Game Hens Southwestern Style Recipes

Steps:

• Place hens, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Spoon over hens. , Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 50-60 minutes or a thermometer reads 180°.

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.

Steps:

• For the Cornish game hen: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Set a wire rack over a baking sheet.
• Toast the coriander and cumin seeds in a small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, a few minutes. Grind in a spice grinder. Combine half of the ground spices, the garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Reserve the remaining ground spices.
• Pat the hen dry with paper towels and season all over with the spice mixture. Drizzle with olive oil and place, skin-side up, on the prepared baking sheet. Roast until cooked through, 35 to 45 minutes. Cut the hen in half.
• For the green mojo: Combine the olive oil, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, serrano and the reserved ground cumin and coriander in a high-powered blender. Blend until bright green and smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
• Pour the sauce over the hen and serve with Mashed Citrus Sweet Potatoes.
• Place the sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover by 1 inch with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and season with salt. Turn down the heat and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Strain the potatoes, then add them back to the pot to dry. Mash the potatoes in the pan. Add the chicken stock, honey, thyme, lemon zest and juice and orange zest and juice. Add more chicken stock if needed. Season with salt and pepper.

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:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees with racks in top and bottom. Place hen, breast-side down, on a work surface. Using kitchen shears, cut along both sides of backbone to remove. Flip over; split lengthwise with a heavy knife. Pat dry; season with salt and pepper. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss vegetables with 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper. Transfer sheet to bottom rack of oven.
• In an ovenproof skillet, heat remaining oil over medium-high. Add hen, skin-side down; cook until browned, about 3 minutes. Flip; transfer skillet to top rack of oven. Roast, stirring vegetables once, until golden, and a thermometer inserted into thickest part of hen thigh reads 165 degrees, 18 to 20 minutes for hen, and 25 to 28 minutes for vegetables. Transfer hen and vegetables to a platter. Return skillet to medium heat; whisk in mustard, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon water, and capers. Cook until reduced slightly, about 1 minute. Stir in tarragon; spoon over vegetables. Serve, with more mustard.

Steps:

• For the Sweet Corn Salad - mix together well the corn kernels, onion, garlic and red peppers in a medium non-reactive bowl. Add the lime juice, lemon juice and olive oil and mix well. Add the cumin, jalapeno peppers, cilantro, salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and prepare the hens. Place the hens in a large roasting pan and rub them all over with the cut halves of the lime. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle the chili powder and cumin over chicken, as well as, salt and pepper.
• Roast the hens for 30 minutes or until the hens are done and juices run clear. Allow the hens to rest 2-3 minutes before serving. Halve the game hens and place on a platter. Spoon the Sweet Corn Salsa over the top of the hens. Serve immediately.