Lunch / Dinner
Pan-Roasted Cornish Game Hens
When chicken is too routine for the occasion, serve elegant Cornish hens enhanced with a delicious pan sauce instead. Step up your game without veering too far out of your family’s comfort zone by upgrading the standard chicken dinner to Cornish game hens.
These quick-cooking birds are nothing more than immature chickens (4–6 weeks old). Tender and delicious, they’re bred to have smaller bones and larger breast meat — perfect for serving in halves.
A two-step cooking method delivers plenty of flavor while keeping the meat moist. First, sear the hens on the stove top until crisp and golden. Flip them, then finish roasting in the oven. Once they’re cooked through, use the “dirty” pan to create a great sauce. You’ll want to serve everything while it’s hot, so multi-task to roast the vegetables for the colorful side dish.
Ingredients
FOR THE CORNISH HENS, MASSAGE:
FOR THE SAUCE, COOK:
Test Kitchen Tips
To cut each hen in half, first remove the backbone with kitchen shears. Open the hen like a book, then use a chef’s knife to cut the breast plate in half and split the hen evenly.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400° with rack in middle position.
For the Cornish hens, massage hens with oil; season with salt and pepper. Sear hens in a sauté pan over medium-high heat, skin side down, until crisp and golden brown, about 5 minutes.
Flip hens skin side up; transfer to the oven and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°, about 15 minutes. Remove hens from pan and drain excess oil. Let hens rest, uncovered, 5–10 minutes.
For the sauce, cook bacon in the same pan until crisp. Add garlic and cook over medium heat, 1 minute. Deglaze pan with wine, scraping up any browned bits; simmer until reduced to 1 Tbsp. Add broth, zest, and orange juice; simmer 5 minutes. Off heat, whisk in butter and basil. Serve sauce over hens.
For crisp skin, sear the hens without moving them around. Then flip the hens and move the pan to the oven.
To give the sauce a slightly fruity element, add a dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio, to the pan.
To release the flavorful fond, scrape the bottom of the pan, then reduce the wine to concentrate the sauce.
Nutritional Facts
Nutritional Facts
Per serving
Calories: 580
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 29g 44%
Saturated Fat 9g 45%
Cholesterol 332mg 110%
Sodium 332mg 13%
Carbs 4g 1%
Fiber 1g 4%
Protein 70g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.