Chipotle Lime Grilled Cornish Rock Game Hens Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat grill to moderate heat for gas or medium indirect heat for charcoal and AWAY from fire, lightly oil or spray COOL cooking rack for easy cleaning.
• Mix minced pepper, adobo, lime juice,garlic, oil and pour half into resealable bag. DO NOT add the honey. That comes later. Reserve the rest for basting.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper- sometimes we use season salt or lemon pepper for a twist.
• Add chicken to bag and allow to marinate for 15 minutes. No need to refrigerate for this short time.
• Remove chicken from marinade and place on preheated grill. Discard USED marinade.
• Grill chicken about 4-5 minutes then flip over and cook another 4-5 minutes.
• Now add the honey to RESERVED marinade and baste chicken. Immediately flip chicken and baste the unbasted side. Grill until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.
• Remove from grill and pour any remaining RESERVED sauce on top.
• Note: This can be done on an indoor grill as well. Make sure you spray or oil it before heating grill.
• OAMC: If freezing ahead: Put ingredients in a ziploc bag and place in freezer, flattened. To cook from frozen: Thaw in refrigerator. Cook as directed above.

Steps:

• Sprinkle the Cornish hens with 1 teaspoon salt on each side.
• Combine the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a ceramic or glass dish just large enough to hold the flattened hens. Add the hens, and turn to coat. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight, turning once or twice.
• When ready to grill, prepare a hot charcoal fire on one side of a grill (or turn a gas grill on low heat). Spread 1/4 of the coals across the other side of the grill. Place the hens on the cooler side skin-side up and weigh them down with a gratin dish with a foil-wrapped brick inside.
• Cook for 12 minutes, until the underside is golden brown. Turn the hens skin-side down, weigh them down again, and cook for another 12 minutes until the skin is golden brown and the hens are cooked through.
• Place the lemon halves on the cool side of the grill, cut-side down, for the last 10 minutes of cooking. Remove the Cornish hens and lemons to a plate or cutting board, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Cut the hens in half, sprinkle with fleur de sel, and serve with the grilled lemon halves.

Steps:

• In a large, non-reactive bowl, mix onion, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, white wine, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, pepper, celery salt, and salt. Place Cornish game hens in the bowl, coating evenly with the marinade mixture. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 4 hours.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat, and lightly oil grate.
• Cook hens about 1 hour on the prepared grill, brushing occasionally with remaining marinade, until no longer pink and juices run clear.

Steps:

• Heat a small skillet over medium.
• Add cumin seeds; heat 1 minute.
• Add oregano; cook and stir 30 seconds or until cumin is lightly toasted.
• Add 1 teaspoon oil and garlic; cook 30 seconds.
• Remove from heat.
• Blend cumin mixture and remaining ingredients, except hens, in a small bowl.
• Wash hands.
• Rinse hens and pat dry.
• Lightly salt and pepper inside of hens.
• Secure wings to hens and tie legs together with string, if desired.
• Place marinade in a large resealable plastic bag; add hens and seal bag.
• Wash hands.
• Turn bag to coat hens evenly with marinade.
• Refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.
• Set up grill for indirect cooking: For gas grill, preheat all burners on high.
• Turn one burner off; place food over "off" burner.
• Reset remaining burner(s) to medium.
• Close lid.
• For charcoal grill, arrange hot coals around outer edge of grill; place disposable pan in open space; place food over open area.
• Close lid. Heat to medium.
• Wash hands.
• Remove hens from marinade; discard leftover marinade.
• Place hens (not touching) over indirect heat on grill.
• Wash hands.
• Grill hens, covered, 50 to 60 minutes or until done (internal temp 180ºF).
• Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
• Serving Suggestion: Serve with black bean salad and corn on the cob. Refrigerate leftovers.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Remove giblets from defrosted birds and discard.
• Melt butter in a heavy skillet with heat-proof handle.
• Season hens with salt and pepper.
• Brown hens lightly all over in the butter, turning frequently, about 20 minutes.
• When hens are browned, add sherry to the pan and transfer it to the oven.
• Roast the hens 45 - 60 minutes, until they are tender, basting often.
• Transfer hens to heated and heat-proof serving dish.
• Invite your guests to the kitchen to "watch the show.".
• Warm brandy in a small sauce pan and ignite it with a long handled match.
• Pour over the hens and serve flaming.

Steps:

• Place hens in a large resealable plastic bag. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Pour half into bag; add the hens. Seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade. , Drain and discard marinade from hens. Place hens in a 13x9-in. disposable aluminum pan. Pour reserved marinade over hens; cover pan. , Grill, covered, over medium-hot heat for 35-40 minutes or until a thermometer reads 180° and meat juices run clear, basting frequently. Place hens directly over heat for the last 3-4 minutes of cooking time, turning once.

