Chili Roasted Game Hens With Jalapeño Orange Sauce Food

ROASTED HENS A L'ORANGE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F; line a baking sheet with foil. Cut the hens in half with kitchen shears, cutting along one side of the breastbone; season with the coriander, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the hens skin-side down; cook until golden, 4 minutes. Flip; cook until slightly golden, 2 more minutes. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet skin-side up. Bake until cooked through, 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the broth, thyme sprigs and orange zest and juice to the skillet. Bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce the heat to low; cook until thickened, 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the orzo, shallot and chopped thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the orzo is lightly toasted, 5 minutes. Add 2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover and cook until the orzo is al dente, 12 minutes. Fluff the orzo; stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, the carrots and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with the hens and the reduced sauce.

ROASTED ORANGE-HERB GAME HEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Mix first 3 ingredients in small bowl. Slide fingertips under skin of hen halves to loosen. Spread 1/4 of herb mixture under skin of each hen half. Rub skin with butter; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place hen halves in shallow roasting pan.
• Roast hen halves until golden and cooked through, adding broth after 10 minutes and basting twice throughout cooking time, about 30 minutes.
• Transfer hen halves to platter. Place roasting pan directly atop burner over medium heat. Add juice, Sherry, and remaining herb mixture; boil until reduced, scraping up browned bits, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over hen halves, garnish with orange slices, and serve.

ROAST CORNISH GAME HENS WITH ORANGE-TERIYAKI SAUCE

Steps:

• Whisk first 5 ingredients in bowl to blend for marinade. Place hens in plastic bag. Add 1 cup marinade; seal bag. Let hens marinate 1 hour at room temperature or refrigerate up to 3 hours, turning bag occasionally. Reserve remaining marinade.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Place rack on large rimmed baking sheet. Arrange hens on rack; drizzle with marinade from bag. Roast hens until cooked through and brown, basting occasionally with reserved marinade from bowl, about 1 hour.
• Transfer hens to platter. Scrape juices into pan; add broth and any remaining marinade. Bring sauce to boil. Season with salt and pepper; spoon over hens.

CORNISH GAME HENS WITH ORANGE SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500°F.
• Prepare hens by rubbing mixture of salt and pepper into skin liberally.
• Place on cookie sheet, breast side up.
• Roast for 15 minutes at 500°F.
• Remove from oven and turn breast down; pour 1 1/2 cups water over hens.
• Turn oven down to 425°F and continue to cook for 1/2 hour.
• Meanwhile, use a zester to obtain orange peel without cutting into pith of fruit.
• Slice oranges in half and squeeze juice.
• Place juice in saucepan with zest and heat thoroughly (do not boil).
• Remove hens from oven and turn breast-side up and continue cooking for additional 1/2 hour (total cooking time is 1 hour 15 minutes).
• Blend cornstarch with orange juice/zest mixture and heat to thicken, stirring constantly.
• To serve: Place hen on plate and pour sauce over. Sprinkle with additional orange zest and parsley.

JALAPENO-STUFFED GAME HENS

Steps:

• Heat a grill until hot. Season the hens with salt and pepper. Place 4 jalapeno halves in the cavity of each hen. Wrap 3 slices of bacon over the breast on each hen, securing the bacon with toothpicks that have been soaked in water. Place the hens on the grill and cook until well browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Cover the grill and cook until hens are cooked through, about 40 minutes, turning once. Remove the toothpicks, split the hens in half lengthwise, divide among 4 plates and serve immediately.

CHEF JOHN'S CALABRIAN CHICKEN

Steps:

• Lay a game hen breast side-down on a work surface; use kitchen shears or a sharp knife to cut the backbone out of the game hen, cutting through each side of the bone from top to bottom. Remove the backbone. Use a sharp knife to slice through the cartilage of the breastbone. Flip game hen breast side-up, flatten bird lightly with your hands, and twist the wing tips underneath the wings. Repeat for remaining game hen.
• Place white wine vinegar, vegetable oil, rosemary, orange juice, garlic, egg, Calabrian chili sauce, orange zest, kosher salt, and anchovy fillet into a blender. Pulse several times to combine; blend until marinade is smooth and creamy.
• Place game hens into a resealable heavy plastic bag and pour in marinade. Squeeze out air, seal bag, and refrigerate at least 4 hours but preferably 8 hours to overnight.
• Preheat grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Remove game hens from marinade, reserving marinade. Dry birds on paper towels. Season breast sides with salt.
• Place game hens with breast sides down onto the preheated grill and cook until skin shows browned grill marks, about 5 minutes; rotate hens 45 degrees and grill 5 more minutes to make crosshatch grill marks.
• Flip game hens onto their backs, brush with reserved marinade, and grill with the lid on for 5 minutes. Brush hens with more marinade. Repeat, cooking 5 minutes, then brushing with more marinade, until game hens are deep golden brown and an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh reads 160 degrees F, about 35 more minutes. Flip hens breast sides down, brush once more with marinade, and cook with lid closed until marinade has glazed onto chicken, about 5 more minutes.
• Transfer hens to a serving platter, let rest for about 5 minutes, and serve.

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).

MARINATED CORNISH GAME HENS WITH SWEET CHILI SAUCE

Steps:

• Marinade: thinly slice lower 6 inches of lemongrass stalks, discarding remainder of stalks.
• In a food processor or blender, finely grind together sliced lemongrass, coriander, shallot, garlic, and ginger root.
• Add brown sugar, curry, pepper, salt, fish sauce, and 1 cup of the coconut milk and puree.
• Quarter each hen and divide the hen between 2 large plastic zip lock bags and divide the marinade and seal the bags, pressing out all air.
• Put bags in a large shallow dish and marinate hens, chilled, turning bag once or twice overnight.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. and line a large shallow roasting pan with foil.
• Remove hens from the marinade, reserving marinade, and arrange hens, skin side up, in the prepared pan. Roast 20-25 minutes until cooked through.
• While hens are roasting, in a small saucepan, combine reserved marinade and remaining 1 cup of coconut milk and cook sauce at a slow boil, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes, and strain through a sieve into another small saucepan to keep warm.
• Serve hens with the marinade sauce and/or the Sweet Chili Sauce.
• For the Sweet Chili sauce, in a small saucepan, combine all ingredients and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Cool sauce to room temperature. Sauce may be made up to 3 days ahead and kept chilled, covered. Serve at room temperature though. (Yield: 1 1/2 cups).