Cornish Game Hens
The Cornish Game Hens are little birds that are roasted over red potatoes and onions after being covered in a mixture of lemon, garlic, and rosemary and then filled with more lemon, garlic, and rosemary. Try my Roasted Chicken if you want a full-size chicken.
Cornish Game Hens
Ingredients
Vegetables
- 1 Pound (5-6 medium) Red potatoes, rinsed and quartered
- 2 Small yellow onions, quartered
- 1 Tbsp Olive oil
- ½ Tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ Tsp Black pepper
Game Hens
- 1 Large lemon, cut in half lengthwise, divided
- 2 Cornish game hens, 1½ pounds each
- 2 Tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Tsp Garlic, minced
- 1 Tsp Fresh rosemary, minced
- 1 Tsp Kosher salt
- ½ Tsp Black pepper
Cavity Fillings
- 4 Sprigs fresh rosemary, divided
- 1 Head garlic, paper removed (about 8-10 cloves), divided
Garnish
- Fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Turn the oven on to 425°F.
Vegetables
- Put the potatoes and onions in a big skillet that is safe to cook in the oven. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with oil. Toss to coat.
Game Hens
- Slice the lemon lengthwise in half. Use roughly a tablespoon of lemon juice, or ½ of the lemon, for the oil mixture. To fit into the game chickens' cavities, cut the second half of the lemon into four lengthwise wedges.
- Arrange the game chickens over the vegetables, breast side up.
- Put the oil, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper in a medium-sized bowl. Apply this mixture both inside and outside the birds' cavities.
- Place around four garlic cloves, two lemon slices, and two fresh rosemary sprigs inside each hen's cavity.
- Tie the drumsticks together with cooking twine and tuck the tips of the wings beneath the hen to avoid scorching.
- The potatoes should be fork-tender and the game hens should be golden brown after 50 to 60 minutes of roasting in a preheated oven that has been set to 165°F.
- Tent the hens with foil after transferring them to a serving plate. Before carving, let it rest for ten minutes.
- Serve warm, garnished with fresh rosemary.
Cornish Game Hens
Cornish game hens are small birds, a mix of Cornish and White Plymouth Rock chickens. They comfortably fit onto a dinner plate and weigh between one and two pounds. Cornish game chickens can be used in the majority of bone-in chicken dishes. They are juicy, delicate, and presentable.
Ingredients for Cornish Game Hens
The veggies, Cornish game birds, and cavity filling make up this recipe’s three components.
Vegetables: For this recipe, I used red potatoes with their skins on. In addition to saving you a ton of time, leaving the skins on the potatoes can give them some “character” and some nutritional value. I also added yellow onions to the pan.
Cornish Game chickens: As previously mentioned, Cornish game chickens must weigh between one and two pounds; we utilized game hens that weighed 1 1/2 pounds. They are available in your neighborhood butcher shop or supermarket store, usually in the freezer department. Before cooking, make sure the game chickens are fully thawed.
Rub and Cavity Fillings: A mixture of lemon, garlic, and rosemary will be applied to the outside and inside of each game hen. Additionally, both game hens’ cavities will be filled with these nutrients.
Lemon: This recipe calls for just one big lemon. Slice the lemon lengthwise in half. Half of the lemon should be sliced lengthwise into wedges, and the other half should be juiced (approximately one tablespoon of lemon juice). The wedges must be sufficiently thin to fit into the game hens’ cavities.
Getting the Vegetables Ready
Thoroughly wash the potatoes before chopping them because we will be leaving the skins on. After halving each potato, please place them in a sizable roasting pan that is safe to use in the oven. Next, add the onions to the pan with the potatoes after chopping them into quarters. Add salt and pepper to the vegetables after drizzling them with olive oil.
Making Cornish Game Hens: A Guide
After the potatoes and onions have been added to the pan, place the Cornish game chickens on top of them. Then, put the oil, half a lemon’s juice, rosemary, minced garlic, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Rub the mixture into the game chickens’ cavities and exteriors.
Next, place the garlic cloves, fresh rosemary, and lemon wedges (from the other half of the lemon) within the chickens’ cavities. Lastly, to avoid scorching, tuck the tips of the wings under the chickens. Tie the legs together using cooking thread. (See below for further details.)
Bake the hens for 50-60 minutes, or until a digital thermometer reads 165°F and the potatoes are fork-tender. Transfer the hens to a serving platter and tent with aluminum foil for about 10 minutes before carving. Serve warm, garnished with fresh rosemary.
How Cornish Game Hens Are Tied
Cornish game chickens can be tied in a few different ways. A more precise and safe method of tying than what I did here is to truss a Cornish hen. All I did was tie the drumsticks together with kitchen twine and tuck the wings under the bird. This helps guarantee even cooking for the greatest outcomes.