Best Roasted Cornish Game Hens Recipes

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.

HERB-ROASTED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Place parsley, rosemary, thyme, garlic, lemon, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Blend until finely chopped. With machine running, add olive oil.
• Loosen skin from the hens. Put 1 tablespoon of herb mixture under skin of each hen, smoothing to cover breasts. Place the birds on a large rimmed baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
• Remove hens from refrigerator and bring to room temperature (about 1 hour). Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Place hens on a clean rimmed baking sheet (it's okay if they touch). Brush butter over surface of hens and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast in oven, rotating pan once until golden brown and cooked through (meat thermometer should read 165 degrees when placed in the thigh), about 50 minutes.
• Remove from oven and let stand at least 15 minutes before placing on individual plates. No carving necessary!

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.

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 CORNISH GAME HENS MARINATED IN HONEY AND MUSTARD

Steps:

• Mix the honey, mustard, garlic, 3 tablespoons oil, thyme and cinnamon together in a bowl and set aside. Remove the wing tips from the hens. Roll the hens in the marinade and marinate overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Season the birds inside and out with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze over each bird. Put a used lemon half in the cavity of each bird. Truss the birds.
• Set a rack in a roasting pan and brush the rack with several tablespoons vegetable oil. Place the birds, breast side down on the oiled rack. Roast for 30 minutes. Turn the birds breast side up, reduce the heat to 350 degrees and roast an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until the hens are cooked through and the skin is brown. Allow the hens to rest 10 minutes before serving.

HERB ROASTED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Rinse hen with cold water & pat dry. Season with salt & pepper inside & out.
• Stuff cavity with garlic, rosemary, thyme, & ½ bay leaf. Place some of the shallots, carrots, & celery in cavity.
• Scatter rest of veggies on bottom of roasting pan. Place hen on top of veggies.
• Squeeze juice from ½ lemon over hen and add a pice (about ¼ of a lemon) to the cavity. Roast in oven 45 minutes until hens are golden brown & crisp. Juices should run clear when thigh is pierced with a sharp knife.
• Transfer to serving platter and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove skin & cut in half.

ROASTED GARLIC-ROSEMARY CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Mix garlic and chopped rosemary together in a small bowl.
• Rinse each hen under cold water; pat dry. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breast by gently inserting fingers between skin and meat. Place about 2 teaspoons of garlic mixture under skin and spread evenly over breast meat. Place 1 rosemary sprig in body cavity. Sprinkle hens with salt and pepper.
• Tie ends of legs together with cord. Lift wing tips out and tuck under hen. Place hens on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; bake for 1 hour or until juices run clear. Remove skin and cord before serving; split hens in half lengthwise.

HONEY ROASTED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Split hen in half. Wash and pat dry. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Brush both sides with 3 Tbs butter.
• Place breast side down on a rack in a shallow pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes.
• Turn. Brush with butter and bake for 25 minutes.
• Mix honey with 1 1/2 Tbs melted butter. Brush half the mixture on the hen. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn and brush with remaining honey mixture. Bake for 15 minutes longer.

NEW ENGLAND ROASTED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Split the hens and remove the ribs and backbone.
• Combine all above except butter and marinate the hens for 2 to 6 hours.
• Bring them to room temperature before cooking.
• Preheat oven to 500°F.
• Remove the hens from the marinade and pat more or less dry.
• Arrange in an oven dish (single layer), brush with butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, brushing with butter once or twice during cooking.

ROASTED POMEGRANATE-MARINATED CORNISH GAME HENS WITH CIPPOLINI AND TREVISO

Steps:

• Trim excess fat in and around cavity of each hen; remove wing tips and reserve. Generously season cavity and exterior of each hen with salt and pepper. Reserving 2 tablespoons, rub hens with marinade and refrigerate, covered, for 6 hours.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees with rack in upper 1/3 of oven. Place onions, carrots, celery, garlic, reserved wing tips and necks, thyme, and bay leaves in a large roasting pan. Position hens on top of vegetables so they are not crowded and tail ends meet in center of pan. Roast until the juices run clear in the legs when pricked with a fork, 45 to 60 minutes. During the last 10 minutes of roasting, baste hens with reserved marinade mixture.
• Remove hens from oven; let rest 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a grill pan over high heat. Using a pastry brush, brush cut-sides of pomegranate and treviso with olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Place cut-side down on grill pan, and cook until grill marks appear.
• Transfer some of the onions and treviso to a large serving platter. Top with hens and remaining vegetables. Drizzle with about 2 tablespoons gastrique. Garnish with grilled pomegranate and treviso. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds, if desired.

ROASTED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Rinse and dry the hens.
• In the bowl of a mini food processor, add the mustard, wine, rosemary, thyme, oil, salt and pepper.
• Pulse until all is a smooth paste. It will be more of a liquid form than a paste.
• Place the hens in a little roasting pan and shmear the mixture all over the birds, under the skin, around the breasts, and into the cavity.
• Roast, breast side down for 25 minutes then flip and roast for another 25-35 minutes, or until done.
• Remove from the oven and let rest at least 10 minutes.
• Cut each hen in half, down the breastbone, and serve with some sauce on top.

ROASTED CORNISH GAME HENS WITH SESAME-GINGER SAUCE

Steps:

• Whisk first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl. Transfer half of marinade to small saucepan; reserve. Pour remaining marinade into 15x10x2-inch glass pyrex dish. Add hens; turn to coat. Marinate 30 minutes to 4 hours in the refrigerator, turning occasionally.
• Preheat the oven to 425°F Arrange hens, skin side up, on large brimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with Sesame seeds. Roast until cooked through and brown, about 40 minutes. Transfer to platter. Pour pan juices into saucepan with reserved marinade. Bring to boil, stirring often. Simmer until sauce coats spoon, about 5 minutes; pour into bowl. Serve hens with sauce.

