Roasted Cornish Hen
Cornish hens are the perfect option for individual servings, especially if you’re planning a dinner for two. They are best grilled or roasted and will end up being very tender and juicy. Use your favorite seasoning or simply use salt and pepper to keep it simple. Cornish hens are simple yet elegant. They make a lovely dinner if you’re feeling something fancy or you can keep it casual for some healthy, delicious protein. Either way you can’t go wrong and you’ll still be impressing anyone with their beautiful presentation.
Brine Your Meat: You can skip the brine if you are short on time, but it definitely helps create a juicy, tender outcome. The more diluted your brine, the less effect the salt will have. Saying that, if you are short on time but are still trying to squeeze in a shorter brine period, more salt may be in your favor. I usually brine overnight just to get it out of the way, with one less thing to worry about the day I am cooking. However, if you are preparing the hens last minute and you would still like to brine it first, I would definitely give it at least 4 hours. If you are planning ahead, overnight is very convenient and anything up to 24 hours is great. Again, if you choose to skip this part, it will do no harm.
Lather Up: A very important factor to consider is how you will be seasoning the meat. I am always a fan of less is more. For this recipe, I am using a poultry seasoning to then blend with other seasonings and butter, so I have many items listed. However, sticking with the basics like salt, pepper and butter is always delicious. Regardless of the flavors you end up with, you should coat the meat inside and out before cooking, then again a couple times during cooking. This way, you are keeping it juicy as it roasts.
Ingredients:
2 cornish hens
1-2 carrots
1-2 stalks of celery
½ sweet onion
Brine Ingredients:
¼ cup salt
10-12 cups of water
4 bay leaves
3 whole cloves of garlic, smashed
Rub Ingredients:
½ cup butter (8 tablespoons), melted
¼ sweet onion
¼ cup light soy sauce (or liquid aminos)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions:
Place hens in a clean brine bag. Then add bay leaves, salt, garlic, and water. Try to get most of the air out of the bag, seal or twist to close. Place in a large bowl, then keep in the fridge for four to 24 hours.
Once the brine process is complete and you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 350.
In the meantime, create your herbs and butter mixture. Begin with a small mixing bowl. Grate the onion, to create a paste and place in bowl. Then add softened butter, soy sauce herbs and seasonings. Whisk to combine well. Set aside.
Prepare a pan for the hens. Cut up the carrots, celery and onion into chunks. Take a shallow pan and lay out the cut vegetables. Set aside.
Then, open the the brine bag and drain. Rinse the legs, pat dry before seasoning.
Place the hens on the rack then use a pastry brush to coat each hen inside and out. Keep the leftover butter mixture set aside. Then place on the prepared roasting pan, breast side up, in the oven and cook for 1 hour, brushing with the butter mixture frequently (if hen weighs over 1lb. 2oz., roast 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until internal temperature reads 180 degrees farenheit when inserted into the thigh). Also, if you were to cut into one, the juices should run clear, not bloody.
To brown, increase temperature to 400 during the last 10 minutes.
Once the hens are finished cooking, remove from the oven, let sit for 15 minutes and serve.
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