Crispy Baked Cornish Hens Food

CRISPY BAKED CORNISH HEN RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
• Remove the innards from the cavity of the hen and discard (or freeze for later.) Pat the hens fry with a paper towel and place on a baking sheet.
• Coat the hens, liberally, with the olive oil. Season the inside and outside with salt and pepper.
• Stuff half the lemon, garlic and herbs into the cavity of the hens. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine and tuck the wing tips under the back of the hen. (This prevents the tips from burning.)
• Roast the cornish hens for 40 minutes until the skin is golden crispy and the juices run clear. Your cornish hen is done when the temperature reaches 165˚F on an instant read thermometer.
• Remove your cornish hens from the oven and cover with foil. Allow the hens to rest for 10 minutes prior to serving.

CRISPY BAKED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• With a pair of sharp kitchen shears, cut down along both sides of the hens backbone to remove. Place the hens breast side up on cutting board and with a sharp knife cut each hen in half through the breast bone. Loosen the skin on each hen, by running your fingers underneath. ( thigh and breast ) Tuck wings under bird.
• With a sharp thin knife, poke the fat of the bird several times. Pat the birds dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle the underside of each bird with 1 tablespoon of the kosher salt.
• Add remainder of salt to a small bowl, to this mix with oil. Stir in the baking powder. Rub this mixture on the breast and thigh meat evenly of each halve. Sprinkle with pepper. Place each halve on a single layer of a platter or sheet pan, uncovered. Refrigerate up to 4 hours, but 24 hours is better.
• Remove from fridge. Preheat oven to 500 degree F. Place a sheet pan with edges into oven to preheat. This step is to sear the fat without frying..I left mine in for at least 20 minutes. Spray each hen piece with cooking spray. Then place each piece of hen skin side down in single row onto hot sheet pan. You should hear it sizzling. Place back into oven on lowest rack for 10 minutes.
• Next preheat broiler and finish cooking until temp reaches 160 for breast and 175 for thigh and legs, turning pan every so often to brown evenly. I broiled about 15 minutes and they were cooked perfectly. The steps seem like a lot, but are really actually easy and quick. Enjoy!

ROASTED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a small mixing bowl, stir together salt, lemon pepper, dried basil and poultry seasoning. Rub olive oil all over the hens and season each with the salt mixture. Place the hens on a baking sheet pan with plenty of space between them. You may need to use 2 pans. Loosely stuff the cavities of each hen with some green bell pepper, celery and onion. Roast the hens in the preheated oven for about 1 hour or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F and the juices run clear. Remove the hens from the oven, loosely tent with foil and let rest 10 minutes before carving or serving.

CRISPY FRIED CORNISH GAME HENS (TAPAKA)

Steps:

• With a meat cleaver, poultry shears, or a VERY sharp knife, split open the breast of the Cornish Hen. Carefully remove the breastbone. Cover the hen with waxed paper and pound the flat side of the cleaver or a meat tenderizer to flatten.
• Combine the garlic, lemon juice, paprika, and about 1/4 teaspoon salt. Rub over the hen and refrigerate, covered for at least two hours or as long as overnight.
• Heat the clarified butter in a heavy cast-iron skillet over medium heat.
• Brush the garlic off the hen, then place the hen in the skillet, skin side down. Cover the hen directly with something flat (such as an ovenproof plate) and place a heavy object (such as a brick, a smaller iron skillet, or a pan filled with water) on top so the hen is firmly pressed down.
• Cook until the skin is deep golden brown and crispy, about 20 minutes. Turn the bird, re-weight, and cook on the other side for about 15 minutes. Pierce a thigh with a skewer. the hen is ready when the juices run clear.
• Serve on a bed of lettuce, garnished with the fresh vegetables, and accompanied with the Sour Plum Sauce on the side.
• For the Sour Plum Sauce:.
• In a large nonreactive saucepan, combine the prunes and enough cold water to barely cover. bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the prunes are soft, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Drain the prunes, then pit and put them through a food mill. Return the prunes to the saucepan. Add the cilantro, garlic, coriander seeds, fenugreek, red pepper flakes to taste, 1/4 cup lemon juice, and salt. bring to a boil and heat for 2 to 3 minutes, then remove from heat. Yaste and add more lemon juice, if desired.
• Cool the sauce to room temperature and transfer to a sterilized 1 quart jar. Top with the oil. seal. and refrigerate. The sauce should stand for at least 4 to 6 hours before serving. The sauce will keep for up to two months in the refrigerator. This makes about 3 cups.

BAKED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Rub hens with butter.
• Combine other ingredients and use to baste hens.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, basting with lemon mixture every 10 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).