Cornish Game Hens With Stuffing Recipes

CORNISH GAME HENS, STUFFED UNDER THE SKIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a small mixing bowl, combine basil, garlic, ricotta cheese and soft bread crumbs; bind the ingredients together with egg yolk.
• With heavy shears, cut each bird along one side of backbone and remove as much fat as possible. Cut backbone away; insert your fingers under the skin covering the breast and top of drumsticks. Loosen skin as much as possible and insert some stuffing between flesh and skin. Set bird halves, breast side up in a baking pan; rub olive oil over the skin and season with salt and pepper.
• Bake for about 10 minutes, lower heat to 375 degrees and bake for 35 to 40 minutes longer or until done; let bird rest 10 minute before serving to let stuffing settle and firm up. Serve with bread and 1 or 2 vegetable purees.

ROASTED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a small mixing bowl, stir together salt, lemon pepper, dried basil and poultry seasoning. Rub olive oil all over the hens and season each with the salt mixture. Place the hens on a baking sheet pan with plenty of space between them. You may need to use 2 pans. Loosely stuff the cavities of each hen with some green bell pepper, celery and onion. Roast the hens in the preheated oven for about 1 hour or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F and the juices run clear. Remove the hens from the oven, loosely tent with foil and let rest 10 minutes before carving or serving.

CORNISH GAME HENS WITH WILD RICE STUFFING

Steps:

• In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-low heat. Saute the onions and celery until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the thyme and cook for 1 minute more. In a mixing bowl combine the onion mixture with the rice, parsley, nuts and dried fruits and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place 1/2 cup of the stuffing into the cavity of each hen. Tie the legs of each bird together with kitchen twine.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Melt the remaining butter with the vinegar. Brush the birds all over with the butter mixture and season with salt and pepper. Put the hens on a rack in a large roasting pan, breast-side up. Roast the hens until an instant read thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 170 degrees F., about 80 minutes. Set the birds aside at room temperature, loosely covered with foil, for 10 minutes before carving. Split hens in half through the breast with a sharp knife or poultry shears, and keep the stuffing intact. Arrange birds skin-side up, on a platter, garnish with sprigs of parsley and serve.

CORNISH GAME HENS WITH CORNBREAD STUFFING

Steps:

• In a medium skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-low heat. Saute the leeks for 8 to 10 minutes, until softened. Add the apples and cook for 3 minutes more. In a medium bowl combine the leek mixture with the sage, parsley, cornbread and enough broth to moisten. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Stuff the birds with the cornbread mixture and tie the legs of each hen together with kitchen twine. Melt the remaining butter. Brush the birds all over with butter and season with salt and pepper. Put the hens on a rack in a large roasting pan, breast-side up. Roast until an instant read thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 170 degrees F., about 80 minutes. Set the birds aside at room temperature, loosely covered with foil, for 10 minutes before carving. Split the hens in half through the breast with a sharp knife or poultry shears, and keep the stuffing intact. Arrange birds skin-side up, on a platter, garnish with sprigs of herbs and serve.

CORNISH GAME HENS WITH STUFFING

Steps:

• 1. Make stuffing according to pkg. directions. Add in apples and bacon when fluffing with fork. Set aside. Remove anything inside the hens and rinse inside with cold water. Pat dry with paper towels. (Don't rub or you can have bits of paper towel left in there. Not good.) In small saucepan, melt butter on low. Add seasonings and spices. Stir well to mix. Remove from heat. When stuffing has cooled, stuff each bird. You may have a bit left over. Place in small baking dish with lid for extra helpings. ;) Place hens into metal or glass 13x9 baking pan. Tie legs together and tuck wings under. Baste hens with a little butter mixture to coat. Bake in preheated 350 oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour. Baste with butter mixure every 15-20 minutes. When done, baste with any last remaining butter mixture over them. Tent with foil covering to keep warm, and let rest til serving for at least 5-10 minutes.

