Roasted Citrus Herb Game Hen Recipes

HERB-ROASTED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Arrange celery stalks next to each other in the bottom of a heavy roasting pan.
• Place 1 onion quarter, 1 lemon quarter, and 1 sprig rosemary in the cavity of each hen. Rub outside of hens with 1 tablespoon olive oil; sprinkle with salt and lemon pepper. Arrange hens atop celery; sprinkle with tarragon, basil, thyme, and chopped rosemary. Scatter garlic cloves and 1 chopped onion around hens.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Whisk wine, broth, and 3 tablespoons olive oil together in a bowl; pour over hens.
• Cook hens until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 50 more minutes, basting every 15 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Turn off oven and let hens rest in the oven for 10 more minutes.

HERB-ROASTED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Place hens breast side up on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.
• In a small bowl combine the remaining ingredients.
• Brush over hens and bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for 50-60 minutes or until juices run clear.

ROASTED ORANGE-HERB GAME HEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Mix first 3 ingredients in small bowl. Slide fingertips under skin of hen halves to loosen. Spread 1/4 of herb mixture under skin of each hen half. Rub skin with butter; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place hen halves in shallow roasting pan.
• Roast hen halves until golden and cooked through, adding broth after 10 minutes and basting twice throughout cooking time, about 30 minutes.
• Transfer hen halves to platter. Place roasting pan directly atop burner over medium heat. Add juice, Sherry, and remaining herb mixture; boil until reduced, scraping up browned bits, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over hen halves, garnish with orange slices, and serve.

HERBY ROASTED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Preheat oven to 350 F. Place Cornish hens in a large ovenproof baking dish. Place 1 clove garlic, several pieces of shallots, and 1 rosemary sprig into the cavity of each game hen.
• Rub 1/2 teaspoon salt into the cavity of each hen.
• In a small bowl, combine mustards, fines herbes, paprika, fennel seed, pepper, red pepper flakes, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; whisk thoroughly. Coat game hens thoroughly with mixture.
• Place hens in oven and roast for 75 minutes. Check temperature at thickest part of thigh, away from bone, and make sure it's at least 165 F. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes.

ROASTED CORNISH GAME HEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• Pat the hens dry with a paper towel. Use your index finger to loosen the skin on the top of the hen and slip a thin slice of butter under the skin on top of each breast. Add a few rosemary and thyme leaves (or herb of choice). Repeat for each hen. Put a quarter of a lemon in the cavity of each hen along with a clove of garlic and a sprig of fresh rosemary and thyme (or herb of choice). Truss the hens by tying the wings and legs.
• Rub each hen all over with some extra virgin olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place then hens on the rack of a roasting pan lined with aluminum foil, spacing them out so they are as far apart from each other as possible. This will enable their skins to get browned and crispy.
• Place the hens in the preheated oven and roast for 25 minutes.
• While the hens are roasting, combine the chicken broth and wine in a bowl.
• After the hens have been roasting for 25 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Pour the broth/wine mixture over the hens and continue to roast for 30 minutes, basting the hens with the juices at the bottom of the pan every 10 minutes or less. The hens are done when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F and the juices run clear. If you prefer darker skins, turn up the temperature to broil for a couple more minutes, watching closely to prevent burning.
• Carefully remove the hens and pour the juices from their cavities into the roasting pan. Transfer the hens to a warmed platter, remove the trussing string, and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm. Pour the juices from the roasting pan into a saucepan and boil for about 5 minutes until the liquid is a thin sauce-like consistency. Serve the hens whole per guest or cut in half lengthwise and place cavity-down on each serving plate. Drizzle the sauce over the hens and garnish with fresh herb sprigs and a slice of lemon. Serve immediately.

HERB-ROASTED GAME HENS

Steps:

• Place hens, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Spoon over hens. , Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 50-60 minutes or a thermometer reads 180°.

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.

ROASTED GAME HEN WITH CITRUS-CLOVE GLAZE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Arrange lemon slices on baking sheet in two 3 x 5-inch rectangles. Season Cornish game hen halves generously with salt and pepper. Place game hen halves, skin side up atop rectangles of lemon slices. Roast game hen halves 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine orange marmalade, fresh lemon juice, bourbon, grated lemon peel and ground cloves in heavy small saucepan. Simmer marmalade mixture over medium heat until thickened to consistency of glaze, about 4 minutes. Season marmalade glaze to taste with salt and pepper.
• Brush game hen halves with marmalade glaze. Continue to roast hen halves until juices run clear when thighs are pierced and hen halves are deep brown, brushing 2 more times with marmalade glaze, about 10 minutes longer. Serve immediately.

ROASTED CITRUS-HERB GAME HEN

Steps:

• Place an oven rack in the lower 1/3 of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Rinse the game hens and pat dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, shallots, orange zest, lemon zest, thyme, mint, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Rub 2 tablespoons of the zest mixture over the skins of the game hens. Place the remainder of the zest mixture under the skin and into the cavities of the hens. Using kitchen twine, truss the legs together. Place the hens in a shallow 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Add the chicken stock, Marsala wine, lemon juice, orange juice, and cranberries. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the leg juices run clear. Remove the game hens and set aside. Place the flour in a small saucepan. Whisk in the pan juices. Bring the juices to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until slightly thickened. Whisk in the butter and season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
• To serve, remove the kitchen twine and place the hens on 2 serving plates. Drizzle with the citrus-herb sauce.