Roast Cornish Hen Recipe | Diethood

My Cornish hen recipe makes a wonderfully juicy, golden-brown hen rubbed with savory spices and baked over a mattress of lemon and herbs. Roast onions in the identical pan and serve the hen over rice for a “fancy with out attempting” dinner!

In case you’ve by no means cooked it earlier than, I believe you’re going to search out right now’s Cornish hen recipe very useful! Roasting a Cornish hen isn’t a lot completely different from cooking a roast hen. Cornish recreation hen is actually only a smaller, extra tender, delicately flavored kind of hen (and never a recreation hen in any respect, really).

Whereas I usually make air fryer Cornish hen, for these of you with out air fryers, that is my authentic oven-roasted model. With a number of easy seasonings, contemporary lemon, and herbs, you possibly can put together an ideal Cornish hen to serve at your subsequent particular dinner.

What Makes This Cornish Hen Recipe Particular

Additional tender. Cornish hen is the poultry equal of lamb: tender, juicy, and wealthy in taste. I’ll generally put together it rather than a rack of lamb for Easter.
Excellent for a small crowd. One hen can comfortably feed 1-2 individuals, so I really like making this recipe when we have now firm. It’s spectacular on a plate, however really easy to cook dinner within the oven. The home smells superb, too!
Adaptable. This recipe is the proper launching level for any variations you possibly can consider. Swap the spices, soak the hens in brine, or change the herbs to your liking.

Components Wanted to Make This Recipe

Right here’s a brief purchasing checklist for this roasted Cornish hen recipe. Check with the recipe card beneath for the total ingredient quantities.

Cornish hen recipe ingredients with text labels overlaying each ingredient.

Cornish Hens – One hen is sufficient for 2 servings. You’ll discover them within the frozen poultry part of main grocery shops or on-line. If utilizing frozen Cornish hens, thaw them totally and pat them dry.
Butter – Thinly sliced to tuck beneath the hen’s pores and skin. I exploit this method with the compound butter for my Thanksgiving turkey, too, and it by no means fails to yield a flavorful, juicy hen.
Contemporary Herbs and Lemon – Rosemary and thyme sprigs, plus lemon slices, to infuse the meat with taste.
Onion and Garlic – Minimize the onion into quarters and smash the garlic cloves with the aspect of a knife. White or yellow onions are greatest for roasting.
Olive Oil – To drizzle over the hens and veggies earlier than baking.
Spices – I make a variation of my hen seasoning from salt, pepper, Italian herbs, paprika, garlic powder, and purple pepper flakes. You’ll be able to omit the chili flakes should you’re delicate to spice.

A cornish hen served over rice with a side of fresh green beans.

Suggestions for Cooking Cornish Hen

Brown the pores and skin. In case you’d like a darker, crispier pores and skin on the Cornish hens, change the oven to broil for a few minutes as soon as they’re finished baking. Simply don’t neglect about them, broiling meals can go from brown to burnt shortly!
Check for doneness. Cornish hen is cooked when the inner temperature hits 165ºF on the thickest a part of the hen. Use an instant-read thermometer to test.
Extra taste. Much like the way you’d put together a turkey, you possibly can fill the small cavity contained in the hens with additional herbs, lemon slices, and garlic.

Two Cornish hens on a platter, with a bowl of rice set on one side of the platter, and a bowl of cooked green beans in another bowl.

What to Serve With Cornish Hen

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Prep. Preheat your oven to 450ºF. Place the rosemary, thyme, onion, garlic, and lemon slices on a baking sheet in a single layer and put aside.
Put together the Cornish hen. Pat the Cornish hens dry with paper towels. Elevate the pores and skin of the Cornish hens with a finger and punctiliously place 2 slices of butter underneath the pores and skin of every hen. I place one slice proper over every breast.
Make the spice rub. Mix the salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, paprika, garlic powder, and purple pepper flakes in a bowl. Season the Cornish hens with the spice rub.
Get able to roast. Place the Cornish hens over the lemon slices and aromatics on the baking sheet, and drizzle the whole lot with olive oil. Twist the wings to tuck underneath the hen, and you can additionally tie the legs with twine, however that is non-obligatory.
Roast. Cut back the oven temperature to 400˚F and bake the Cornish hens for 55-60 minutes, or till the inner temperature of every hen reaches 165ºF.
Allow them to relaxation, then serve. Take away the hens from the oven and allow them to relaxation for 10 to fifteen minutes earlier than serving. Serve with some additional lemon wedges on the aspect.

Ensure your baking pan is large sufficient: If the Cornish hens are touching, the pores and skin is not going to get crispy.
Examine that they’re finished: The Cornish hens are totally baked when the internal temperature of the thickest half reaches 165F.
Get extra colour: In case you choose darker pores and skin on the hens, broil them for an additional couple of minutes on the finish.
Add herbs: For additional taste, you possibly can fill the cavity of the hens with herbs and garlic.

Dietary information is an estimate and offered as courtesy. Values might differ in response to the substances and instruments used. Please use your most popular dietary calculator for extra detailed information.

The way to Roast Cornish Hen

Use a large baking pan that may match each Cornish hens with area between them. In the event that they’re crowded on the baking sheet, the pores and skin gained’t crisp up.

Two hands tucking pats of butter underneath the skin of two uncooked Cornish hens. — Tuck butter underneath the pores and skin.

Put together the Cornish hen. Pat the hen dry with paper towels (this manner, the spice rub adheres). Then, fastidiously raise the pores and skin along with your fingers, and slice two pats of butter beneath, one on either side.
Make the spice rub. Subsequent, mix the seasonings and rub them evenly over the hen.

Lemon slices, fresh herbs, and quartered onions arranged on a baking sheet. — Organize the lemon, herbs, and onions.

Get able to roast. Organize the rosemary, thyme, onion, garlic, and lemon slices on a baking pan. I wish to make a small mattress of lemon slices and herbs, and place the hen on high. Afterward, drizzle the whole lot with olive oil.
Roast. Roast the Cornish hen at 450ºF for 55-60 minutes. The hen is finished when the inner temperature reaches 165ºF.
Serve. Earlier than serving, relaxation the hen outdoors of the oven for 20 minutes. Then, serve the Cornish hen with extra herbs and lemon on the aspect, and revel in.

Roasted Cornish hen on a baking tray with rosemary sprigs.

Storing and Reheating

Refrigerate. I wish to carve any leftover Cornish hen and switch the meat to an hermetic container to maintain within the fridge for 3-4 days. Toss it right into a salad rather than hen for a simple lunch!
Reheat. To reheat, heat it within the oven or microwave. Sprinkle it with a bit of water so it doesn’t dry out.
Freeze. You’ll be able to freeze the cooked Cornish hen for as much as 2 months, wrapped tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap. Thaw within the fridge earlier than reheating.