Marinated Cornish Game Hens Recipes

CORNISH GAME HENS RICARDO

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the garlic, parsley, and 2 tablespoons olive oil.
• Rinse hens and pat dry. Rub remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil on the inside and outside of the hens. Stuff the garlic and parsley mixture under skin and around each bird. Season with salt and pepper. Place seasoned hens in an airtight, plastic container. Sprinkle with rosemary, and pour wine over birds. Cover, and refrigerate at least overnight to marinate.
• Preheat grill for low heat.
• Remove hens from marinade, and place on heated grill. Cook for 40 minutes, turning once, or until done.

GRILLED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• In a large, non-reactive bowl, mix onion, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, white wine, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, pepper, celery salt, and salt. Place Cornish game hens in the bowl, coating evenly with the marinade mixture. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 4 hours.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat, and lightly oil grate.
• Cook hens about 1 hour on the prepared grill, brushing occasionally with remaining marinade, until no longer pink and juices run clear.

TUSCAN GRILLED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Sprinkle the Cornish hens with 1 teaspoon salt on each side.
• Combine the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a ceramic or glass dish just large enough to hold the flattened hens. Add the hens, and turn to coat. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight, turning once or twice.
• When ready to grill, prepare a hot charcoal fire on one side of a grill (or turn a gas grill on low heat). Spread 1/4 of the coals across the other side of the grill. Place the hens on the cooler side skin-side up and weigh them down with a gratin dish with a foil-wrapped brick inside.
• Cook for 12 minutes, until the underside is golden brown. Turn the hens skin-side down, weigh them down again, and cook for another 12 minutes until the skin is golden brown and the hens are cooked through.
• Place the lemon halves on the cool side of the grill, cut-side down, for the last 10 minutes of cooking. Remove the Cornish hens and lemons to a plate or cutting board, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Cut the hens in half, sprinkle with fleur de sel, and serve with the grilled lemon halves.

FLATTENED CORNISH GAME HENS WITH GARLIC-CITRUS MARINADE

Steps:

• Prepare BBQ (Medium heat).
• Combine olive oil, chopped thyme, garlic,lemon peel, lime peel, honey, salt, and pepper in a baking dish and stir marinade to blend well.
• Place hens on work surface and cover with plastic wrap and pound gently with mallet to flatten slightly.
• Place hen halves in marinade in dish, using fingers, rub both sides of hens with marinade.
• Let marinate 20 minutes at room temperature.
• Grill hen halves until just cooked through and skin is lightly charred, brushing with remaining marinade, about 12 minutes per side.
• Arrange hen on plates and garnish lemon wedges, lime wedges, and fresh thyme sprigs.

ROASTED POMEGRANATE-MARINATED CORNISH GAME HENS WITH CIPPOLINI AND TREVISO

Steps:

• Trim excess fat in and around cavity of each hen; remove wing tips and reserve. Generously season cavity and exterior of each hen with salt and pepper. Reserving 2 tablespoons, rub hens with marinade and refrigerate, covered, for 6 hours.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees with rack in upper 1/3 of oven. Place onions, carrots, celery, garlic, reserved wing tips and necks, thyme, and bay leaves in a large roasting pan. Position hens on top of vegetables so they are not crowded and tail ends meet in center of pan. Roast until the juices run clear in the legs when pricked with a fork, 45 to 60 minutes. During the last 10 minutes of roasting, baste hens with reserved marinade mixture.
• Remove hens from oven; let rest 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a grill pan over high heat. Using a pastry brush, brush cut-sides of pomegranate and treviso with olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Place cut-side down on grill pan, and cook until grill marks appear.
• Transfer some of the onions and treviso to a large serving platter. Top with hens and remaining vegetables. Drizzle with about 2 tablespoons gastrique. Garnish with grilled pomegranate and treviso. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds, if desired.

MARINATED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Remove bags with liver and necks from hens, wash hens well pat dry.
• Rub hens with oil.
• Prepare marinade, place hens in either glass bowl or 2 plastic bags,pour marinade over hens.
• Let hens marinate overnight in refrigerator turning hens or bags over occasionally.
• Next day remove hens from marinade and place onto a roasting rack.
• Roast hens at 400 F for 50 to 60 minutes, turning once during cooking time and baisting with matinade occasionally.
• Check for doneness by piercing with a fork,
• hens should be fork tender and juices should run clear.
• Can serve whole hens or cut hebs in half lenghtwise to double.

ROASTED CORNISH GAME HENS MARINATED IN HONEY AND MUSTARD

Steps:

• Mix the honey, mustard, garlic, 3 tablespoons oil, thyme and cinnamon together in a bowl and set aside. Remove the wing tips from the hens. Roll the hens in the marinade and marinate overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Season the birds inside and out with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze over each bird. Put a used lemon half in the cavity of each bird. Truss the birds.
• Set a rack in a roasting pan and brush the rack with several tablespoons vegetable oil. Place the birds, breast side down on the oiled rack. Roast for 30 minutes. Turn the birds breast side up, reduce the heat to 350 degrees and roast an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until the hens are cooked through and the skin is brown. Allow the hens to rest 10 minutes before serving.