Cornish Game Hens With Wild Rice Stuffing Recipes

GAME HEN STUFFED WITH WILD RICE AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Bring the rice, a pinch of salt, and water to a boil in a saucepan with a lid. Reduce the heat, cover with a lid, and simmer the wild rice until the kernels burst open, 45 to 50 minutes. Replenish the water if necessary. Fluff the rice with a fork, and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes to absorb water.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease a baking dish large enough to hold the game hen.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet, and cook and stir the mushrooms over medium heat until they are partially cooked and starting to give their juice, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir the mushrooms and butter into the cooked rice.
• Sprinkle the game hen, inside and out, with poultry seasoning, rosemary, and salt and pepper. Lightly stuff the Cornish hen with the wild rice mixture, and tie the legs together with cooking twine to hold in the stuffing. Slice 2 tablespoons of butter into small pats, and dot them around the bird.
• Bake the bird in the preheated oven until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, 40 to 50 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Remove the game hen from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area for 10 minutes before slicing.

WILD RICE STUFFED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring 5 cups water, bouillon and salt to a boil. Add wild rice. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add long grain rice; cover and simmer 25-30 minutes longer or until rice is tender and water is absorbed., Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the sausage, celery and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender; drain. Stir in rice mixture. Spoon about 3/4 cup stuffing into each hen. , Place remaining stuffing in a greased 2-qt. baking dish; cover and set aside. Place hens breast side up on a rack in shallow baking pan; tie drumsticks together. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40 minutes., In a small saucepan, bring preserves and remaining water to a boil. Pour over hens. Bake 25-35 minutes longer or until a thermometer reads 180° for hens and 165° for stuffing, basting occasionally. Place baking dish of stuffing in the oven for the last 35-40 minutes of hens' baking time.

GLAZED CORNISH HENS WITH POMEGRANATE-RICE STUFFING

Steps:

• Mix the cinnamon, 4 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl; sprinkle all over the hens and inside the cavities. Place the hens on a rack set on a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate, uncovered, at least 2 hours or overnight. Meanwhile, soak the grape leaves in water 1 hour.
• Bring the chicken broth and 2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan; add the rice blend and cook as the label directs. Drain and rinse under cold water.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallot, garlic, ginger and cumin and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat; add the cooked rice, pomegranate seeds, and chopped parsley and cilantro; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Add the egg yolks and stir to combine.
• Make the glaze: Bring the orange juice and pomegranate molasses to a boil in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter.
• Fill the cavity of each hen with about 1/2 cup of the rice mixture (reserve the rest); tie the legs together with twine. Roast 20 minutes, then brush with the pomegranate glaze. Continue roasting, glazing every 10 minutes, until a thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 165 degrees F to 170 degrees F, 1 hour to 1 hour, 10 minutes. (Rotate the hens halfway through cooking; if the skin gets too dark, cover loosely with foil.)
• Meanwhile, drain the grape leaves and pat dry. Use some of the leaves to line a 9-inch pie dish. Fill with the reserved rice mixture and drizzle with 2 tablespoons water. Cover with the remaining grape leaves, shiny side up, then cover with foil. (If you aren't using grape leaves, spoon the rice into a pie dish, sprinkle with water and cover with foil.) After the hens have roasted about 20 minutes, transfer the rice to the oven and cook until heated through, about 45 minutes.
• Transfer the hens to a platter and add some parsley and cilantro sprigs and pomegranate seeds. Peel the grape leaves off the top of the rice and serve alongside the hens.

CORNISH HENS WITH RICE STUFFING

Steps:

• Set the seasoning packet from rice mix aside. In a saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add rice and pecans; cook and stir over low heat for 10 minutes or until rice is golden brown. Stir in the orange juice, water, raisins and contents of seasoning packet; bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. , Spoon about 1/2 cup rice mixture into each hen; refrigerate remaining rice mixture. Tie legs of each hen together; turn wing tips under backs. Place on a greased rack in a roasting pan. Melt remaining butter; brush over hens. Sprinkle with salt and pepper., Bake at 350° for 1 to 1-1/4 hours or until a thermometer reads 165° when inserted in center of stuffing and thigh reaches at least 170°. Baste occasionally with pan drippings. Heat reserved rice mixture; serve with hens.

CORNISH GAME HENS WITH RICE STUFFING

Steps:

• Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the almonds, onion, and uncooked wild rice. Saute 5 to 10 minutes. Mix in the water, chicken bouillon cube, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and cook 45 minutes until rice is tender and easily fluffed with a fork.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Season the Cornish game hens inside and out with salt, and stuff with the rice mixture. Place the hens breast side up on a rack in a baking pan. Brush with 1/4 cup melted butter.
• Cover the baking pan, and cook the hens 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Uncover, and continue cooking 1 hour, or until the hens are no longer pink and the juices run clear.

CORNISH GAME HENS WITH WILD RICE STUFFING

Steps:

• In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-low heat. Saute the onions and celery until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the thyme and cook for 1 minute more. In a mixing bowl combine the onion mixture with the rice, parsley, nuts and dried fruits and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place 1/2 cup of the stuffing into the cavity of each hen. Tie the legs of each bird together with kitchen twine.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Melt the remaining butter with the vinegar. Brush the birds all over with the butter mixture and season with salt and pepper. Put the hens on a rack in a large roasting pan, breast-side up. Roast the hens until an instant read thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 170 degrees F., about 80 minutes. Set the birds aside at room temperature, loosely covered with foil, for 10 minutes before carving. Split hens in half through the breast with a sharp knife or poultry shears, and keep the stuffing intact. Arrange birds skin-side up, on a platter, garnish with sprigs of parsley and serve.

ROCK CORNISH HEN AND WILD RICE

Steps:

• 1. Rinse Hen well and dry with paper towels. Using Kitchen shears or knife, lay hen breast side up and snip or cut down one side of breast. as well as a short slice at the neck and tail, so you can lay the bird flat.
• 2. In a foil lined cake pan or baking dish lay the hen out flat, breast and flesh side up. Drizzle with the Lemom Juice, sprinkle with the Salt,Pepper, Poultry Seasoning, Thyme and Onion Powder. Use a very little amount of each of these, less than a tenth of a teaspoon. **Just a Pinch** is what you can pick up between you thumb and forefinger. And then sprinkle lightly.
• 3. Drizzle on the Olive Oil and rub on the Butter.
• 4. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes. They should brown nicely without the need to broil.
• 5. If browned after 45 to 50 minutes, remove from oven and baste well with the juices. Lower oven temp to 250 degrees and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes.
• 6. Sever and separate the two halves, (This could be done before baking) and plate them up.
• 7. This is great with homemade stuffing or rice. I prefer to accompany them with my Wild Rice recipe, which see. I incorporate Wild Rice, Brown and Long Grain Rice and white Rice. I cook all separately then combine and add finely minced Celery, Onions and Walnuts or Pecans. The wild Rice pairs excellently with Shrimp and Fish offerings as well.
• 8. Note: The wild rice was retrieved from the freezer and was prepared three months earlier. I make a large batch and freeze in quart zip-lock bags and compress no thicker than my finger, so I can break off just what I need to serve. It freezes very well, and was just as good as the day I made it.