Cornish Hens Stuffed With Butternut Squash Recipes

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.

STUFFED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season inside and out of cornish hens. In a bowl combine mushrooms, onions, carrots, peas, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Stuff vegetables into cavity of each bird to full capacity. Drizzle hens with remaining oil. Criss-cross 2 bacon slices across each hen, tucking ends under birds to keep in place. Place hens on a roasting rack in a roasting pan and pour chicken stock in bottom of pan. Roast hens 45 minutes to 1 hour or until an instant reading thermometer inserted in thickest part registers 170 degrees. Allow hens to rest, loosely covered with foil, for at least 10 minutes while you finish sauce. Bring sauce to a boil in roasting pan, scraping bottom of pan to incorporate any drippings; season to taste with salt and pepper. To serve, drizzle hens with sauce.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season inside and out of cornish hens. In a bowl combine mushrooms, onions, carrots, peas, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Stuff vegetables into cavity of each bird to full capacity. Drizzle hens with remaining oil. Criss-cross 2 bacon slices across each hen, tucking ends under birds to keep in place. Place hens on a roasting rack in a roasting pan and pour chicken stock in bottom of pan. Roast hens 45 minutes to 1 hour or until an instant reading thermometer inserted in thickest part registers 170 degrees. Allow hens to rest, loosely covered with foil, for at least 10 minutes while you finish sauce. Bring sauce to a boil in roasting pan, scraping bottom of pan to incorporate any drippings; season to taste with salt and pepper. To serve, drizzle hens with sauce.

CORNISH HENS STUFFED WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Steps:

• Hens -- Clean your hens, pat dry and set a side to take the chill off.
• Stuffing.
• Rice: Cook the rice according to package directions and once it is done, set to the side.
• Vegetables: Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium saute pan and heat to medium heat. Add the onion, pepper and celery and cook until soft. Mix in the squash and heat until warm. Mix in the seasoning, salt and pepper.
• Combine: Add the vegetable mixture to the rice and add the cheese and mix well,.
• Hens -- Simply stuff the hens and place in a large casserole dish which I think works best. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth in the bottom of the dish. Half the way through cooking, I usually add the other 1/2 cup of broth. This just gives the hens a little moisture as they cook. NOTE: If you have extra stuffing, which you probably will - just bake in a small casserole dish. I always serve the extras on the side and there is never any leftovers.
• Glaze -- Mix the jelly with the salt and pepper and heat for 1 minute in the microwave. Brush on the hens. Also, brush 1-2 more times as the hens cook.
• Bake -- Heat the oven to 425 middle shelf and cook 15 minutes. Brush additional glaze on the hens and reduce the oven to 350 and cook for another 20-30 minutes or so (it really depends on the size of the hens). Right at the end, brush on the remaining glaze.
• Serve -- Remove from the oven and let rest 5-10 minutes before carving. Serve 1 hen per person, cut in half and just enjoy. I love serving this with sauteed kale or spinach with a little garlic, balsamic vinegar and butter; toasted bread, and nothing more.

GARAM MASALA CORNISH HENS WITH ROASTED VEGETABLES

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix together 3/4 tablespoons of oil, 1/2 tablespoon of butter, 4 teaspoons of garam masala, 1 1/2 teaspoons of ginger, 6 cloves of garlic, and 1 teaspoons of salt. Place hens in a large baking dish or plastic bag, loosen the skin from the breast and legs and, using your hands, spread a good part of the mixture underneath. Rub the remaining marinade inside the hen's cavity and over the skin. Loosely cover, refrigerate, and let marinate 30 min or up to 12 hours.
• Remove hens from marinade and left any excess drip off. Let hens sit at room temp while oven warms up, about 30 minutes. Place probe thermometer into thickest portion of the thigh making sure not to hit bone.
• Arrange the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F.
• Combine remaining 3/4 tablespoon oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons of garam masala, 1/2 teaspoon of ginger, 2 cloves of garlic, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt (more or less to taste) in a large bowl. Place cut vegetables in it and toss until the vegetables are well coated. Season veggies with freshly ground black pepper (to taste) Place at bottom of large roasting pan which has been sprayed with nonstick spray.
• Place hens breast side up on top of vegetables and bake for 15 min at 425 degrees F. Reduce heat to 375 degrees F. When internal temperature hits 145 degrees F, brush yogurt on hens. Make sure to just do a thin and light coating of yogurt. You don't want it to be very thick. When internal temperature hits 160 remove from oven and loosely cover with foil. This is also the time to check the vegetables in the pan and make sure that they're done to your liking. If you'd like them softer, simply put the vegetables back in the oven while the hens are resting.
• Let hens rest, covered, for 15 minutes which also insures that carryover cooking will take the temp up to above 165 degrees F, for example mine ended up at 166.4 degrees F which was perfect. If you're uncomfortable with this doneness, go ahead and roast until 165 degrees (which is the temperature which poultry must be at to be done and safe) and then let hens rest covered, for 15 minute After hens have rested cut each one in half, through the breast and backbone (I just use a big sharp knife or you could use poultry shears) so that each person gets a half a hen. Divide the vegetables among the four plates and serve with a simple green salad or some rice to round out the meal.