Cornish Hen Recipe: A Simple and Delicious Delicacy

If you are thinking about a holiday meal, Cornish hens are indeed smaller than turkeys and take very little preparation time. Another thing we love about this Cornish hen recipe is that it can help with serving and portions, eliminating leftovers. One Cornish hen has, usually, just the right amount of meat on it for a person. What else is there to say?

Jump to:

• What is a Cornish hen?
• Cornish Hen Recipe Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Cornish Hen Recipe Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Pro Tips
• Cornish Hen Recipe
• Comments

What is a Cornish hen?

Also known as a Cornish game hen, a Cornish hen is a baby chicken, no older than five weeks. They are easy to prepare and cook, mostly due to their small sizes. You can find Cornish hens in the frozen food section at your local grocery, near the other frozen meat and poultry.

Cornish Hen Recipe Ingredients

1. The Cornish hens

• Cornish hens — 3 pcs.
• Salt and pepper — to taste
• Garlic — 2 cloves
• Onion — 1 pc., minced
• Lemon — 2 pcs., halved
• Chicken stock — 1 cup

2. The marinade

• Lime juice — 2 tbsp.
• Paprika — either hot or sweet.
• Dried thyme leaves — ¼ tsp.
• Chili peppers — 1 pinch.
• Olive oil — 2 tbsp.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine and mix well the paprika, garlic, thyme, olive oil, lime juice, chili pepper, salt, and pepper.

3. Drizzle olive oil on the Cornish hens and apply the dry rub, preferably by hand.

4. Optional — place onion, lemon, and herbs in the cavity of each piece of the hen.

5. Pour chicken stock into the baking dish.

6. Roast until the hens turn golden brown.

7. Remove them from the oven and let them rest for a few minutes.

8. Garnish with lemon slices.

Substitutions

• Oil — Olive oil is usually the go-to oil in most recipes, but feel free to swap it with canola or almond oil.

• Garlic — Even though our recipe is great with garlic’s pungent taste, if you’re not a fan of garlic, feel free to omit it.

Cornish Hen Recipe Variations

• Air fryer — Our Cornish hen recipe can also be done with an air fryer, and you’d still end up with the same delicious, smooth dish. Preheat your air fryer to 370 degrees. Just cook for 20 minutes breast down and cook for 10 minutes breast up. You can use a meat thermometer, to see when the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. The result might resemble this delicious boneless skinless chicken thighs air fryer recipe, but the Cornish hens are much more tender!

Equipment

• Medium-sized mixing bowl

• Measuring cups and spoons

• Meat thermometer

Storage

• If you must store leftovers in the fridge, they will stay fresh for three to four days in an air-tight container.

Pro Tips

• Use a meat thermometer — If you use a meat thermometer, make sure you roast until the internal heat reaches 160 degrees.

• Serve a whole — Our Cornish hen recipe is pretty flexible. These hens are pretty small in size and a half would probably be enough for one. However, you could roast one piece for everyone to be on the safe side.

• Vegetables? — When it comes to serving, use your creativity and garnish with any vegetable you like, be it potatoes or carrots.