These Cornish Game Hens are simply beautiful! It really doesn’t take a lot of work to make them look beautiful, arranged together in a roasting pan, garnished with lime halves, lemon halves and whatever fresh herbs you like.
People will be blown away with the beauty of this cornish game hen recipe but more importantly, their taste buds will be satisfied with the the bright citrus and the savory flavors of fresh herbs. If you’re a little intimidated by the thought of preparing a cornish game hen recipe, don’t be! It’s so easy! If you can cook chicken, you can cook cornish game hen. Actually, cornish game hens are hybrid chickens, a cross between Cornish Game and Plymouth or White Rock chicken breeds, developed in the 1950s. They’re not really game birds at all.
This recipe is a great alternative if you need a time saving shortcut dish for upcoming Thanksgiving or if you don’t feel like slaving over a 20 pound Turkey. This recipe will free you up without compromising taste. The genius of this recipe lies in the simplicity of this dish!
Simple is always better!
Ali in the Valley
Cornish Game Hens
4
servings10
minutes1
hourIngredients
4 Cornish game hens
3 lemons and 3 limes
4 tablespoons olive oil divided
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs thyme, rosemary, sage leaves
¼ cup honey
1 tablespoon soy sauce or liquid aminos
½ tsp Sea salt
½ tsp Ground black pepper
essence seasoning
thyme leaves for garnish
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Rinse the hens with cold water and pat them dry. Remove the giblet bundles from inside the hens and use for another purpose or discard. Season them on both sides with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Cut the lemons and limes in half and juice them into a small bowl. Save the lemon halves to add to the pan as shown in the photo.
- In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice with the herbs, honey, soy sauce or liquid aminos and 2 Tablespoons of the olive oil. Set aside.
- Heat a large cast iron pan on medium heat. Coat the bottom of the pan with the rest of the olive oil. Seat the hens for 4 minutes on each side. I did this in two batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
- Transfer the hens and any drippings from the skillet to a large roasting pan. Pour the lemon herb mixture over the hens and place in the oven for 50-60 minutes or until a thermometer reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let the hens rest for 10 minutes. Garnish with thyme leaves and serve.
