Place the Cornish hens on top of the aromatics, and drizzle with the rest of the olive oil. Place the hens on the rack of a roasting pan lined with aluminum foil. Place the hens as far apart from each other as possible to enable the skins to get browned and crispy . Place the hens in the preheated oven and roast for 25 minutes. One of the reasons I like Cornish hen is that it makes for such an elegant presentation. But it looks much more impressive when you can serve your dinner guests their very own beautifully golden-browned hens.
Leftovers will last about 4 days in the fridge if placed in an airtight container and the hens can be frozen for up to 3 months. Pour the olive oil into the Instant Pot and press “saute”. A whole head of garlic which I place inside the pressure cooker, as part of the cooking process.
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Turn down the temperature to 400 F and roast for another 20 minutes. Finally, bring the temperature down to 375 F and roast for another minutes. If you have a meat thermometer, make sure that the internal temperature of the birds is at least 165 F before removing from the oven. If you don’t have one, make sure that the hens are completely cooked before eating.
- Replace the potatoes with sweet potatoes or a different root vegetable.
- Some people prefer not to use a marinade as a sauce.
- In this crazy pandemic year, Thanksgiving was just my husband and me so I jumped on a sale for Cornish hens and then stumbled upon this recipe.
- Cornish game hens are plump little birds brimming with savory juices.
You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator. Add the butter pieces all over and around the chicken. White onion gives good flavor but yellow can also be used. Below is a list of ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card with measurements. There is more to the holidays than the grand meal.
What is the difference between a Cornish hen and a regular chicken?
A Cornish hen is a perfect serving size for two Cooking Games – Burger Games people, so it’s an easy date night meal. With that said, traditional cornish game hens are young, females that are butchered when they are just a few weeks old. Once the Cornish game hens have reached 165°F, remove them from the smoker and tent with foil. Let them rest for 15 minutes to redistribute juices. Cornish game hens are a quick and easy meal that will make any dinner time seem like a special occasion. Place the lemon in the cavity of the Cornish hen with the cloves of garlic.
While I do occasionally see fresh Cornish hens, most grocery stores sell frozen ones. Make sure to defrost a frozen hen overnight in the refrigerator before cooking. The chicken should reach at least 165F with an added 10 minutes of rest time.