ROASTED CORNISH GAME HENS WITH SAUSAGE STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F; spray baking pan with nonstick spray.
• Remove and discard giblets.
• Rinse and pat dry inside and out of the hens.
• Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper; set aside.
• In a medium skillet, cook and stir sausage over a medium heat until no longer pink.
• Add the onion and celery.
• Cook until tender, about five minutes.
• Add stuffing mix, 1/3 cup of water, and 1/2 teaspoons of sage; mix well.
• Spoon warm filling evenly into the inside of the hens.
• Blend the 1/4 teaspoons of poultry seasoning with the butter.
• Rub evenly over the hens.
• Place the hens in a baking pan.
• Roast for 1 hour 30 minutes or until no longer pink and thermometer says 180°F Let stand for five minutes before serving.
• With a knife, split each hen length wise through the center of the breast and through the backbone, cutting just to one side of the backbone.

ROASTED CORNISH GAME HENS WITH BULGUR STUFFING (FARAKH BADARI)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Sprinkle the hens inside and out with salt and pepper. Blend the bulgur and parsley in a mixing bowl.
• Stuff each game hen with an equal portion of the bulgur mixture. Truss the hens.
• Place a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Arrange the hens breast side up on the rack. To prepare a basting sauce, blend the remaining ingredients, salt and pepper.
• Brush the hens with the basting sauce. Place in the oven and roast one hour, basting often with the sauce. Remove the trussing string and serve.

GRANDMA'S ROASTED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 400°F.
• Pat hens dry and whisk together remaining ingredients in a small bowl.
• Marinate hens in orange juice mixture in a sealed bag, chilled, 15 minutes.
• Transfer hens, skin sides up, with marinade to a 13- by 9- by 3-inch roasting pan and roast, basting with juices every 10 minutes, for 30 minutes. After third basting, roast hens until skin is golden and juices run clear when a thigh is pierced, about 15 minutes more. Transfer hens to a platter and drizzle liberally with pan juices.

FRENCH - STYLE POT ROASTED ROCK CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F Heat the olive oil in a large flame-proof casserole and add the onion, garlic and bacon; sauté 5 to 6 minutes, until the onion has softened.
• Brush the hens with a little melted butter and season well.
• Lay the hens on top of the onion mixture and place the other vegetables around hens. Add the chicken stock, wine and herbs.
• Cover and bake for 20 minutes, then remove the lid and brush with the remaining melted butter; bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, until golden.
• Transfer the hens to a warmed serving platter and cut each in half with poultry shears.
• Remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon and arrange them around the hens. Cover with foil and keep warm.
• Discard the herbs from the pan juices. In a small bowl mix the butter and flour to form a paste. Bring the liquid in the pan to a boil and then whisk in teaspoonfuls of the paste until thickened.
• Season the sauce and serve with the Rock Cornish hens and vegetables, garnished with fresh herbs.

HERB-ROASTED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• 1. Using kitchen shears and working with 1 hen at a time, with hen breast side down, cut through bones on either side of backbone; discard backbone. Flatten hens and lay them breast side up on counter. Using sharp chef’s knife, cut through center of breast to make 2 halves. 2. Using your fingers, carefully separate skin from breasts and thighs. Using metal skewer or tip of paring knife, poke 10 to 15 holes in fat deposits on top of breasts and thighs. Tuck wingtips underneath hens. Pat hens dry with paper towels. 3. Combine 2 tablespoons salt, thyme, marjoram, and rosemary in bowl. Sprinkle half of salt-herb mixture on underside (bone side) of hens. Add oil to remaining salt-herb mixture and stir until mixture is evenly coated with oil. Add baking powder and stir until well combined. Turn hens skin side up and rub salt–baking powder mixture evenly over surface. Arrange hens skin side up and in single layer on large platter or plates and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. 4. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower positions, place rimmed baking sheet on lower rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. 5. Once oven is fully heated, spray skin side of hens with oil spray and season with pepper. Carefully transfer hens, skin side down, to preheated sheet and cook for 10 minutes. 6. Remove hens from oven and heat broiler. Flip hens skin side up. Transfer sheet to upper rack and broil until well browned and breasts register 160 degrees and drumsticks/thighs register 175 degrees, about 5 minutes, rotating sheet as needed to promote even browning. Transfer to platter or individual plates and serve.

ROASTED CORNISH GAME HENS WITH PUMPKIN SEED PESTO

Steps:

• Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Make the pumpkin seed pesto: Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil, the pepitas, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a large pinch of paprika in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook, shaking the skillet, until the seeds begin popping and some turn brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Transfer the seeds and oil to a food processor; add 1/2 cup water, the parsley, scallions, lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt and pulse until pureed. Remove about 3 tablespoons of the pesto for the hens and set aside the rest for serving.
• Slide your fingers under the breast skin of each hen to loosen. Slide 2 heaping teaspoons of the pesto under the skin of each hen, then rub the skin to distribute the pesto.
• Mash the garlic and 2 teaspoons salt with the flat side of a chef's knife to make a paste. Combine with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 teaspoon paprika in a bowl, then rub all over the hens. Refrigerate, uncovered, at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Put the hens on a rack in a shallow roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet and tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Roast, rotating the pan halfway through, until the skin is golden brown and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 170 degrees F, about 1 hour. Let rest 15 minutes, then cut each hen in half. Serve with the reserved pesto.

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.

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.