Cornish Hens With Gingered Brown Rice Recipes

CORNISH HENS WITH BROWN RICE STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• Rinse hens inside and out and pat dry. Season the hens, inside and out, with salt and black pepper. Place hens in a large roasting pan and set aside.
• Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add scallions and garlic and saute 2 minutes. Add brown rice and thyme and stir to combine. Add 1 cup of the chicken broth, cover and bring mixture to a simmer. Allow rice to cook for 3 minutes then add the sun-dried tomatoes and bell pepper. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper.
• Remove from heat and spoon rice mixture loosely into cavity of hens. Pour remaining 1/2 cup of chicken broth into bottom of pan.
• Place hens in oven and immediately reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until juices from thigh run clear when pierced with a fork, basting every 15 minutes with the pan juices.
• Remove the hens from the oven and transfer to a platter. Pour the pan juices over top and serve.
• Serving suggestion: Serve the stuffed hens with cranberry sauce and a side dish of fresh or frozen snow peas sauteed in a little olive oil and seasoned with salt and crushed red pepper.

CORNISH HENS WITH GINGERED BROWN RICE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°. Heat 2 tablespoons orange juice to boiling in 2 1/2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion in orange juice, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender. Stir in rice, ginger, parsley, thyme and 1 tablespoon orange juice.
• Fill body cavity of each hen with rice mixture. Place hens, breast sides up, in ungreased rectangular baking dish, 13x9x2 inches. Brush with 1 to 2 teaspoons of the remaining orange juice. Bake uncovered 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, brushing with some of remaining orange juice every 30 minutes, until thermometer reads 180° and juice of hens is no longer pink when center of thigh is cut.
• Remove stuffing from hens. Cut hens in half along backbone and breastbone from tail to neck, using kitchen scissors.

GLAZED CORNISH HENS WITH POMEGRANATE-RICE STUFFING

Steps:

• Mix the cinnamon, 4 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl; sprinkle all over the hens and inside the cavities. Place the hens on a rack set on a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate, uncovered, at least 2 hours or overnight. Meanwhile, soak the grape leaves in water 1 hour.
• Bring the chicken broth and 2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan; add the rice blend and cook as the label directs. Drain and rinse under cold water.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallot, garlic, ginger and cumin and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat; add the cooked rice, pomegranate seeds, and chopped parsley and cilantro; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Add the egg yolks and stir to combine.
• Make the glaze: Bring the orange juice and pomegranate molasses to a boil in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter.
• Fill the cavity of each hen with about 1/2 cup of the rice mixture (reserve the rest); tie the legs together with twine. Roast 20 minutes, then brush with the pomegranate glaze. Continue roasting, glazing every 10 minutes, until a thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 165 degrees F to 170 degrees F, 1 hour to 1 hour, 10 minutes. (Rotate the hens halfway through cooking; if the skin gets too dark, cover loosely with foil.)
• Meanwhile, drain the grape leaves and pat dry. Use some of the leaves to line a 9-inch pie dish. Fill with the reserved rice mixture and drizzle with 2 tablespoons water. Cover with the remaining grape leaves, shiny side up, then cover with foil. (If you aren't using grape leaves, spoon the rice into a pie dish, sprinkle with water and cover with foil.) After the hens have roasted about 20 minutes, transfer the rice to the oven and cook until heated through, about 45 minutes.
• Transfer the hens to a platter and add some parsley and cilantro sprigs and pomegranate seeds. Peel the grape leaves off the top of the rice and serve alongside the hens.

CORNISH HENS WITH WILD RICE

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine soup and milk. Cook over medium heat until smooth; stir in cheese. , Meanwhile, in a skillet, fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon; crumble and set aside. In drippings, saute onion and green pepper until tender. Add to soup mixture along with wild rice; mix well. Pour into a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan; top with bacon. Combine flour, salt, paprika and pepper in a heavy plastic bag; place one or two hens at a time in bag and shake to coat well. , In another skillet, Brown hens in oil on all sides. Arrange on top of rice mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45 minutes or until meat is tender. Sprinkle with parsley.

