Peachy Orange Cornish Hens Recipes

CORNISH GAME HENS WITH ORANGE AND HONEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Whisk first 6 ingredients in medium bowl. Pour 2 cups sauce into medium saucepan. Reserve remaining 1 cup sauce.
• Rinse hens inside and out. Pat hens dry with paper towels. Cut and scrape off any visible fat from hens. Sprinkle inside and out with salt and pepper. Place 3 onion quarters and 3 garlic cloves in cavity of each hen. Arrange hens on rack on large rimmed baking sheet.
• Roast hens 10 minutes. Baste with reserved 1 cup sauce. Continue roasting until hens are golden and juices run clear when thickest part of thigh is pierced, basting often with pan juices and reserved 1 cup sauce, about 45 minutes longer.
• Transfer hens to cutting board; tent with foil to keep warm. Transfer pan juices to 4-cup glass measuring cup. Spoon fat off top of pan juices. Pour pan juices into 2 cups sauce in saucepan. Boil until sauce is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 12 minutes.
• Discard onions and garlic from hen cavities. Using poultry shears, cut hens in half lengthwise. Remove backbones. Spoon some sauce onto plates. Place hens atop sauce. Garnish with watercress. Serve with remaining sauce.

HONEY ORANGE CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place game hen halves with skin sides up into a 9x13-inch roasting pan.
• Roast hens in the preheated oven for 35 minutes.
• Stir orange juice, honey, soy sauce, and vinegar together in a small bowl; brush mixture over hens.
• Roast hens for 5 more minutes and baste again with orange juice mixture. Roast until skin is browned and meat is no longer pink inside, about 10 more minutes.

ORANGE GLAZED CORNISH HEN

Steps:

• Mix olive oil, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, lemon zest and juice, orange zest and juice, garlic, salt, and black pepper together in a large resealable bag. Add hens, seal bag, and coat hens with marinade. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, flipping the bag 1 or 2 times to redistribute marinade.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Mix orange juice, soy sauce, honey, 1/4 cup Dijon mustard, onion, ginger, and black pepper together in a bowl.
• Remove hens from marinade and transfer to a roasting pan, discarding leftover marinade.
• Roast hens in the preheated oven for 50 minutes. Brush hens with orange glaze and roast for 5 more minutes. Flip hens, brush with more glaze, and roast until meat is no longer pink in the center, about 5 more minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

CORNISH GAME HENS WITH PEACH GLAZE

Steps:

• Cut the hens down the backbone (split).
• Brine the hens: dissolve the salt in water,put hens& salted water into large bowl.
• (I usually put them into a large plactic bag) refrigerate 2 to 3 hours.
• Remove hens, Rinse thoroughly, pat dry, prick the skin allover the breast and legs with point of paring knife.
• Melt the butter in small pan& mix with preserves.
• Add salt, pepper& basil.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Place hens in shallow pan (I usually line pan with foil for easy clean-up).
• Rub hens with butter.
• Spoon butter& preserve mixture over hens.
• Bake 35 to 45 minutes.

PEACHY ORANGE CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• 1. Cornish Hens: Thaw your cornish hens, then clean & wash the inside of the birds. Wipe dry inside and out. Salt the side of the birds. Set aside in the refrigerator.
• 2. Dressing: Melt the butter in large fry pan, saute the onion and celery. Then put into a large mixing bowl with bread cubes, add poultry seasoning, sage and orange zest. Stir together. Add the diced peaches. Now mix the water, eggs and parsley and pour and mix through the bread mixture.
• 3. Remove the cornish hens from the refrigerator and stuff each bird and secure the legs and wings. Place in roasting pan and rub with melted butter and salt each one.
• 4. Place cover or foil over top and roast for 45 minutes at 350º.
• 5. In a small bowl, mix orange marmalade, grated ginger root and soy sauce. Thin with peach juice.
• 6. Last 1/2 hour start basting the cornish hens with the orange marmalade mixture. Bake until temperature reaches 180º in the thickest part of the thigh or when leg bone turns easily when twisted.

CONTEST-WINNING ORANGE-GLAZED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to at 350°. Tie legs of each hen together; turn wing tips under backs. Place on a greased rack in a roasting pan. Brush with butter; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour., Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until thickened, 15 minutes. Spoon over hens. Bake until a thermometer reads 170°, about 15 minutes longer.