Chicken Baked Cornish Game Hens
Cornish game hens stuffed with a vegetable mixture, then roasted. A Cornish game hen recipe that I found and tweaked a bit for the taste and size of our small family, but it would be very easy to adjust it to fit your needs. It goes well with oven-roasted potatoes.
Cornish game hens stuffed with a vegetable mixture, then roasted. A Cornish game hen recipe that I found and tweaked a bit for the taste and size of our small family, but it would be very easy to adjust it to fit your needs. It goes well with oven-roasted potatoes.
- Carbohydrate 8.38297902641754 g
- Cholesterol 522.378750233201 mg
- Fat 116.466267254068 g
- Fiber 2.68237652749234 g
- Protein 60.3792405598317 g
- Saturated Fat 56.8520569079185 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (542g)
- Sodium 977.740747251363 mg
- Sugar 5.7006024989252 g
- Trans Fat 8.98056956660516 g
- Calories 1321 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- In a small bowl combine the 1/2 cup melted butter, onion, celery, bell pepper, mushrooms, garlic, basil, oregano and parsley.
- Season hens inside and out with salt and pepper to taste, then stuff with equal amounts butter/vegetable mixture. Place stuffed birds in a 9x13 inch baking dish, breast side up. Drizzle with 1/4 cup melted butter.
- Cover dish and bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours. Remove cover and brown at 500 degrees F ti internal temp of 160 F.
High heat browning at the very end of cooking is essential for turning pale, steamed skin into a crisp, golden shell. Cornish game hens are small broiler-fryers, typically weighing between one and two pounds, originally bred in the 1950s by crossing wild Cornish chickens with White Plymouth Rocks. Their compact size makes them ideal for individual plating, but it also creates a moisture management challenge during roasting.
Managing Cavity Moisture
Stuffing the cavity with vegetables and melted butter creates internal steam that cooks the meat from the inside out. Chop onions, celery, bell pepper, and mushrooms finely so they release their moisture evenly into the bird. Combine these vegetables with melted butter, oregano, basil, parsley, and garlic before packing the cavity loosely. Avoid tightly packing the cavity, which restricts airflow and prevents the internal meat from reaching a safe temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit before the exterior overcooks.
Controlling Temperature Shifts
Bake the covered birds at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 1.5 hours to render the heavy fat and tenderize the meat safely. Covering the baking dish traps steam, preventing the lean breast meat from drying out during the initial phase. Remove the foil cover for the final minutes, and crank the oven up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit to crisp the skin. Watch the birds closely during this high-heat phase to prevent the butter and herbs on the surface from burning.
