Greek Yogurt Cornish Game Hens Recipes

GREEK YOGURT CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Place Cornish game hens in a large resealable plastic bag.
• Mix Greek yogurt, lemon juice, paprika, olive oil, garlic salt, thyme, black pepper, oregano, rosemary, and savory together in a small bowl. Pour yogurt mixture over game hens, turning to coating them completely and get some of the mixture into their cavities. Seal bag, removing as much air as possible, and refrigerate, 2 hours to overnight.
• Preheat grill for low heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Remove game hens from bags and pat dry. Discard yogurt mixture. Grill until skins starts to brown, about 3 minutes per side. Cover grill and cook game hens, rotating if needed, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest parts of the thigh, near the bone, reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove game hens from the grill and slice open on the breast side, flattening them out like open books. Return to the grill, cut-side down, cover grill, and cook until browned, about 4 minutes.

ROASTED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a small mixing bowl, stir together salt, lemon pepper, dried basil and poultry seasoning. Rub olive oil all over the hens and season each with the salt mixture. Place the hens on a baking sheet pan with plenty of space between them. You may need to use 2 pans. Loosely stuff the cavities of each hen with some green bell pepper, celery and onion. Roast the hens in the preheated oven for about 1 hour or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F and the juices run clear. Remove the hens from the oven, loosely tent with foil and let rest 10 minutes before carving or serving.

GREEK YOGURT CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Place Cornish game hens in a large resealable plastic bag.
• Mix Greek yogurt, lemon juice, paprika, olive oil, garlic salt, thyme, black pepper, oregano, rosemary, and savory together in a small bowl. Pour yogurt mixture over game hens, turning to coating them completely and get some of the mixture into their cavities. Seal bag, removing as much air as possible, and refrigerate, 2 hours to overnight.
• Preheat grill for low heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Remove game hens from bags and pat dry. Discard yogurt mixture. Grill until skins starts to brown, about 3 minutes per side. Cover grill and cook game hens, rotating if needed, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest parts of the thigh, near the bone, reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove game hens from the grill and slice open on the breast side, flattening them out like open books. Return to the grill, cut-side down, cover grill, and cook until browned, about 4 minutes.

HERB-BRINED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine the salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, sage, garlic, thyme, rosemary and 1 quart water. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir until salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove from the heat. Add the cold water to cool the brine to room temperature., Place a turkey-sized oven roasting bag inside a second roasting bag; add hens. Carefully pour cooled brine into bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible; seal bags and turn to coat. Place in a roasting pan. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours, turning occasionally. Drain and discard brine; pat hens dry., Meanwhile, place the peppercorns and garlic in a food processor; cover and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add the butter, 3 tablespoons olive oil and herbs; cover and process until smooth. With fingers, carefully loosen skin from hens; rub half the butter mixture under skin. Secure skin to underside of breast with toothpicks; tie drumsticks together. Rub remaining butter mixture over skin., In a 15x10x1-in. baking pan, toss the Brussels sprouts and onions with remaining olive oil, salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer. Place hens, breast side up, on top of the vegetables. Bake at 450° until thermometer inserted in breast reads 165°, 35-40 minutes. Cover loosely with foil if hens brown too quickly., Remove hens and vegetables to a serving platter; cover and let stand for 10 minutes before carving. If desired, garnish with additional herbs.

SPICED YOGURT-MARINATED CORNISH HENS WITH SWEET ONION-ROASTED POTATOES

Steps:

• Combine the yogurt, coconut aminos, garlic, salt, peppercorns, turmeric, and ginger in a blender. Use a Microplane to grate in the zest of both lemons, then halve one and squeeze in the juice. Reserve the re-maining lemon for another purpose. Blend on high speed until smooth, about 1 minute.
• Rinse the hens under cool water, inside and out, and pat dry very well. Put them in a large bowl or pan and spoon about one third of the yogurt marinade into the cavities of the birds, spreading it around as best you can. Pour the rest of the marinade over the hens, using the spoon to make sure they're completely coated, tops and bottoms, including the wings and crevices between the legs and breasts.
• Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 16 hours or up to 2 days.
• About half an hour before you're ready to cook the hens, remove them from the fridge to take the chill off. Heat the oil in a wide, heavy skillet over medium heat until shimmery. Add the onions and 1½ teaspoons of the salt. Stir well, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to soften and release liquid, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid has evaporated and the onions have a creamy texture, turn a deep golden color, and taste very sweet, about 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 450°F. Spread the potatoes on a large sheet pan, sprinkle with the remaining 1½ teaspoons of salt, and toss well. Add the cooked onion mixture, stir well, and spread them to make a bed for the hens-a snug single layer in the center of the pan.
• Take the hens out of the marinade (don't scrape any off, but do leave behind anything left in the bowl) and put them on the potato-onion mixture, with a few inches of space between each one. Roast until the hens are golden brown with some dark patches and poking the thighs reveals juices with no trace of pink (a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast should register 150°F), 40 to 45 minutes.
• Let the hens rest in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a platter to serve.

CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Place hens on a rack in a shallow baking pan. Tie legs with kitchen string if desired. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Combine the butter, orange juice and honey; spoon over hens. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 1 hour or until a thermometer reads 165° and juices run clear, basting every 15 minutes., In a small saucepan, combine the orange juice, honey and vinegar. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into orange juice mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Serve with hens.

CORNISH GAME HENS WITH CRANBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• Put the game hens in a shallow, flameproof baking dish without crowding. Rub the hens all over with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cut the onion in half and place the halves, cut side down, around the hens. Arrange the gizzards and livers around the hens.
• Place the baking dish with hens on top of the stove over low heat. Turn the hens around in the dish to coat with the oil. Arrange the hens on their sides. Place in the oven and bake 15 minutes, basting often.
• Turn the hens to other side and continue baking 15 minutes, basting often.
• Turn the hens breast side up and continue baking about 10 minutes, basting often.
• Transfer the hens to a heated serving platter and cover with foil to keep warm.
• Skim off most of the fat from the pan liquid in the baking dish. Put the baking dish on top of the stove and bring the pan liquid to a boil. Add the wine and stir to dissolve any brown particles that may cling to the bottom of the pan. Strain the sauce into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook down to about half and add the honey, chicken broth and tomato paste. Stir. Add any liquid that has accumulated inside or around the hens. Add the cranberries and bring to a boil.
• Cook until the cranberries pop, about 3 minutes, stirring often. Swirl in the butter. Add salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the hens and serve.

POMEGRANATE-GLAZED CORNISH GAME HENS WITH WILD RICE-CHESTNUT STUFFING AND YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• In a 2-quart saucepan, combine rice, 3 cups cold water, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Immediately reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until all the liquid has evaporated, 45 to 55 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees with rack in center of the oven. Transfer rice to a large bowl, along with chestnuts, onion, thyme, sage, parsley, and dill; stir to combine. Lightly season the cavity of each game hen with salt, and loosely fill with equal amounts of stuffing, leaving a little space in each for the rice to expand during roasting. Any remaining stuffing may be baked in a covered heatproof dish; set aside.
• Using kitchen twine, truss hens by tying the legs together tightly, looping each side of the string around a wing, and bringing the string all the way around the bird tightly to hold the legs together and the wings close to the body.
• Season hens with salt and pepper, and place breast side down on a rack set in a roasting pan. Roast for 15 minutes, and baste with pomegranate juice. Continue basting with remaining pomegranate juice every 15 to 20 minutes. During the last 25 minutes of roasting, place the reserved stuffing into the oven to heat. When 10 minutes remain, flip the hens over and continue roasting until the hens are dark golden brown and the juices run clear when pierced at the thigh. Total cooking time for hens will be 50 to 55 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, not touching the bone, should register 175 degrees to 180 degrees.
• Remove hens and stuffing from the oven. Transfer hens to a platter. Cover with foil, and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Place roasting pan on the stove over medium-low heat. Add 1/2 cup chicken stock. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up any browned bits from the roasting pan. Add wine, if using. Sift flour into the roasting pan, and stir to combine. Slowly whisk in 1 1/2 cups stock. Cook until mixture has thickened, 5 to 6 minutes. The consistency of the gravy may be adjusted with a teaspoon or two of stock or wine. Season with salt and pepper.
• In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, garlic, and olive oil. Gently stir in the mint and pomegranate seeds. Season with salt and pepper.
• Place a hen on each of 4 plates. Spoon gravy over hens and garnish with parsley, feta cheese, additional stuffing, and yogurt sauce.

CORNISH GAME HENS WITH GARLIC CLOVES AND ONION

Steps:

• Sprinkle the seasoning salt on the birds.
• Stuff 2 cloves in each hen. Sprinkle the rest of the cloves in the baking dish.
• Place the hens on top of the garlic. Add the onions.
• Preheat oven 350*.
• Cover with dish with foil.
• Bake 1 hour.
• Note: Uncover after 1 hour to brown the birds. About 15 to 20 minutes or so. Check.
• Mixed Sauce for Mashed Potatoes:.
• Take all cooked garlic cloves and cooked onion pieces and the drippings. Place in a blender and pulse twice.
• Add to mashed dry potatoes. Add milk, salt and pepper. Serve with margarine or butter.

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.