Best Grilled Game Hens With Marsala And Rosemary Recipes

GRILLED HERBED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Heat a gas grill to high. Using sharp kitchen scissors or poultry shears, remove the backbone of each hen by cutting on either side of it through the ribs. Turn the hens skin side up on the cutting board and press on the breastbone to flatten. Rinse each hen and pat dry. Spread the hens out flat on a large shallow baking sheet and sprinkle them on both sides with salt and pepper. Bend the wingtips under the breasts to protect them from burning.
• Pour 1/4 cup of the olive oil into a small bowl and add the garlic, a generous amount of pepper, and all but 1 teaspoons each of the thyme and rosemary. Brush the hens liberally on both sides with the seasoned oil then add more pepper.
• Grill the hens skin side down, uncovered, until the skin develops nice grill marks (rotate the birds a quarter turn after first 3 minutes to create a crosshatch pattern). Turn the hens and sear them on the second side, again uncovered, about 4 minutes.
• Sprinkle the skin side with the reserved herbs and salt, close the lid, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook until the hens are tender throughout and the skin is crisp and very golden; an instant read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh should read 180°F, 10 to 15 minutes. Put the hens on a large serving platter.
• Whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup oil and the lemon juice. Serve the hens drizzled with the lemon oil.

GRILLED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• In a large, non-reactive bowl, mix onion, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, white wine, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, pepper, celery salt, and salt. Place Cornish game hens in the bowl, coating evenly with the marinade mixture. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 4 hours.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat, and lightly oil grate.
• Cook hens about 1 hour on the prepared grill, brushing occasionally with remaining marinade, until no longer pink and juices run clear.

GRILLED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the butter, onions, parsley, ginger, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. , Rub mixture under the skin and over the top of each game hen. Sprinkle remaining salt and pepper inside the hen cavities. , Using long-handled tongs, moisten a paper towel with cooking oil and lightly coat the grill rack. Prepare grill for indirect heat, using a drip pan. , Place hens breast side up over drip pan; grill, covered, over indirect medium heat for 45-60 minutes or until a thermometer reads 180° and the meat juices run clear.

CORNISH GAME HENS WITH GARLIC AND ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Pat hens dry with paper towels. Season cavities lightly with salt and pepper. Place 1 lemon wedge and 1 rosemary sprig in cavity of each hen. Rub hens with 1 tablespoon oil. Season outside of hens lightly with salt and pepper. Arrange in heavy large roasting pan. Scatter garlic around hens.
• Roast hens 25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Pour wine, broth and remaining 2 tablespoons oil over hens. Continue roasting until hens are golden brown and juices run clear when thigh is pierced at thickest part, basting every 10 minutes with pan juices, about 25 minutes longer.
• Transfer hens to platter, pouring any juices from cavity into roasting pan. Tent hens with foil to keep warm. Transfer pan juices and garlic to heavy medium saucepan. Boil until reduced to sauce consistency, about 6 minutes.
• Cut hens in half lengthwise. Arrange on plates. Spoon sauce and garlic around hens. Garnish with additional rosemary sprigs and serve.

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.

STEVE RAICHLEN'S GRILLED GAME HENS

Steps:

• 1. For the marinade, whisk together all the ingredients except the game hens and lemons in a large bowl.
• 2. Rinse, drain, and halve the hens lengthwise; place in the bowl, coating thoroughly with marinade. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 8 hours (the longer, the better), turning occasionally.
• 3. Preheat the grill, using the three-tier method (see note below ). When ready to cook, oil the grill rack. Remove hens from the marinade and arrange skin-side down on the rack over the hottest section of the grill; cook until the skin starts to brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Move the hens to the center section of the grill and continue to cook until the skin is thoroughly browned, 7 to 10 minutes more.
• 4. Turn the hens and move them back to the hottest section of the grill. Brown the second side well, 5 to 7 minutes, then move the pieces back to the center section of the grill to finish cooking. The total cooking time will be about 25 to 35 minutes. When ready, the hens will be crisp and golden-brown outside, and the juices will run clear when the meat is pierced. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.
• Three-Tier Grilling Method:
• Pile 2/3 of the coals on one side of the grill and the remaining 1/3 in the center. Leave a small portion of the grill free of coals. Three-tier grilling gives you a super-hot heat source for searing, a moderately hot heat source for cooking, and an area to place the food if it starts to burn. You control the heat by moving the food from one area to the other.

GRILLED GAME HENS WITH BLOOD ORANGE AND ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Place game hens in a large bowl; drizzle hens with olive oil and blood orange juice. Sprinkle with chopped rosemary and rosemary sprigs. Add Asian chili paste to hens; season with salt and pepper. Stir chickens in the seasonings and juice to coat. Use your fingers to loosen the skin over the breasts and spread a little of the marinade under the skin.
• Refrigerate with breast sides down for 2 hours to marinate.
• Preheat outdoor grill (preferably charcoal) for medium heat (one layer of coals). Drain chickens and discard marinade.
• Place chickens with breast sides down onto grill and cover with grill lid with the vents open. Cook until breast sides are evenly browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Flip chickens and cook on their backs with cover (vents open) until the juices run clear, hip joints move easily, and meat is no longer pink inside. An instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh reads at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C), 30 to 35 more minutes.
• Close the grill vents on the lid halfway. Flip chickens back onto breasts, close lid, and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes.

CHEF JOHN'S CALABRIAN CHICKEN

Steps:

• Lay a game hen breast side-down on a work surface; use kitchen shears or a sharp knife to cut the backbone out of the game hen, cutting through each side of the bone from top to bottom. Remove the backbone. Use a sharp knife to slice through the cartilage of the breastbone. Flip game hen breast side-up, flatten bird lightly with your hands, and twist the wing tips underneath the wings. Repeat for remaining game hen.
• Place white wine vinegar, vegetable oil, rosemary, orange juice, garlic, egg, Calabrian chili sauce, orange zest, kosher salt, and anchovy fillet into a blender. Pulse several times to combine; blend until marinade is smooth and creamy.
• Place game hens into a resealable heavy plastic bag and pour in marinade. Squeeze out air, seal bag, and refrigerate at least 4 hours but preferably 8 hours to overnight.
• Preheat grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Remove game hens from marinade, reserving marinade. Dry birds on paper towels. Season breast sides with salt.
• Place game hens with breast sides down onto the preheated grill and cook until skin shows browned grill marks, about 5 minutes; rotate hens 45 degrees and grill 5 more minutes to make crosshatch grill marks.
• Flip game hens onto their backs, brush with reserved marinade, and grill with the lid on for 5 minutes. Brush hens with more marinade. Repeat, cooking 5 minutes, then brushing with more marinade, until game hens are deep golden brown and an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh reads 160 degrees F, about 35 more minutes. Flip hens breast sides down, brush once more with marinade, and cook with lid closed until marinade has glazed onto chicken, about 5 more minutes.
• Transfer hens to a serving platter, let rest for about 5 minutes, and serve.