Best Brandy Buttered Cornish Game Hens With Pecan Stuffing Recipes

BRANDY-BUTTERED CORNISH GAME HENS WITH PECAN STUFFING

Steps:

• Remove the giblets from the hens, reserve for another use. Rinse hens with cold water and pat dry. Sprinkle cavity of each with salt and pepper. Secure neck skin to back with a toothpick and lift wing tips up and over back so they are tucked under hen. Lightly stuff cavity of hen with the pecan stuffing; close the cavity and secure with toothpicks. Tie leg ends to tail with a string.
• Brush hens with butter and sprinkle generously with pepper. Combine the remaining butter with the brandy.
• Place hens breast side up in a large shallow baking pan. Bake at 350°F degree for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the size of the hens. Baste every 10 minutes with brandy mixture.
• For Pecan Stuffing: Combine the apple juice, brandy, and butter in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until the butter melts. Add the stuffing mix and pecans stirring lightly--- stuff Cornish hens.

PECAN-STUFFED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• Put 6 tablespoons of the butter in a mixing bowl. Put the pecan meats into the container of an electric blender or spice mill and grind until fine. Do not grind too much, or you will make a paste. Add the pecans to the 6 tablespoons of butter. Add the Cognac, mustard, salt and pepper, and blend well with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
• Insert the fingers underneath the skin of the breast and thighs of each hen. Make a fairly deep cavity to hold the stuffing. Spoon an equal portion of the pecan mixture beneath the skin of each hen, distributing the mixture evenly throughout the cavity. It is best if you truss the hens with string.
• Sprinkle the hens with salt and pepper. Arrange the hens breast-side-up on a baking dish. Brush each with a tablespoon of oil. Place the hens in the oven, and bake 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, drain the potatoes, and cut them into very thin slices. There should be about 5 cups. Put the slices in a colander and run them under very hot tap water. Pat dry, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Scatter the potato slices and the necks of the hens around the birds. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and continue baking 10 minutes, basting occasionally. Stir the potatoes so that they bake evenly. Turn the hens breast-side-down, and continue baking 20 minutes. Turn the hens breast-side-up and continue baking 10 minutes.
• Untruss the hens, and cut them in half lengthwise. Serve the potatoes sprinkled with parsley. Broccoli with tomatoes is a good accompaniment.

SAVORY CORNISH HENS WITH A BRANDY CURRANT GLAZE

Steps:

• Prepare the Hens -- Just rinse them well, inside and out, drain and pat try. Then add 1/4 cup butter, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper in a small bowl and melt the butter in the microwave for just a few seconds. Add in the oranges and onion quarters and toss well.
• Stuffing -- Add the orange, onion, butter and herb mix to the cavity of the hens.
• Skin -- Brush each of the hens with 1/4 cup of butter (not melted) and season with salt and pepper.
• Bake -- Place each of the hens on a couple of the onions slices in a small oven proof pan. The onion slices just make a natural baking rack so they don't sit directly on the pan itself. Bake at 425 for 10 minute and then reduce to 350 for about 20-30 minutes uncovered. NOTE: One reviewer wrote they were swimming in butter, but if you bake the hens on the onions used as a rack as suggested, they are not sitting in butter. The butter flavors the inside and outside, and remember, it is for 2 nice size birds. Also, the onions will absorb most of the butter and the natural juices will end up in the sauce at the end.
• NOTE: I used around a 1 3/4 - 2 1/2 lb hen, and then can take anywhere from 30-45 minutes. So just check and have your meat thermometer handy. This is one time when it really helps. I take mine out at 160, as it continues to cook once removed. The last time I cooked 4 for dinner they took 40 minutes. But just check to be sure.
• Glaze -- As the hens back, in a small measuring cup add the garlic, brandy and jelly and just heat until melted. You can also do this on the stove, but the microwave is easier, quicker and just a small cup to clean out vs another pot. Baste frequently with the glaze as the chicken cook.
• Sauce -- No I love the sauce for this but it is optional. Remove the chickens to a plate and cover with foil to let them rest. Bring the pan to the stove on medium heat and add the wine to deglaze. Get all the good dripping off the bottom of the pan. Add the broth and cook 3-4 minutes. Right before serving, just add the butter to thicken the sauce and serve with the chicken. This isn't a thick gravy, just a nice light sauce over the chicken.

STUFFED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• In a large skillet or saucepan, saute celery and onion in 2 tablespoons butter until tender. Remove from the heat. Stir in cornbread, bread crumbs, pimientos, broth, egg, poultry seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; mix well. , Stuff each hen with 3/4 cup stuffing. Place extra stuffing in a greased 1-qt. baking dish; refrigerate. Place hens breast side up on a rack in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Cover loosely with foil; bake at 375° for 45 minutes. , Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt the remaining butter; add garlic, lemon zest, mint and remaining salt and pepper. Brush over hens. Bake 15-30 minutes longer or until a thermometer reads 180° for hens and 165° for stuffing. Bake the extra stuffing, covered, for 30 minutes.

ROCK CORNISH GAME HEN WITH CRANBERRY-PECAN STUFFING --

Steps:

• 1. Remove giblets from the defrosted hen. Rinse in cold water and pat dry before stuffing.
• 2. Brown the bread crumbs in butter, add the nuts, salt and pepper. Stir in the dried cranberries.
• 3. Fill the game hen cavity, loosely, with the crumb mixture.
• 4. Combine the honey, orange juice concentrate, butter and paprika, stir well.
• 5. Place the stuffed hen in a shallow roasting pan. Brush with the honey butter.
• 6. While roasting the hen, baste several more times to achieve a nice brown coating.
• 7. Roast 350 degrees, about 1 hour, or until the drumstick feels loose.
• 8. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.