Honeyed Cornish Game Hens Recipes

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:

• Split hen in half. Wash and pat dry. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Brush both sides with 3 Tbs butter.
• Place breast side down on a rack in a shallow pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes.
• Turn. Brush with butter and bake for 25 minutes.
• Mix honey with 1 1/2 Tbs melted butter. Brush half the mixture on the hen. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn and brush with remaining honey mixture. Bake for 15 minutes longer.

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Rinse the hens well under cool running water. Pat them dry with paper towels.
• Melt the butter with the chopped fresh thyme in a small saucepan. In a small bowl, combine the juice of 4 lemons, honey, and soy sauce. Add the melted thyme butter and mix to combine. Reserve.
• Heat a large cast iron pan on medium heat. Coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil.
• Generously salt and pepper the hens and lay them skin-side down in the hot pan. Sear 4 minutes each side.
• Pour 1/3 of the glaze on the bottom of a 9 by 13 baking dish. Transfer the hens, and their pan drippings, to the baking dish. Pour the remaining glaze over the hens and place in the oven for 30 minutes or until a thermometer reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Remove the dish from the oven and let them rest for about 5 minutes. Garnish with the sliced lemon and fresh thyme sprigs, and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place game hen halves with skin sides up into a 9x13-inch roasting pan.
• Roast hens in the preheated oven for 35 minutes.
• Stir orange juice, honey, soy sauce, and vinegar together in a small bowl; brush mixture over hens.
• Roast hens for 5 more minutes and baste again with orange juice mixture. Roast until skin is browned and meat is no longer pink inside, about 10 more minutes.

Steps:

• Rinse and pat dry hens. Cut out the backbone and split through the breastbone. Trim any excess skin or fat.
• Place oil in a shallow pan and heat oven to 400 degrees.
• In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, honey, thyme, and oregano. Season hens with salt and pepper.
• Once pan is heated, place hens skin side down and brush with half of the honey mixture.
• Bake for 30 minutes. Flip hens and brush with remaining honey mixture. Bake 20-30 minutes longer, or until internal temperature reaches 180 degrees. Place on a platter.
• Drain drippings into a fat separator or skim as much fat as possible. Serve with hens.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Place hens, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes. , In a small bowl, combine spreadable fruit and orange juice. Spoon some of the apricot mixture over the hens. Bake until golden brown and juices run clear, 30-35 minutes, basting several times with remaining apricot mixture. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Whisk first 6 ingredients in medium bowl. Pour 2 cups sauce into medium saucepan. Reserve remaining 1 cup sauce.
• Rinse hens inside and out. Pat hens dry with paper towels. Cut and scrape off any visible fat from hens. Sprinkle inside and out with salt and pepper. Place 3 onion quarters and 3 garlic cloves in cavity of each hen. Arrange hens on rack on large rimmed baking sheet.
• Roast hens 10 minutes. Baste with reserved 1 cup sauce. Continue roasting until hens are golden and juices run clear when thickest part of thigh is pierced, basting often with pan juices and reserved 1 cup sauce, about 45 minutes longer.
• Transfer hens to cutting board; tent with foil to keep warm. Transfer pan juices to 4-cup glass measuring cup. Spoon fat off top of pan juices. Pour pan juices into 2 cups sauce in saucepan. Boil until sauce is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 12 minutes.
• Discard onions and garlic from hen cavities. Using poultry shears, cut hens in half lengthwise. Remove backbones. Spoon some sauce onto plates. Place hens atop sauce. Garnish with watercress. Serve with remaining sauce.

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add almonds; sauté until golden, about 8 minutes. Turn almonds out onto paper towels and drain. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)
• Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add game hens, 2 cups water, chopped parsley, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until game hens are cooked through, turning once, about 35 minutes. Using tongs, transfer game hen pieces to bowl.
• Degrease pan juices. Add honey, dried fruit, and raisins and simmer until fruit is tender, about 15 minutes. Return hen pieces to sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and keep refrigerated.) Rewarm game hens in sauce over medium-low heat. Transfer to large platter. Sprinkle with almonds.