Cornish Hens And Vegetables In Foil Packets Recipes

ROASTED CORNISH HEN AND VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degree Fahrenheit.
• Rub the insides of Cornish hens with salt and pepper and 3 minced garlic cloves.
• In a bowl, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, paprika, chili powder, cumin, remaining minced garlic, 1/4 cup chicken stock and stir well to combine. Use 2/3 of this mixture to rub all over the outside of Cornish hens. Sprinkle the desired amount of salt over the outside of the hens. Sprinkle a very small amount of additional paprika over the hens (for color).
• Toss carrots, onions, and sweet potatoes in the remaining 1/3 of the mixture to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Transfer vegetables to the large roasting pan. Place hens breast sides up on top of vegetables. Add a little bit of chicken stock on the bottom of the pan to prevent vegetables from burning.
• Roast Cornish hens at 425 Fahrenheit for 30-35 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 Fahrenheit. Combine 1/2 cup of chicken stop and 1/2 cup of white wine and pour the mixture over the hens and into the bottom of the roasting pan. Continue roasting at 350 degrees F for 15-20 more minutes, basting hens with pan juices, until hen juices run clear.
• Transfer hens and vegetables to a platter. Make sure to pour juices from the hen cavities into a roasting pan. Cover hens with foil. Transfer the sauce from the roasting pan into a smaller saucepan and boil it down a little bit to thicken, if desired. You can also dissolve a little bit of cornstarch in water and add it to the boiling sauce to thicken it. After hens sit under the foil, pour juices from rested hens back into the sauce you just made. If desired, add more chicken stock to the thickened sauce.
• Serve Cornish hens whole or cut in half.

ROASTED CORNISH HEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• Pat the cornish hen dry (including cavity) with paper towels.
• In a small bowl, combine all dry rub seasoning mixture ingredients. Rub seasoning mixture over both sides and underneat the skin of the hen.
• Season the cavity of the hen with salt and pepper then stuff with one lemon wedge, head of garlic halved, and 3 rosemary sprigs.
• Tuck wing tips under the back of the hen; tie ends of legs together with twine.
• Put the chopped vegetables in a large roasting pan, then drizzle with oil. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste then pour in the dry white wine.
• Put the hens, breast side up, directly on top of vegetables. Make sure the hens are not touching the wine! Brush the hens on both sides with oil.
• Roast the hens and vegetables, uncovered, for about 50-60 minutes (depending on the size) or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F and the vegetables are tender. Rotating the pan halfway through roasting.

CORNISH HENS AND VEGETABLES IN FOIL PACKETS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Season hens with salt and freshly ground pepper.
• Place two chicken halves, skin side down, on bottom half of a 12 x 18-inch sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
• Layer one quarter of potatoes, squash, carrots, onions and mushrooms over the top of the of the hen halves.
• Repeat with remaining 3 hens and vegetables.
• In a small bowl combine the melted butter, lemon juice and pepper.
• Drizzle over vegetables, dividing equally among the packets. Season lightly with salt and sprinkle 1 tablespoon over each packet.
• Bring top half of foil over food and make a series of pleated folds all around to seal.
• Place on a couple of baking sheets and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until juices from hen run clear when thigh is pricked.

PAPRIKA-ROASTED CORNISH HENS AND VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 475°F. Heat a 17- by 11 1/2- by 2-inch flameproof roasting pan in upper third of oven 10 minutes.
• Stir together oil, paprika, cayenne, and salt in a large bowl. Rinse hens and pat dry. Remove any excess fat from opening of cavities and season cavities with salt and pepper. Tie drumsticks together if desired. Brush some of spice oil over hens. Toss vegetables and caraway seeds in remaining spice oil to coat and transfer to hot roasting pan. Roast vegetables, uncovered, 25 minutes. Stir vegetables and arrange hens, breast sides up, on top. Roast 40 minutes, then baste hens with pan juices and roast 20 minutes more, or until a thermometer inserted in fleshy part of thigh registers 170°F. Pour any juices from inside hens into pan.
• Transfer hens to a cutting board and halve each lengthwise along backbone. Transfer vegetables with a slotted spoon to a platter. Sprinkle parsley over vegetables and top with hen pieces. Skim fat from pan juices and pour over hens. Stir together sour cream and water and serve on the side.