ROASTED CORNISH GAME HENS WITH SESAME-GINGER SAUCE

Steps:

• Whisk first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl. Transfer half of marinade to small saucepan; reserve. Pour remaining marinade into 15x10x2-inch glass pyrex dish. Add hens; turn to coat. Marinate 30 minutes to 4 hours in the refrigerator, turning occasionally.
• Preheat the oven to 425°F Arrange hens, skin side up, on large brimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with Sesame seeds. Roast until cooked through and brown, about 40 minutes. Transfer to platter. Pour pan juices into saucepan with reserved marinade. Bring to boil, stirring often. Simmer until sauce coats spoon, about 5 minutes; pour into bowl. Serve hens with sauce.

CORNISH GAME HENS WITH RICE STUFFING

Steps:

• Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the almonds, onion, and uncooked wild rice. Saute 5 to 10 minutes. Mix in the water, chicken bouillon cube, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and cook 45 minutes until rice is tender and easily fluffed with a fork.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Season the Cornish game hens inside and out with salt, and stuff with the rice mixture. Place the hens breast side up on a rack in a baking pan. Brush with 1/4 cup melted butter.
• Cover the baking pan, and cook the hens 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Uncover, and continue cooking 1 hour, or until the hens are no longer pink and the juices run clear.

CORNISH HENS WITH ORANGE RICE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450°F. Spray large roasting pan with cooking spray. Spread grapes in roasting pan.
• In 12-inch skillet, melt 1/4 cup butter over medium heat. Add hens; cook 8 minutes, turning once. Place hens on top of grapes in roasting pan. Reserve 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet. Stir flour into drippings with whisk until smooth. Gradually stir in wine, 1/2 cup orange juice, the apple jelly and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until jelly is melted and sauce is reduced to 2 cups. Remove from heat; reserve 1 1/4 cups sauce for serving.
• Sprinkle hens with pepper and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; brush with 1/4 cup remaining sauce.
• Roast uncovered on bottom oven rack 40 minutes, brushing hens twice with 1/4 cup sauce, until juice of hens is clear when thickest part is cut to bone (at least 165°F). Cover; let stand 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in 3-quart saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter over medium-high heat. Cook celery and onion in butter 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Stir in water and 3/4 cup orange juice. Heat to boiling; stir in rice and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Return to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cover; simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Remove from heat. Stir in orange peel; fluff rice with fork.
• Arrange rice, grapes and hens on serving platter or individual plates. Serve with reserved 1 1/4 cups sauce.

CORNISH GAME HENS AND RICE BAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. I spray 13 x 9 glass baking dish with Pam (recipe does not call for it).
• Using kitchen shears or sharp knife, cut game hens in half lengthwise through breastbone.
• In 13 x 9 glass baking dish combine rice mix, onion, celery and mushrooms.
• Heat water and dissolve bouillon; stir into rice mixture.
• Dot with butter.
• Place game hens cut side down over rice.
• Brush with 1 tablespoon honey.
• Sprinkle with salt.
• Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover, brush with remaining honey.
• Bake uncovered for 30 minutes longer or until tender and brown.

CORNISH HEN WITH TART CHERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Combine sea salt, black pepper, thyme, garlic powder, rosemary, and paprika in a bowl. Place hens on a baking sheet and evenly brush with 5 tablespoons butter. Rub hens with spice mixture.
• Bake hens in preheated oven until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 1 1/2 hours, basting every 1/2 hour with white wine. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 180 degrees F (82 degrees C).
• Mix cherries, red wine, orange juice, and brown sugar in a saucepan; bring to a boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, stir in 2 tablespoons butter, and cook until sugar is dissolved and butter is melted, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle flour into the sauce; whisk until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Drizzle cherry sauce over cooked hens.