Cornish Hens Provencal Style Food

CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Place the sliced onion in the bottom of a roasting pan. Remove the giblets from the hens, and rinse them inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outsides dry. Place the hens on top of the sliced onion.
• Pack the cavities of the hens with the cornbread stuffing.
• Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the hens. Rub the hens with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Roast the hens for 30 minutes, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh.
• Melt the butter in a large saute pan. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent. Break the cornbread into pieces and place the pieces in a large bowl. Add the onion mixture to the cornbread. Add the celery, chicken stock, parsley, salt and pepper, and mix together.
• Yield: 2 servings

BAKED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• In a small bowl combine the 1/2 cup melted butter, onion, celery, bell pepper, mushrooms, garlic, basil, oregano and parsley.
• Season hens inside and out with salt and pepper to taste, then stuff with equal amounts butter/vegetable mixture. Place stuffed birds in a 9x13 inch baking dish, breast side up. Drizzle with 1/4 cup melted butter.
• Cover dish and bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours. Remove cover and brown at 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).

CORNISH HENS PROVENCAL STYLE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a heavy skillet large enough to hold the pieces of Cornish hen in one layer. Sprinkle the pieces with salt and pepper. When the oil becomes hot, add the pieces, skin side down. Cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Turn and cook 5 minutes more.
• Add the onions, leeks and garlic, and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, olives, thyme, wine, chicken broth, bay leaf, saffron, Tabasco, salt and pepper. Stir and scrape the bottom of the skillet to dissolve any brown particles on the bottom. Cover closely, and simmer 10 minutes.
• Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaf. If there is too much liquid, reduce the sauce a bit. Sprinkle with basil and serve.

CREOLE CORNISH GAME HENS (CREOLE CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Inject the breasts of the hens with the injection sauce (contamination prevention - always pour a portion for the current use into a separate container so that the injector needle never touches marinade that will go back into the refrigerator after it has touched raw poultry).
• Coat the inside of each hen with Bayou Magic sausage mix (this ingredient can be a bit hard to come by outside of South LA, but worth the search for those who like things spicy; great on other wild game as well).
• Sprinkle each hen with poultry magic, then sprinkle with paprika for color.
• Bake until fully cooked: 50-60 minutes (about 20 minutes per pound).

ELEGANT CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Rub oil over hens; sprinkle with salt, thyme and pepper. Place skin side up on rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 35-40 minutes or until thermometer reads 180°. Broil hens for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown., Meanwhile, toss mushrooms with 2 teaspoons oil, salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Spread in a single layer on a 15x10x1-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 25-30 minutes, turning once. Set aside., For sauce, in a saucepan, saute onion and garlic in remaining oil. Add the broth, mustard, vinegar, brown sugar, tomato paste, bay leaf and remaining pepper; bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat until mixture is reduced to 1 cup. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into sauce. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in tarragon and mushrooms; heat through. Discard bay leaf. Serve sauce over hens.