Best Roast Cornish Hens With Herbs And Pancetta Recipes

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.

ROASTED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Pat dry Cornish hens in and out with paper towels.
• Rub the insides of Cornish hens with salt and pepper. Stuff the insides with minced garlic.
• In a bowl, combine 5 tablespoons of softened (not melted) butter, 2 tablespoons olive oil, Italian seasoning, fresh thyme, and generous amounts of salt and pepper. Mix well to combine.
• Place Cornish hens breast sides up in a large roasting pan or ovenproof braising dish. I used a 3.5 quart Staub cast-iron pan.
• Rub this herb mixture all over the outside of Cornish hens. Sprinkle the outside (breast side) of cornish hens with a small amount of additional Italian seasoning and sprinkle with more salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Roast Cornish hens at 400 Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.
• During these 15 minutes, while the cornish hens are baked, prepare the vegetables. Remove yellow leaves from Brussels sprouts and slice each in half. Peel the sweet potatoes (medium size) and cut them into cubes.
• After the Cornish hens have cooked for 15 minutes, remove the roasting pan from the oven. Add cubed sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts (halved) to the bottom of the pan. Raise the cornish hens and add some sweet potatoes underneath the birds. As you do this, mix the veggies with the butter and the juices released from the birds. Arrange the veggies around the birds. Sprinkle veggies with more salt and freshly ground black pepper. Rub the outside (breast side) of Cornish hens with more butter (1 tablespoon or more).
• Roast the Cornish hens for about 40 more minutes, until an instant meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 165 °F. Make sure the thermometer does not touch the bone. Also, use the meat thermometer before the 40 minutes up (after the first 25 or 30 minutes).
• Remove the hens from the oven and let them rest for 10 minutes.
• Transfer baked Cornish hens and roasted vegetables to a platter. Serve Cornish hens whole or cut in half. Decorate with fresh thyme sprigs.

CORNISH HENS WITH LEMON AND HERBS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place hens in a roasting pan, breast sides up. Place 2 thyme sprigs and 1 lemon half in cavity of each hen. Loosen skin from breast, and place remaining thyme and the parsley underneath. Squeeze remaining lemon halves over hens. Rub butter all over hens. Season generously with salt and pepper.
• Roast hens, rotating pan halfway through, until skin turns golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 180 degrees, 45 to 50 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut hens in half lengthwise. Garnish with thyme sprigs, and serve with lemon wedges.

ROAST CORNISH HENS WITH HERBS AND PANCETTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Chop the sage, rosemary and thyme and mix with the butter. Push the herb butter under the loosened skin of the breasts of the poussins or hens. Truss the poussins, season with salt and pepper and cover the breasts with pancetta. Sprinkle with olive oil.
• Place the poussins in a roasting pan and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Degrease the pan juices and season to taste. Place each poussin on a heated plate and pour a serving of sauce around each one.