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Cornish hens are so versatile and utterly delicious. These little birds can easily take on your favorite whole chicken recipe in a fraction of the time. Perfect for that WOW factor at a dinner party!
So this past Sunday I did a freezer cleanout and I happened to find these 2 lovelies. I had been craving roasted chicken but didn’t want to make a whole big bird.
That’s where cornish game hens come into play. they look like mini chickens well that’s because they actually are mini chickens. They can weigh between 1-2 pounds but the average is about 1.4 pounds.
How to cook Cornish Game Hens
Cornish game hens cook pretty much identical to how you would make a whole chicken. Now I make one killer roasted chicken (both stuffed and unstuffed) so when it came to making these I went with an herbed compound butter rub.
I’ve never seen them fresh so mine are always found in the freezer section.
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 it to a stuffing. Totally 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 in there. Smush it down and help spread it out. What’s going to happen is that when the bird roasts, that butter, and all the herbs are actually going to infuse into the meat and not only make it juicier BUT add such incredible flavor!
- Add oil, salt, and pepper and bake!
How to make Compound Butter
I wrote up an entire post here on how to make it. Check out THIS post!
- For this recipe, I just took room temperature unsalted butter and added my herbs and aromatics to it – garlic and my favorite herbs.
- Combine the ingredients into a smooth mixture. At this point, you can roll into a log and refrigerate for serving later 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. For hens larger than 1.4 pounds, you’ll want to increase the baking time to 50-60 minutes when the temperature is reduced to 350F.
You’ll still cook it the same amount of time at 450F but when it’s reduced to 350F, that’s when you’ll want to 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 of it (not touching a bone) with a meat thermometer. It should read 165F.
What to serve with Cornish Game Hens
Honestly, pretty much anything.
Roasted Cornish Hens
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1.25 hours
- Category: Poultry
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: American
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!
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 450F. 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 of the pan.
- In a bowl combine the butter, garlic, rosemary, thyme to make a soft, but spreadable herbed butter. Carefully separate the skin from the breast. Spread about 2 tablespoon 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 450F for 20 minutes. the reduce the heat to 350F. Continue roasting about 40 more minutes or when the thickest part of the meat reaches 165F. Baste occasionally 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!
DJ says
What if I don’t have a cooling rack.? Would it make a big difference if I didn’t use one.??
TKWAdmin says
Hi DJ!
The purpose of the cooling rack as it allows for the underside to cook more evenly and also not stick to the pan or foil. But never fear, I got you on this one. If you do not have a cooling rack, take a long piece of aluminum foil and roll it length ways like a long snake. On your pan coil the foil like a snake to make almost a ‘ring’ atop of the baking sheet. Spray the foil then put the hens on top of those. This will allow the heat to circulate to the underneath and also prevent it from cooking too fast on the pan. Sound good?
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Tracey says
Why have I never thought of this? Definitely doing this the next time i need a rack in my pan. Thank you!
TKWAdmin says
Tee hee! My grandma showed me that a million years ago as her roaster didn’t come with one. I use it when I make cutlets.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Deborah Ervin says
Hi this is first time trying to cook cornish hens I like the ldeal of using the season butter. So when I place the hens in the oven some say use foil to to make a tent over the hens please help me.
TKWAdmin says
Hi Deborah,
I only use the foil if I’m making say a turkey or a large chicken. The purpose of the foil is to prevent the skin from burning before the meat is cooked. But with these being so small you really need the foil. However it’s still wise to keep an eye out on it. The skin will be browned and crispy but not burnt. If you find it does start to burn you can just put a tent of foil over top but if that happens I would test your oven temperature with a thermometer to make sure that it’s registering correctly and not running hot.
You got this 🙂
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Deborah Ervin says
Hi this is first time trying to cook cornish hens I like the ldeal of using the season butter. So when I place the hens in the oven some say use some foil to to make a tent over the hens please help me.
Deborah says
Hi this is first time trying to cook cornish hens I like the ldeal of using the season butter. So when I place the hens in the oven some say use some foil to to make a tent over the hens please help me.
Renee says
Going to make for the first time. I was going to stuff with wild rice. Would that effect the cooking time or taste?
Thanks
TKWAdmin says
Hi Renee!
I’m thinking no; if anything it would add another layer of flavor. Now I’m assuming you stuffing it with cooked/seasoned rice, right?. I would check it after 45 minutes total baking time just to be sure.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Andrew says
hello, are you able to prepare the hens over night and then just throw in the oven when ready the next day? and do you need to adjust the amounts for the other ingredients if you’re only making 4 hens?
Thank you.
TKWAdmin says
Hi Andrew!
Yes you can prep them the night before (you mean by adding the butter rub, right?). Of course, just cover with plastic wrap then back as normal. As for making 4, yes you can reduce the mixture by a third or mix it all up, remove a third of the butter mixture and save for another time.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Charity says
Yum!! I made this recipe with 4 Cornish hens for Thanksgiving. I loved the flavor, but mine didn’t brown very much. This was my first time cooking Cornish hens. I will definitely make these again with a few tweaks.
TKWAdmin says
Hi Charity!
What you could do at the very end of cooking is broil for maybe a minute or two just to get that ‘browned’ skin. I’m so happy though you loved these!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Rose L. says
I’m cooking hens now for 7 and I think your recipe is going to be Devine. Should I add more cooking time because I’m cooking so many at one time.
Thanks so much!
TKWAdmin says
Hi Rose!
You shouldn’t have to. As long as they fit into your oven in a single row (meaning not stacked on top of one another) you’ll be fine. You can always take one out 5-10 minutes early and check the temp.
Happy Thanksgiving and Best Kitchen Wishes!
Pam says
I have a 2 lb Cornish Hen. I know how long to roast it if wasn’t more than 1 lb 2 oz, but I can’t find any roasting instructions for a 2 lb Cornish Hen. Not even the Tyson website shows roasting instructions for more than 1 lb 2 oz and it’s their bird. I also find roasing temps from 325 to 400.
fxdp says
When you stuff them, what do you stuff them with?
TKWAdmin says
I typically go with a traditional chicken stuffing – soft wheat bread, sauteed onions/celery/garlic, salt and pepper, thyme, 1 egg and a bit of chicken stock to help bind it. You, obviously, can’t make a lot of stuffing as they are so teeny.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Jodie says
Since marrying an Italian man I no longer do a traditional turkey, I now cook Cornish Hens stuffed with my MIL Italian sausage and rice. It has now become my family’s favorite!
TKWAdmin says
Oh yum!!! Sounds delicious!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Alexandra says
I stuff them with uncle bens wild rice, I cook the rice first let it cook then stuff the Cornish hens- it’s delicious and everyone in my family loves them!!
Sharon says
Made only 2 cornish hens for dinner tonight (it’s raining cats and dogs and hubby can’t grill) as you suggested and they were fantastic. I have a dinner coming up in a few weeks and this will be my choice. Thanks for the recipe!!