As fall moves in we decided that we'd go back to an item that we haven't used in a while: the Cornish hen! That said, this recipe would work just as well with one of the whole chickens that we also sell.
For this recipe, we decided to keep it kind of simple and traditional with seasonings and stuffings. To start, we made a simple compound butter with some herbs and garlic to spread under the skin. This ensures that the hen, or chicken, will be juicy and seasoned well in the meat. Afterwards, we stuff it with garlic, lemon, onion, and thyme for aromatics as well as getting all that flavor to permeate the meat. Finally, we lay it on a bed of carrots and celery, spread olive oil all over the skin, season with salt and pepper, then top it with some paprika for color.
We also decided to serve this bird with mashed potatoes. If you wanted to add more to this though, I would suggest picking up some of the organic vegetables from our site. You can find them under the grocery tab!
This dish works great as a nice meal at home by yourself, however, if you wanted to make this for more increase the number of Cornish hens to 1 per person and you'll have a quick and impressive meal for all your guests!
In a mixing bowl combine the ½ tsp thyme, 3 cloves of garlic, lemon zest, butter, and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk together. On a cutting board, gently separate the skin from the meat of either the chicken or Cornish hen using gloved hands. Dip one hand into butter, gently lift skin and generously coat meat with compound butter. Be sure to get into the legs and thigh area to ensure the seasoning has fully coated the bird
Stuff the interior of the chicken or Cornish hen with head of garlic, onion, lemon, and sprigs of thyme. Tie drumsticks together with butchers twine
In a cast iron skillet, arrange celery and carrots until the bottom of the skillet is covered. Lay chicken or Cornish hen on top of carrots and celery then cover with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste, cover in paprika and bake at 400° for 20 minutes for Cornish hen or 1 hour for chicken. Make sure to baste in juices every 10 minutes for hen or 30 minutes for chicken. Check thickest part of the chicken for doneness, let rest for 5 minutes and serve with mashed potatoes and baked vegetables
Recipe Video
Featured in this recipe
two cooked cornish hens on a white and green platter. The hens are garnished with pomegranate arils
2 cooked cornish hens in a cast iron pan with cooked vegetables and 3 slices of lemon. The pan rests on a patterned cloth on a marble counter top. Beside it is a bowl of salad
