Cornish Game Hens Recipes

EASY CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients except hens.
• Clean & cut hens in half.
• Pour sauce over hens & bake 1 hour at 350°F.

CRISPY BAKED CORNISH HEN RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
• Remove the innards from the cavity of the hen and discard (or freeze for later.) Pat the hens fry with a paper towel and place on a baking sheet.
• Coat the hens, liberally, with the olive oil. Season the inside and outside with salt and pepper.
• Stuff half the lemon, garlic and herbs into the cavity of the hens. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine and tuck the wing tips under the back of the hen. (This prevents the tips from burning.)
• Roast the cornish hens for 40 minutes until the skin is golden crispy and the juices run clear. Your cornish hen is done when the temperature reaches 165˚F on an instant read thermometer.
• Remove your cornish hens from the oven and cover with foil. Allow the hens to rest for 10 minutes prior to serving.

HERB-ROASTED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Place parsley, rosemary, thyme, garlic, lemon, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Blend until finely chopped. With machine running, add olive oil.
• Loosen skin from the hens. Put 1 tablespoon of herb mixture under skin of each hen, smoothing to cover breasts. Place the birds on a large rimmed baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
• Remove hens from refrigerator and bring to room temperature (about 1 hour). Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Place hens on a clean rimmed baking sheet (it's okay if they touch). Brush butter over surface of hens and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast in oven, rotating pan once until golden brown and cooked through (meat thermometer should read 165 degrees when placed in the thigh), about 50 minutes.
• Remove from oven and let stand at least 15 minutes before placing on individual plates. No carving necessary!

EASY ROASTED CORNISH HENS FOR EASTER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 F.
• Spread out chopped vegetables and rosemary in the bottom of 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
• Rub olive oil lightly over the Cornish hens. Set aside.
• In a bowl, mix together spices and sprinkle generously over the hens, being sure to season the inside cavity as well. ( Want more flavor? See note)
• Place the hens on top of the bed of vegetables.
• Run your fingers under the skin to loosen it.
• Place a slice of butter under the skin of each hen.
• Tie the legs together with kitchen string or foil paper. (I like to sprinkle on more parsley at this point but that's optional)
• Bake for 50-60 minutes, depending on size of hens.
• Let hens rest for 15 minutes before eating.

JUICY CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Melt butter and stir in honey and chili powder; mixing well.
• Stir in orange juice, salt and pepper and remove from heat.
• Cut each hen into two halves.
• Rinse well and pat dry with paper towels.
• Place hens in baking dish, skin side down, and place in oven for 6-8 minutes.
• Turn hens over and baste generously with all of the mixture.
• Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until well browned.

CORNISH GAME HENS WITH GARLIC AND ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Rub hens with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Lightly season hens with salt and pepper. Place 1 lemon wedge and 1 sprig rosemary in cavity of each hen. Arrange in a large, heavy roasting pan, and arrange garlic cloves around hens. Roast in preheated oven for 25 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a mixing bowl, whisk together wine, chicken broth, and remaining 2 tablespoons of oil; pour over hens. Continue roasting about 25 minutes longer, or until hens are golden brown and juices run clear. Baste with pan juices every 10 minutes.
• Transfer hens to a platter, pouring any cavity juices into the roasting pan. Tent hens with aluminum foil to keep warm. Transfer pan juices and garlic cloves to a medium saucepan and boil until liquids reduce to a sauce consistency, about 6 minutes. Cut hens in half lengthwise and arrange on plates. Spoon sauce and garlic around hens. Garnish with rosemary sprigs, and serve.

ROASTED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a small mixing bowl, stir together salt, lemon pepper, dried basil and poultry seasoning. Rub olive oil all over the hens and season each with the salt mixture. Place the hens on a baking sheet pan with plenty of space between them. You may need to use 2 pans. Loosely stuff the cavities of each hen with some green bell pepper, celery and onion. Roast the hens in the preheated oven for about 1 hour or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F and the juices run clear. Remove the hens from the oven, loosely tent with foil and let rest 10 minutes before carving or serving.

CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Place hens on a rack in a shallow baking pan. Combine the apple juice, soy sauce and browning sauce if desired; pour over hens. , Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until a thermometer reads 180°, basting occasionally with pan juices.

ROASTED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Combine all the dry rub ingredients together in a small bowl.
• Pat the hens dry with paper towels and generously season with the dry rub both inside and out.
• Preheat your oven to 425°F.
• In a roasting pan add the rosemary, thyme, garlic, onion, and half the lemon slices. Place the hens in the roasting pan over the herbs and onions and drizzle the olive oil over the hens.
• Transfer the roasting pan to the preheated oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers at 165°F.
• Remove the hens from the oven and let them rest for 20 minutes. Garnish with additional thyme, lemon slices and rosemary and serve over mashed potatoes.

THE BEST SMOKE CORNISH GAME

Steps:

• Remove hens from packages and clean under cold running water.
• Make Brine by adding 1/2 C Kosher Salt, 3 Tbsp Brown Sugar, 1/2 orange (sliced), 4 Cups water.
• Boil for 2 minutes or until salt dissolved.
• Add 6 cups ice and stir until melted to cool brine down.
• Add hens to brine and place in refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours, overnight is acceptable.
• Preheat smoker to 225° F
• Remove hens and rinse well.
• Spatchcock the hens by removing the backbone with kitchen shears and lay flat.
• Season generously with the poultry rub of your choice or the following rub:
• 2 Tbsp Kosher Salt, 2 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp ground clove.
• Place on smoker for 20 minutes then increase heat to 350.
• Cook hens for approximately another 15-20 minutes or until a probe thermometer reads 165 in the thickest part of the breast.
• Remove and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Carve and serve.

SLOW COOKER CORNISH GAME HENS AND BAKED POTATOES

Steps:

• NOTE - THE GAME HENS NEED TO BE THAWED COMPLETELY. This takes about 36 hours in the fridge.
• Remove the game hens from their packaging. Rinse them under cold water to remove any debris from their insides and any stuck pieces of ice.
• Pat the game hens dry with paper towels.
• Add the game hens breast up to the slow cooker.
• Squeeze the lemon over the game hens.
• Sprinkle them with the 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, paprika and basil. Be sure to sprinkle the paprika over evenly, this will keep the hens from looking pale after cooking.
• Add the russet potatoes on top, I tuck the potatoes in the empty spaces around the chicken. (no need to pierce the potaotes with a fork)
• Drizzle the olive oil over the potatoes. Sprinkle the potatoes with a touch of salt and pepper.
• Place the lid on the slow cooker.
• Cook for 7 hours on low. DO NOT OPEN THE LID DURING THE COOKING TIME. Check to see if the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are tender before serving. Cook for an additional hour if your potatoes aren't tender, for every slow cooker cooks slightly different.