Israel and raised in an agricultural commune called a Kibbutz. Now I homestead in central NC.