Dec 28 2008
How Hard Can it Be to Cook Cornish Game Hens?
I took the hens out of the freezer for Christmas dinner but we ended up going out to a movie and then to dinner. It was just my husband and I and even though I cook all the time (and love it) I felt like a needed a break.
So today, I am cooking Cornish Game Hens which are probably small chickens. I roast chickens all the time so I wonder, how hard can it be to cook the hens? I plan on preparing it simply. I’ll rub the skin with olive oil, season it with salt and pepper, and put it in the oven in the roasting pan.
A whole chicken takes about an hour and a half to roast. I’m thinking a hen will be a lot shorter than that. Would I like to do something fancier? Maybe - but I don’t think it is a good idea for the first time roasting them. It never is! This is what I did for my first Thanksgiving turkey. Each year, I got a little more complex with the preparation and it got easier (and tastier!)
I’ll let you know how it goes.
These are a perfect alternative to a whole turkey. I actually prepare them several times a year. My favorite way is to halve them. It’s a generous helping for one and they lay nice and flat, each portion containing white meat and leg/thigh (dark meat). I marinate them in a bag with a little soy sauce, garlic, brown sugar, pineapple and orange juice. Then I throw them on the grill. The sugar and juice glaze the skin beautifully and the meat has a wonderful tangy terriyaki flavor! Yum! Yum!