Recipe -- Cornish Hens

This year, Thanksgiving turkey was enough for me, and since I've already tried duck (disaster 2011), I thought I'd go for a slightly different bird. Enter cornish  hens. They are so small, I figured they'd be tough and gamy, but I was so wrong. They came out great. I will be making them with this recipe for many more holiday meals.

This whole holiday meal took me less than two hours to make, and since there were only four of us, we still have tons of leftovers. Here's the best recipe I found for the tiny hens.

• 
  3 Cornish game hens
  salt and pepper to taste
  1 lemon, quartered
  4 sprigs fresh rosemary
  3 tablespoons olive oil
  6 cloves garlic
  1/3 cup white wine
  1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  4 sprigs fresh rosemary, for garnish

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

Rub hens with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Lightly season hens with salt and pepper. Place 1 lemon wedge and 1 sprig rosemary in cavity of each hen. Arrange in a large, heavy roasting pan, and arrange garlic cloves around hens. Roast in preheated oven for 25 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a mixing bowl, whisk together wine, chicken broth, and remaining 2 tablespoons of oil; pour over hens. Continue roasting about 25 minutes longer, or until hens are golden brown and juices run clear. Baste with pan juices every 10 minutes.

Transfer hens to a platter, pouring any cavity juices into the roasting pan. Tent hens with aluminum foil to keep warm. Transfer pan juices and garlic cloves to a medium saucepan and boil until liquids reduce to a sauce consistency, about 6 minutes. Cut hens in half lengthwise and arrange on plates. 

Spoon sauce and garlic around hens. Garnish with rosemary sprigs, and serve.


This is just from allrecipes.