CORNISH GAME HENS WITH RICE STUFFING

Steps:

• Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the almonds, onion, and uncooked wild rice. Saute 5 to 10 minutes. Mix in the water, chicken bouillon cube, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and cook 45 minutes until rice is tender and easily fluffed with a fork.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Season the Cornish game hens inside and out with salt, and stuff with the rice mixture. Place the hens breast side up on a rack in a baking pan. Brush with 1/4 cup melted butter.
• Cover the baking pan, and cook the hens 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Uncover, and continue cooking 1 hour, or until the hens are no longer pink and the juices run clear.

CORNISH GAME HENS WITH SAGE STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a roasting pan with foil.
• Melt the butter and stir in 1/2 teaspoons salt and pepper, sage, onion, and celery. Cook until the veggies are soft, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook 3 minutes.
• Stir in the stuffing and 1/4 cup water. Stir until absorbed and cool for 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle the hens with the remaining salt and pepper. Fill the cavities of the hens with the stuffing and truss.
• Roast until the meat thermometer in the thigh reads 180 degrees, about an hour and 15 minutes.

ROAST CORNISH GAME HENS WITH CORNBREAD STUFFING

Steps:

• Remove the giblets from the hens, rinse with cold water and pat dry.
• Prepare the marinade- combine the vegetable oil, the wine, the chopped medium onion, the garlic, half of the rosemary, the 1/2 teaspoons salt and coarsely ground black pepper and the unsalted butter.
• Place the hens in a large food storage bag and pour the marinade over them.
• Close the bag securely and refrigerate for at least three hours.
• Shake the bag occasionally to coat the hens with the marinade.
• Prepare the stuffing- in saute pan, melt the salted butter.
• Saute the 1 cup chopped onions and celery in the butter until tender.
• In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes with the sauteed onions and celery.
• Mix in the poultry seasoning, sage and remainder of the rosemary.
• Add the eggs and enough chicken broth to slightly moisten and barely bind the ingredients.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Remove the hens from the bag and pat dry with paper towels.
• Season the hens to taste inside and out with salt and pepper.
• Stuff the cavity loosely with the cornbread stuffing.
• Brush butter over the skin of the hens and place them breast side up in a roasting pan with enough space to allow room between the hens.
• Roast for 15 minutes to brown.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and baste frequently with pan drippings for 45 minutes.

CORNISH GAME HENS WITH GARLIC AND ROSEMARY

Steps:

• 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.

CORNISH HENS WITH RICE STUFFING

Steps:

• Set the seasoning packet from rice mix aside. In a saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add rice and pecans; cook and stir over low heat for 10 minutes or until rice is golden brown. Stir in the orange juice, water, raisins and contents of seasoning packet; bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. , Spoon about 1/2 cup rice mixture into each hen; refrigerate remaining rice mixture. Tie legs of each hen together; turn wing tips under backs. Place on a greased rack in a roasting pan. Melt remaining butter; brush over hens. Sprinkle with salt and pepper., Bake at 350° for 1 to 1-1/4 hours or until a thermometer reads 165° when inserted in center of stuffing and thigh reaches at least 170°. Baste occasionally with pan drippings. Heat reserved rice mixture; serve with hens.

STUFFED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• In a large skillet or saucepan, saute celery and onion in 2 tablespoons butter until tender. Remove from the heat. Stir in cornbread, bread crumbs, pimientos, broth, egg, poultry seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; mix well. , Stuff each hen with 3/4 cup stuffing. Place extra stuffing in a greased 1-qt. baking dish; refrigerate. Place hens breast side up on a rack in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Cover loosely with foil; bake at 375° for 45 minutes. , Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt the remaining butter; add garlic, lemon zest, mint and remaining salt and pepper. Brush over hens. Bake 15-30 minutes longer or until a thermometer reads 180° for hens and 165° for stuffing. Bake the extra stuffing, covered, for 30 minutes.