Balsamic Glazed Cornish Hens Recipes

ORANGE BALSAMIC ROCK CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Line 2 baking pans with foil for easier cleaning. Set a baking rack in each pan. Split hens and butterfly open and place 3 hens in each baking pan. Season the hens with salt and pepper liberally. Mix the orange concentrate, balsamic vinegar and olive oil and pour evenly over the hens. Sprinkle with rosemary and roast 15 minutes at 425 degrees F and 30 minutes at 375 degrees F.

ROASTED CORNISH HEN WITH BALSAMIC GLAZE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425° F. Remove all visible fat and the neck and giblets from the Cornish hens. Rinse the hens under cold water and pat them dry inside and out with paper towels. Season the birds generously with salt and pepper, inside and out. Place one rosemary sprig, 2 sage leaves, and 1 bay leaf in the body cavity of each bird.
• Heat the oil in a heavy, flameproof roasting pan or very large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the scallions, carrots, celery, porcini, and the remaining rosemary and sage leaves and cook, stirring, until the scallions are wilted, about 4 minutes. Smooth the vegetables into an even layer and nestle the prepared birds, breast side up, over them. Roast, basting frequently with enough of the chicken stock to keep the vegetables well moistened, until the vegetables and hens are golden brown-about 45 minutes.
• Carefully tilt the pan and spoon off enough of the roasting juices to measure 1 cup, not including fat. Stir the balsamic vinegar and honey into the measured juices until the honey is dissolved. Return the birds to oven and roast, basting occasionally with the honey mixture, until the birds are a rich mahogany color and the leg joint moves easily when you wiggle it, about 15 minutes.
• Remove the birds from the oven, transfer them to a platter or plates, and cover with a tent of aluminum foil to keep them warm. Strain the pan juices through a sieve into a small saucepan, pressing as much of the liquid from the vegetables as possible. Skim the fat from the surface of the sauce, and bring the sauce to a simmer while carving the birds. With a pair of kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbones to remove them. Cut the birds in half through the center breastbone. Cut each half into leg and breast portions. Arrange the pieces on a platter or plates, and spoon some of the roasting juices over them. Pass the remaining sauce separately.

BBQ BALSAMIC CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Marinade: (Reserve 2 tbsp of the marinade for basting the hens while barbecuing).
• Combine Garlic, vinegar, oil, rosemary, hot sauce, cumin, oregano and pepper in a large Zip Lock plastic bag.
• Put hens in the marinade bag and turn to coat the hens.
• Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Heat BBQ to medium heat.
• Spray grill with oil and place hens skin side down on rack.
• Baste with the reserved marinade.
• Cook until the juices run clear when the thigh pierced 20-30 minutes.

BACON-WRAPPED CORNISH GAME HENS WITH RASPBERRY BALSAMIC GLAZE

Steps:

• Briskly simmer jam and vinegar in small saucepan, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until glaze is reduced to about 1/2 cup.
• About 8 minutes.
• Cool to room temperature (glaze will thicken slightly as it cools).
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• Cook bacon in batches, over med.
• heat until some of the fat is rendered but bacon is still translucent and pliable, 5-7 minutes.
• Transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Cut and discard back bones from each hen with kitchen shears and then halve each hen length wise.
• Pat dry and season with salt and pepper.
• Arrange cut sides down, in a large roasting pan.
• Wrap 2 slices around each half hen, tucking ends under.
• Brush liberally with glaze, reserving the remainder.
• Roast in the middle of the oven, brushing with pan juices and reserved glaze twice (every 10 minutes), until juices run clear when a thigh is pierced, 30-35 minutes.

MOROCCAN STYLE BALSAMIC CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Rinse the game hens under running water. Pat dry and cut them in half lengthwise (kitchen scissors work fine).
• Arrange orange slices in bottom of a 9x13" glass baking dish. Top with game hens.
• Mix 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped garlic and 1 1/4 teaspoons cumin in bowl. Rub mixture all over hens. Wash your hands well with soap and hot water.
• Whisk together port, sherry, oil, vinegar, and honey in small bowl. Taste it to see if the mixture is to your taste, then if it is, pour over hens. (There is quite a difference between the taste of balsamic vinegar - which is sweet - and red wine vinegar, so if you use wine vinegar you'll definitely want to taste the mixture and adjust the amount of honey to your preference before pouring it over the hens.).
• Tuck dates and olives between hens and season with salt and pepper.
• Cover and refrigerate at least 12 hours or overnight, turning hens once. (I've made this recipe beginning in the morning and marinated it 6-8 hrs during the day, too, and it was still delicious.).
• Remove hens from refrigerator and place on counter, covered, for at least 30 minutes. (You don't want to put a chilled baking dish straight into a preheated oven.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Turn the hens skin side up, then bake hens with marinade, dates and olives until hens are cooked through, basting occasionally, about 40 minutes.
• Transfer hens, dates and olives to serving platter. Discard orange slices. Pour the pan juices into a heavy small saucepan.
• Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon cumin and 1 tsp butter and simmer until reduced to about half, whisking frequently, about 5 minutes.
• Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spoon some sauce over hens. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro.
• Serve, passing remaining sauce separately in a gravy or sauce bowl.
• Note: when I first made this recipe, I didn't have fresh cilantro on hand, and couldn't even find dried in our herb stash, which surprised me. Mike collects herbs and spices, and we have a huge collection in the pantry. (I call him Condiment Man.) I had a bunch of a nice Italian dried herb mix (basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, savory, sage), so used that instead. I know it's not really an equivalent to cilantro, but it smelled wonderful anyhow and it tasted great, too. I also add lots more green olives and dates, which the recipe reflects :)
• Note #2: if you want/need to serve more than two people, you can use the above marinade for up to 6 hens, then you'll need to begin adding more ingredients.

ORANGE BALSAMIC CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°.
• Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with foil; set a baking rack in each pan.
• Using poultry shears or a sharp chef's knife, cut along both sides of each hen's backbone and discard.
• Open the birds up and turn skin side up, pressing lightly on the breastbones to flatten them a bit.
• Arrange 3 hens on each baking rack, skin side up, and season liberally with salt and pepper.
• Mix the orange juice concentrate, balsamic vinegar, and oil together; pour evenly over the hens, and sprinkle with rosemary.
• Roast hens for 15 minutes at 425°, then decrease heat to 375° and roast for 30 minutes more, OR until the juices run clear (I'd check doneness with an instant read thermometer).
• Let the hens rest for 5 minutes before serving.

BACON-WRAPPED CORNISH HENS WITH RASPBERRY BALSAMIC GLAZE

Steps:

• Briskly simmer jam and vinegar in a small saucepan, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until glaze is reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 8 minutes. Cool to room temperature (glaze will thicken slightly as it cools).
• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Cook bacon in batches in a large heavy skillet over moderate heat, turning occasionally, until some of fat is rendered but bacon is still translucent and pliable, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Cut out and discard backbone from each hen with kitchen shears, then halve each hen lengthwise. Pat hens dry and season with salt and pepper, then arrange, cut sides down, in a large roasting pan. Brush hens liberally with glaze, reserving remainder, and wrap 2 slices of bacon around each half hen, tucking ends under. Roast in middle of oven, brushing with pan juices and reserved glaze twice (every 10 minutes), until juices run clear when a thigh is pierced, 30 to 35 minutes.

GLAZED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Place hens, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes. , In a small bowl, combine spreadable fruit and orange juice. Spoon some of the apricot mixture over the hens. Bake until golden brown and juices run clear, 30-35 minutes, basting several times with remaining apricot mixture. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.