Whether cooking for a small family dinner or hosting a more significant celebration, this succulent roasted cornish hen recipe will impress without breaking the bank or requiring complicated steps.
TKW Family Love
I love this recipe, i actually making my second this week, my wife loved it so much she wanted for dinner tonight.
Corn Hen Recipe Loved by Thousands
For decades, my roasted Cornish hen recipe has been a tried and true favorite, loved by thousands around the globe. The beauty of this dish lies in its simplicity. It uses just a few pantry staples paired with decadent compound butter.
Let me show you how a seemingly straightforward recipe can be elevated to something special. The result is a juicy, flavorful bird with crispy skin that will make anyone think you’ve spent hours in the kitchen.
Perfect for any night of the week or a holiday gathering, this roasted Cornish hen recipe is a showstopper that’s surprisingly easy to make. It’s all about letting the ingredients shine, and the compound butter ties everything together, infusing the meat with rich, savory flavors.
Cornish Hen Recipe Ingredients
This recipe calls for everyday pantry and fridge ingredients. Cornish Hens are typically found in the frozen chicken aisle.
- Cornish Hens – thawed
- Fats – butter & olive oil
- Fresh Herbs – rosemary and thyme
- Garlic
- Seasonings
How to cook Cornish Hens
Cornish game hens cook identically to how you would make a whole chicken. Now, I make one killer roasted chicken (both stuffed and unstuffed), so I went with a herbed compound butter rub when it came to making these.
I’ve never seen them fresh, so mine are always in the freezer.
I thaw them in the fridge for 1-2 days. Never thaw poultry on the counter or at room temperature.
- Thaw the game hens and clean out the gizzards (they typically are in a little bag). You can save them and make gravy or add them to stuffing—your choice.
- Pat the birds dry and make your compound butter. (See below)
- Separate the skin from the breast meat and put the compound butter there. Smush it down and help spread it out. What will happen is that when the bird roasts, that butter and all the herbs will infuse into the meat and not only make it juicier BUT add such incredible flavor!
- Add oil, salt, and pepper, and bake!
TKW Family Love
This is my go-to game hen recipe! The only thing I do differently is that I use a coffee + chili rub.
How to make Compound Butter
I wrote up an entire post here on how to make it. Check out THIS post!
- I just took room-temperature unsalted butter for this recipe and added my favorite herbs and aromatics—garlic.
- Combine the ingredients into a smooth mixture. Now, you can roll it into a log and refrigerate it for later serving OR use it as I did in this recipe.
Cooking Times of Cornish Game Hens
As mentioned above, the average size is about 1.4 pounds each. When the temperature is reduced to 350°F, you’ll want to increase the baking time to 50-60 minutes for hens larger than 1.4 pounds.
You can still cook it at the same time at 450°F, but when it’s reduced to 350°F, you should bump up the cooking time.
That being said, the BEST (and safest) way to determine that they are done is to check the birds in the thickest part (not touching a bone) with a meat thermometer. It should read 165F.
How to store leftover Cornish Game Hen
Once the hens are cooled, place them in a covered container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Cornish Hens Recipe FAQs
- Should you cover Cornish hens when baking? No, as you are roasting these and not steaming them.
- Are Cornish hens just small chickens? Nowadays, yes, they are very young chickens, but they are a specific breed of chicken. And they aren’t necessarily hens as cornish “hens” can be male or female small chickens.
- Is Cornish hen healthier than regular chicken? Yes, but that’s because it has a higher proportion of white meal and less fat than a traditional chicken.
What to serve with Cornish Game Hens
Honestly, pretty much anything.
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TKW Family Love
Made these for thanksgiving and OMG a huge hit with the family. I may never cook another turkey. I did accidentally mix the salt and pepper in the the butter mixture and since i was only cooking 4 hens i divided the remaining butter mix inside the cavity of the birds. I sprinkled poultry seasoning all over the hens after rubbing them down with the olive oil. This is by far 100 times better than turkey
Cornish Hens Recipe
Cornish hens are so versatile and utterly delicious. These The Ultimate Roasted Cornish Game Hens can easily take on your favorite whole chicken recipe in a fraction of the time. Perfect for that WOW factor at a dinner party!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1.25 hours
- Yield: 6 hens
- Category: Poultry
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 6 Rock Cornish Hens, thawed (~1.4 lb each) *See note
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Remove birds from wrapping, remove gizzards (inside stuff), and pat dry inside and out. Place a cooling rack on a baking pan. Place them breast-side up on the cooling rack inside the pan.
- In a bowl, combine the butter, garlic, rosemary, and thyme to make a soft, but spreadable herbed butter. Carefully separate the skin from the breast. Spread about two tablespoons of the butter between the skin and breast of each bird. Smooth skin back down to cover the meat. Rub the olive oil all over the birds and sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
- Roast at 450°F for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350°F. Continue roasting about 40 more minutes or when the thickest part of the meat reaches 165°F. Baste occasionally (about every 25-30 minutes) with pan juices. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
If your hens are larger than 1.4 lbs each you’ll want to increase the cooking time when the temperature is reduced to 350F to about 50-60 minutes.
The most important thing is to check the temp!
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