Perfect Oven Roasted Baked Cornish Hens Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Should I cover my Cornish hens when baking? ›

4. 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.

Roast the hens in the preheated oven for about 1 hour or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F and the juices run clear.

Do not rinse the skin or cavity of the bird, as doing so may spread bacteria in the sink and on the countertop. Once defrosted, remove bird from packaging and pat dry with a paper towel. Remove giblet bag from cavity and reserve for making sauces, etc.

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 as versatile as conventional chickens, but cook faster and feel more special.

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.

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.

Cornish hens are butchered younger, which tends to make their meat more tender than chickens when cooked.

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.

Rigor mortis will set in after a few hours, so they birds are very rigid. If you would eat them at that point, the meat will be a bit tough or rubbery. After two days, some of the birds were still a little stiff, but on day three of the aging process they were limber like a grocery store chicken.

Thawing a Frozen Cornish Hen

Frozen game hens should be allowed sufficient time to thaw in the refrigerator before cooking—this can take up to a day.

Is a Cornish hen just a small chicken? ›

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.

Why are Cornish hens so expensive? Part of the price is due to its decades-old reputation as an exotic new bird (though it really isn't). It's been marketed as a fancy alternative to chicken and so manufacturer's can get away with charging such a steep price.

There's a breed called Cornish Hen or poussin, usually 2.5 to 3 pounds. You might have to search at a fancier store, or like I do at a Mexican butcher, but they are easy to cook and delicious.

The distinct game flavor of either birds or animals will be milder after soaking the meat overnight in the refrigerator in either a salt or vinegar solution. 2. Vinegar solution - 1 cup per quart of cold water. Use enough solution to cover the game completely.

Because they are so small (usually about 20 ounces) it is quite simple. Place one or two hens on a microwave safe rack set in a baking dish (About 8X12 inches in size). Cover with a piece of wax paper and cook on high about 14 minutes or until the juices run clear rotating the dish once during the cooking.