The 10 BEST Cornish Hen Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Should I cover my Cornish hens when baking? ›

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.

These Cornish hens are best roasted at high temperatures in the oven for flavor and ease. There are many ways to enhance the flavor of these by stuffing them or coating them in a dry rub seasoning. I like to serve these for small-gathering holidays or special events when I don't want to cook a whole turkey.

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.

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.

You can also keep some of the pan drippings and reheat the chicken in a skillet with the drippings to prevent it from drying out.

Allow your hens to sit out of the fridge at least an hour before cooking to come to room temp then preheat the oven to 350°. Quarter up the onions, peel the garlic leaving it whole, and quarter the lemon (remove zest before cutting).

Half an hour before you plan to cook, bring the chickens to room temperature. Using butcher's twine, tie the chicken legs together at the ankles. Cover the wing tips with aluminum foil to prevent burning.

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.

Cornish Hens are just baby chickens but they taste completely different. They present really well when serving and cook in a short period of time. I like serving them for dinner parties or for the holidays. Typically 1/2 a Cornish hen is enough for one person but someone with a good appetite could eat a whole one.

Place hens on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Roast hens in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue roasting until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 30 minutes.

How many Cornish hens can I cook at once? ›

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.

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.

Nutrition. Cornish hens' adolescence also contributes to a lower fat content. Since they are comprised of primarily white meat, Cornish hens are very lean and rich in niacin, which can help lower cholesterol and boost brain function.

Cornish hens are fancier, more delicately flavored, and more tender than chicken. Cornish hens are often served whole due to their small size and are rich in protein.

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.

Like chicken, Cornish game hens can be consumed when their internal temperature is 165 degrees F, but remember that they will continue to cook as they rest after you take them out of the oven, so take that in consideration and pull them out a little bit earlier. Allow the hens to rest before serving.