Steps:

• Rinse hens and pat dry, removing innards; lightly salt and pepper inside and out.
• Sprinkle pineapple chunks lightly with curry powder and stuff hens.
• Truss hens and close cavity. Tie wings to body and legs to tail.
• GRILL: Balance on spit and secure with holding forks. Grill over medium coals or on rotisserie in gas grill set at medium for 45 minutes to 1 hour, basting occasionally with melted butter mixed with lemon juice.
• OR BAKE: Place bird on rack and bake in 325 dg oven for one hour or until tender, covering with foil if becoming too brown. Baste occasionally with butter/lemon mixture.
• I have been told internal temperature should reach 160 dg., but have not tried this method.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F Heat the olive oil in a large flame-proof casserole and add the onion, garlic and bacon; sauté 5 to 6 minutes, until the onion has softened.
• Brush the hens with a little melted butter and season well.
• Lay the hens on top of the onion mixture and place the other vegetables around hens. Add the chicken stock, wine and herbs.
• Cover and bake for 20 minutes, then remove the lid and brush with the remaining melted butter; bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, until golden.
• Transfer the hens to a warmed serving platter and cut each in half with poultry shears.
• Remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon and arrange them around the hens. Cover with foil and keep warm.
• Discard the herbs from the pan juices. In a small bowl mix the butter and flour to form a paste. Bring the liquid in the pan to a boil and then whisk in teaspoonfuls of the paste until thickened.
• Season the sauce and serve with the Rock Cornish hens and vegetables, garnished with fresh herbs.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Rub hens with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Lightly season hens with salt and pepper. Place 1 lemon wedge and 1 sprig rosemary in cavity of each hen. Arrange in a large, heavy roasting pan, and arrange garlic cloves around hens. Roast in preheated oven for 25 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a mixing bowl, whisk together wine, chicken broth, and remaining 2 tablespoons of oil; pour over hens. Continue roasting about 25 minutes longer, or until hens are golden brown and juices run clear. Baste with pan juices every 10 minutes.
• Transfer hens to a platter, pouring any cavity juices into the roasting pan. Tent hens with aluminum foil to keep warm. Transfer pan juices and garlic cloves to a medium saucepan and boil until liquids reduce to a sauce consistency, about 6 minutes. Cut hens in half lengthwise and arrange on plates. Spoon sauce and garlic around hens. Garnish with rosemary sprigs, and serve.

Steps:

• 1. For the marinade, whisk together all the ingredients except the game hens and lemons in a large bowl.
• 2. Rinse, drain, and halve the hens lengthwise; place in the bowl, coating thoroughly with marinade. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 8 hours (the longer, the better), turning occasionally.
• 3. Preheat the grill, using the three-tier method (see note below ). When ready to cook, oil the grill rack. Remove hens from the marinade and arrange skin-side down on the rack over the hottest section of the grill; cook until the skin starts to brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Move the hens to the center section of the grill and continue to cook until the skin is thoroughly browned, 7 to 10 minutes more.
• 4. Turn the hens and move them back to the hottest section of the grill. Brown the second side well, 5 to 7 minutes, then move the pieces back to the center section of the grill to finish cooking. The total cooking time will be about 25 to 35 minutes. When ready, the hens will be crisp and golden-brown outside, and the juices will run clear when the meat is pierced. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.
• Three-Tier Grilling Method:
• Pile 2/3 of the coals on one side of the grill and the remaining 1/3 in the center. Leave a small portion of the grill free of coals. Three-tier grilling gives you a super-hot heat source for searing, a moderately hot heat source for cooking, and an area to place the food if it starts to burn. You control the heat by moving the food from one area to the other.

Steps:

• Clean birds and pat dry.
• Pour 2 tablespoons oil into a 10- to 12- inch frying pan over medium high heat. Add birds, a few at a time (do not over-crowd), and brown all over, about 5 minutes per bird; add oil as needed.
• Arrange birds, breast up and slightly apart, on a rack in a 12 X 17" roasting pan.
• Roast birds at 375 F oven until breasts are moist in center but not wet-looking (cut into breast just above wing joint to test), 1 hours (internal temp should be 165 degrees).
• Remove birds to a platter; if needed, keep warm in a 150°F oven up to 30 minutes. Reserve roasting juices.
• Make sauce: Add to your frying pan sugar and 1 tablespoon vinegar.
• Cook over medium high heat until sugar liquefies and turns a golden caramel color, 3 to 5 minutes.
• While stirring, add remaining vinegar; simmer, stirring, until caramel dissolves, about 2 minutes.
• Add broth and quail hen roasting juices; boil, uncovered, until reduce by half, about 15 minutes.
• Mix cornstarch and water; stir into sauce. Stir until boiling. Add raspberries, brandy, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Pour sauce over the birds and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place full thawed game hens in a shallow baking dish.
• Sprinkle liberally with poultry seasoning, then rub the seasoning onto the skin.
• Scatter onion rings and minced garlic over the birds.
• In a small saucepan, melt the apple jelly. Gently ladle the melted jelly over each hen.
• Place in the middle rack of the oven. Periodically, baste the birds with the pan juices.
• Roast 1 hour 15 minutes or until done. Let rest 5 minutes or so. Spit hens in half and arrange on platter or plates. Ladle some of the pan juices on the birds.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the butter, onions, parsley, ginger, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. , Rub mixture under the skin and over the top of each game hen. Sprinkle remaining salt and pepper inside the hen cavities. , Using long-handled tongs, moisten a paper towel with cooking oil and lightly coat the grill rack. Prepare grill for indirect heat, using a drip pan. , Place hens breast side up over drip pan; grill, covered, over indirect medium heat for 45-60 minutes or until a thermometer reads 180° and the meat juices run clear.