Instead of a turkey or a big roast, why not serve individual Cornish game hens for the holidays? They cook in a fraction of the time and they’re guaranteed to impress all your guests. —Shannon Roum, Cudahy, Wisconsin
Provided by: Taste of Home
Categories: Dinner
Total time: 04 hours 10 minutes
Prep time: 35 minutes
Cook time: 03 hours 35 minutes
Yield: 8 servings.
Ingredients:
| 2/3 cup kosher salt |
| 1/4 cup packed brown sugar |
| 12 whole peppercorns |
| 5 fresh sage leaves |
| 2 garlic cloves |
| 1 fresh thyme sprig |
| 1 fresh rosemary sprig |
| 1 quart water |
| 1-1/2 quarts cold water |
| 2 large turkey-sized oven roasting bags |
| 4 Cornish game hens (20 ounces each) |
| HERB BUTTER: |
| 14 whole peppercorns |
| 2 garlic cloves |
| 3/4 cup butter, softened |
| 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided |
| 1/3 cup packed fresh parsley sprigs |
| 3 tablespoons fresh sage leaves |
| 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves |
| 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves |
| 2 pounds fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved |
| 2 small red onions, cut into wedges |
| 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt |
| 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper |
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.
Nutrition Facts:
Calories 592 calories, Fat 39g fat (16g saturated fat), Cholesterol 199mg cholesterol, Sodium 474mg sodium, Carbohydrate 12g carbohydrate (3g sugars, Fiber 4g fiber), Protein 49g protein.
Should I brine my Cornish hens?
Yes, I would definitely recommend brining your game hen. At least 12 hours or more before you intend to cook your Cornish hens, start the brine. Get out a large food-grade container.
How do you Cook Cornish hens?
Remove the pot from the fridge, take the Cornish hens out of the brine, and pat them down with paper towels. Place them on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. You do not have to add anything else, because they taste wonderful as they are, but I tried them with some olive oil, more salt, and a little pepper, and it does make a difference.
How to defrost Cornish Game hens?
I would recommend fully defrosting the frozen cornish hen and then cooking. For faster defrosting, you can defrost in a bowl of water in the sink. How Many Cornish Game Hens per Person?
What are Cornish Game hens?
It is actually a breed of chicken. They have actually been bred specifically for the commercial use – they don’t lay legs very well, but the make for a tasty dinner! With that said, traditional cornish game hens are young, females that are butchered when they are just a few weeks old. When Should You Make Cornish Game Hens?