Best Roasted Cornish Game Hens With Pumpkin Seed Pesto Recipes

GARLIC PAN- ROASTED GAME HENS

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, over medium heat for about 2 minutes or until almost smoking. Add the game hens, skin side down, and saute for 5 minutes or until golden. With tongs, turn the hens over, add the garlic and saute for another 5 minutes.
• Add the vinegar and broth which will bubble up, then the thyme and rosemary. Cover and simmer, over low heat, for 25 to 30 minutes or until the juices run clear, not rosy, when the thigh is pricked with a fork. Transfer the hens to a plate. Stir the mustard into the juices in the skillet and boil down furiously, until 1/2 cup of liquid remains, scraping the brown cooking particles into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper, spoon over the hens and serve immediately.

ROASTED CORNISH GAME HENS WITH PESTO AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Position rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 425°F.
• Arrange a large wire rack over a large rimmed baking sheet or shallow roasting pan. In a small bowl, combine the pesto and goat cheese, mashing it with a fork until evenly mixed.
• Place a game hen, breast-side down, on a cutting board. Remove backbone by cutting along both sides with poultry shears. Flip the hen over and flatten it by pressing down on the breast bone with your palms. Using a chef's knife, split the hen in two along the breastbone. Extend the wings on each side, and chop off the last two joints. Remove and discard any large deposits of fat. Repeat with remaining hens.
• With your fingers, loosen the skin over the breast and leg. Insert a heaping tablespoon of the pesto mixture under the skin and work it so it evenly covers the breast and leg meat. Smooth the skin back to its original position and repeat with remaining hens. Can refrigerate hens for 2 hours if desired.
• Arrange hens on the large wire rack. Do not overlap. Brush the surface of the hens with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Roast hens, rotating pan about halfway through, until their nicely browned and juices run clear when a thigh is pricked with a skewer or toothpick (about 30 minutes. Cover loosely with foil and allow to rest about 5 minutes before serving.

HERB-BRINED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine the salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, sage, garlic, thyme, rosemary and 1 quart water. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir until salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove from the heat. Add the cold water to cool the brine to room temperature., Place a turkey-sized oven roasting bag inside a second roasting bag; add hens. Carefully pour cooled brine into bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible; seal bags and turn to coat. Place in a roasting pan. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours, turning occasionally. Drain and discard brine; pat hens dry., Meanwhile, place the peppercorns and garlic in a food processor; cover and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add the butter, 3 tablespoons olive oil and herbs; cover and process until smooth. With fingers, carefully loosen skin from hens; rub half the butter mixture under skin. Secure skin to underside of breast with toothpicks; tie drumsticks together. Rub remaining butter mixture over skin., In a 15x10x1-in. baking pan, toss the Brussels sprouts and onions with remaining olive oil, salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer. Place hens, breast side up, on top of the vegetables. Bake at 450° until thermometer inserted in breast reads 165°, 35-40 minutes. Cover loosely with foil if hens brown too quickly., Remove hens and vegetables to a serving platter; cover and let stand for 10 minutes before carving. If desired, garnish with additional herbs.

ROASTED CORNISH GAME HENS RECIPE COURTESY THE NEELYS

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.

HERB ROASTED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and put a baking rack on top.
• Mix together the grill seasoning, dressing, and chopped herbs in a small bowl. Reserve 2 tablespoons. Generously rub the hens inside and out with the herb and dressing mixture. Stuff each hen with a sprig of each herb and a piece of lemon.
• In a large bowl, combine the carrots, onions and potatoes with the reserved 2 tablespoons of dressing mixture, a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Put the vegetables in a large roasting pan and arrange the hens on top. Roast them until the juices run clear and an instant-read thermometer registers 180 degrees F when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, about 50 to 55 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, cover with foil and let the hens rest for 5 minutes before serving. Transfer the hens to a large serving tray with the roasted vegetables.