Marinated Cornish Hens Recipes

GRILLED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the butter, onions, parsley, ginger, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. , Rub mixture under the skin and over the top of each game hen. Sprinkle remaining salt and pepper inside the hen cavities. , Using long-handled tongs, moisten a paper towel with cooking oil and lightly coat the grill rack. Prepare grill for indirect heat, using a drip pan. , Place hens breast side up over drip pan; grill, covered, over indirect medium heat for 45-60 minutes or until a thermometer reads 180° and the meat juices run clear.

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.

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.

SEASONED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, mix soy sauce, oyster sauce, garlic, and pepper. Place Cornish game hens in the mixture, and marinate 10 minutes.
• Transfer hens to a medium baking dish, and cover with the marinade mixture. Cover dish, and bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven.
• Remove cover from dish, and place 1/2 the butter on each hen. Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Basting frequently with the marinade mixture, continue baking 30 minutes, or until exterior of the hens is lightly browned and crisp, the interior is no longer pink, and juices run clear.

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.

ROAST MARINATED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Make marinade:
• Thinly slice lower 6 inches of lemongrass stalks, discarding remainder of stalks
• In a food processor or blender finely grind together sliced lemongrass, coriander, shallot, garlic, and gingerroot. Add sugar, curry powder, pepper, salt, fish sauce, and 1 cup coconut milk and purée.
• Quarter each hen and divide between 2 large resealable plastic bags. Divide marinade between bags and seal bags, pressing out excess air. Put bags in large shallow dish and marinate hens, chilled, turning bag once or twice, overnight.
• Preheat oven to 450°F. and line a large shallow roasting pan with foil.
• Remove hens from marinade, reserving marinade, and arranged hens, skin sides up, in prepared pan. Roast hens 20 to 25 minutes, or until just cooked through.
• While hens are roasting, in a small saucepan combine reserved marinade and remaining 1 cup coconut milk. Cook sauce at a slow boil, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes and strain through a fine sieve into another small saucepan to keep warm.
• Serve hens with marinade sauce and/or sweet chili sauce for dipping if desired.

ROTISSERIE MARINATED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Rinse and pat dry the hens. You shouldn't have any giblets in the cavity but if you do, go ahead and discard them. Place the hens in a large container that you can cover and refrigerate.
• Mix all of the other ingredients in a bowl. Pour them over the hens, making sure they are all coated. Cover the container and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours. You can marinate these over night if needed.
• Remove the hens from the marinade and prepare them for cooking. If you are going to Rotisserie them, make sure you tie the legs and wigs tightly so they don't dangle and get burned.
• Cook the hens for approximately 1 hour, until meat is cooked through and hens are evenly browned.
• If you are going to cook them in the oven, preheat it to 375 degrees. Place the hens on a roasting pan and cook for approximately 1 hour, flipping the birds so they brown evenly.

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.