This has always been something that appeals to me but at the same time scared me. Roasting a chicken, or in this case a hen can be daunting…what if it’s too dry, what if it doesn’t taste good, what if…what if… Well I’ve watched enough Food Network chefs make things like this and say its very simple. So I decided to give it a shot. I found a few different recipes, some very fancy and complicated and some super simple…I went for something in between. I used seasonings that I like and treated it the way I had seen my mom treat a turkey…
Cornish Game Hen:
- 1/2 tbsp of salt
- 1 tbsp of lemon pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried sage
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp dried marjoram
- 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
- 1/4 tsp dried nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp ground garlic
- 1/2 cup of butter – 4 tbsp
- 1/4 yellow onion
- 2 garlic cloves – smashed but still together
- 1/2 green bell pepper
- 1/2 orange bell pepper
- 1/4 cup of orange juice
Cooking: Heat oven to 375F. Mix together all of the spices in a small bowl, divide into two portions.
Cut the bell peppers and onions in half.
Dry off the hens both on the inside and out. There may be gibblets inside the hens, take them out and throw them away…unless you want to save them to make a gravy or something else.
Gently seperate the skin of the chicken from the meat. Be gentle because you want to create a pocket. In that pocket rub some softened butter on the bare meat and then rub the outside of the skin. If you have a little butter left over leave it under the skin. Cover the ouside of the little birds with the spices mixture.
Once they are buttered and seasoned, stuff with the garlic clove, peppers and onions. Place on a rack on a baking sheet.
Bake for 1 hour until a meat thermometer reads 160F.
Let rest for 10-15 mins before carving.
YUM!
Buen Provecho!
My Dumbo Eats 