Easy Cornish Game Hens Recipe • Food Folks and Fun (2024)

FAQs

Do you cook Cornish game hens breast up or down? ›

Place breast side up on rack in shallow roasting pan. 5. Roast, uncovered, basting frequently with butter for 1 hour (if hen weighs over 1lb 2oz, roast 1 hour and 15 minutes) or until internal temperature on instant read thermometer reaches 180°F when inserted into inner thigh.

Because of their small size, Cornish hens are perfect as a serving for one person or split in half when served with some delicious sides. I love pairing this easy roasted Cornish hen recipe with my Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potatoes; Italian Oven Roasted Vegetables; or Brussels sprouts... Lots more ideas below!

Because they are butchered young, some find the taste of Cornish Game Hen to be more tender compared to regular chicken. Cornish game hens are fairly lean, with half of a hen (120 grams or about 4 ounces), meat only, providing 139 calories, 24 grams of protein, and 4 grams of fat.

Once defrosted, remove bird from packaging and pat dry with a paper towel. Remove giblet bag from cavity and reserve for making sauces, etc. Heavily brining or marinating product is unnecessary as Cornish birds are small and meat is quite succulent. Source: “The Big Thaw — Safe Defrosting Methods for Consumers,” USDA.

An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Remove from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area for 10 minutes before slicing.

Lay a wire rack in the bottom of a big roasting pan and place 6 Cornish game hens on it. If you don't have a wire rack that fits the pan, bunch up a few pieces of aluminum foil and place these on the bottom of the pan. You can easily cut this recipe in half or a third if you only want to make 2 or 3 hens.

A lot of the best qualities of a great roast chicken are accentuated in Cornish hens. Their flavor is often described as rich and moist with a hint of sweetness. Because they're harvested so young, Cornish hens' meat is exceptionally tender. Their high skin-to-meat ratio makes them remarkably succulent too.

Cornish hens are known to have a more delicate flavor than chicken, and they absorb marinades and other seasonings better. Because of their small size, they take a shorter amount of time to cook. So be sure to keep an eye on your roasted Cornish hen when it's in the oven. No one wants to eat a dry bird.

Place the hens in the roasting pan over the bed of ingredients and drizzle olive oil all over the hens. Roast the hens: Roast, uncovered, for 50 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers 165F in the thickest part of the breast. Let the hens rest for 20 minutes and serve with remaining lemon slices.

Allow the Cornish hens to come to room temperature by taking them out of the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking. Set the oven rack in the middle of the oven.

What is special about Cornish hens? ›

The Cornish were developed in the shire (county) of Cornwall, England where the breed was known as "Indian Game". They show the obvious influence of Malay and other oriental blood. They were prized for their large proportion of white meat and its fine texture. The breed was recognized by the APA in 1893.

Cornish game hen (also Rock Cornish game hen) is the USDA-approved name for a particular variety of broiler chicken, produced from a cross between the Cornish and White Plymouth Rock chicken breeds, that is served young and immature, weighing no more than two pounds (900 g) ready to cook.

A twin pack of slightly larger birds costs $7.55, the N.A.N. article relayed. Cornish hens cost the grower and integrator more to raise. They are slow growing and their feed contains higher protein content throughout the growing cycle.

Although Cornish hens lay fewer than 160 small/medium cream or light brown eggs a year, they can go broody and make doting and protective mothers.

Place chicken breast-side up in a roasting pan or large ovenproof skillet. Stuff cavity with herbs and tie the legs together with kitchen twine. (If you don't have twine, leave the legs as they are.) Roast 50 minutes, then baste chicken with pan juices.

Most cooks, I think, bake the chicken breast side up, which inevitably dries out the meat in the time it takes to cook through. By flipping the chicken, and cooking it breast-side down, the meat gets both wet and dry heat, and it stays moist. Second, the lemon.

Roasting Cornish hens on a wire rack set inside a baking sheet also helps elevate the birds so that the thighs cook as quickly as the breasts. Cornish hens are done when they reach an internal temperature of 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh and their juices run clear.