Our Favorite Cornish Hen Recipes

Succulent Glazes and Rubs for Cornish Game Hens

Learn the basics of how to roast a Cornish game hen at home with this simple recipe. You'll have a succulent bird in about an hour with minimal effort. You'll also find easy formulas for rubs and glazes like lemon and basil, mustard herb, citrus glaze, and Mexican-inspired flavors—something to fit just about any mood while using simple ingredients.

Herby Roasted Cornish Hens

With this Cornish hen recipe, you get licorice tones from the fennel, and a touch of heat from the paprika, black pepper, and pepper flakes. It's a great combination that is hard to beat. If your tastes tend to go toward fiery foods, feel free to adjust the amount of spices.

It takes about a little over an hour to bake the hen, but you can prep this relatively simple dish in only 10 minutes. A thermometer is helpful in order to gauge the temperature.

Roasted Game Hens With Potatoes and Carrots

Roasting game hens on top of vegetables gives the entire dish tons of chickeny flavor. The potatoes and carrots soak up all of the juices, making them a superior side dish. It's an extremely convenient recipe since everything cooks together at once. Serve with a super simple salad and dinner is complete.

Apple Sausage Stuffed Cornish Hens

Stuffed Cornish hens are a fun alternative to turkey on Thanksgiving. Every person or two gets their very own bird stuffed with apple sausage stuffing. Since you can roast several at a time, the cook time is shorter than your typical turkey, too. Baste the birds occasionally to keep them moist as they roast.

Orange-Glazed Cornish Hens

A simple mixture of orange marmalade, butter, and Worcestershire sauce makes a fast and easy glaze with lots of flavor. This Cornish hen recipe makes four birds, and you can use your favorite stuffing or skip it altogether. Try experimenting with other fruit preserves to vary the flavor, like grapefruit or lemon. The glaze is also delicious on roast chicken.

Cornish Game Hens With Oyster Stuffing

Make your Corish hens something extra special—stuff the petite birds with homemade oyster stuffing. This recipe is roasted with the hens covered to cook through, then finished uncovered so that the skin gets nice and brown. Use the brine from the oysters as the stuffing liquid for extra flavor.

If you don't care for oysters, leave them out and substitute with cooked, crumbled sausage, canned chestnuts, or leave them out altogether.

Moroccan Cornish Game Hens

For a Moroccan take on Cornish hens, cook in a fragrant sauce of harissa paste (a spicy pepper paste), ginger, spices, dried fruit, and honey. Before cooking, the hens are split in two, allowing you to cook the birds through in a skillet. A sprinkle of pistachios and pomegranate seeds add color and texture. Serve over rice or couscous to soak up the sauce.

Grilled Cornish Game Hens

A marinade of lemon, rosemary, garlic, and pepper lend these Cornish hens moisture and balanced flavor. A trip on the grill adds succulent smokiness. For best results, marinate all day or overnight and split the birds lengthwise. This will ensure that the meat cooks evenly on the grill. Baste for the first several minutes of cooking and use a meat thermometer to make sure the hens are cooked through without drying out.

Light Honey-Glazed Cornish Hens

These Asian-inspired Cornish hens are sweet, tart, and salty. A sauce of orange juice, soy, lemon, and honey cooks right along with the hens, and basting the birds infuses them with the sauce. Any remaining sauce can be served right alongside the birds, along with rice and a vegetable or two.