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Tender succulent Cornish Game Hens stuffed with fresh herbs, apples, oranges, and onions. Roasted and basted in a butter wine sauce until they are juicy and golden! A wonderful easy Holiday Meal idea you and your guests are sure to love!

Let’s be honest! Thanksgiving 2020 is going to be different. Whether you are downsizing your gathering, taking extra precautions, struggling with loss of income, or any one of a number of concerns. It’s just been a doozy of a year!

I realize for many, our gatherings may be a little smaller than normal…or maybe your nest is a little empty. (Been there, doing that!) Which got me to thinking…what would be a really great option instead of roasting a HUGE turkey… that you’d have to eat for weeks. (Face it…that first turkey sandwich is killer…the 29th not so much so!)

While doing my “on-line” shopping I saw that Walmart had a package of two Cornish Game Hens for about $7.97! That’s a pretty affordable main course for two! It got me to thinking….what if I created a recipe that was as good…or better, than my Roasted Brined Turkey? 

Yeah… What if? Well…I have to tell you, these little hens are out of this world!! They’re SO good! I honestly think they may be better than my Turkey. (YIKES! Did I just say that?) I know one thing for sure…it’s a lot easier to make these tasty Roasted Cornish Hens than wrestling a 23 lb. Turkey. 

I stuffed these hens with all the flavors of Fall! Fresh Orange and Apple Chunks. YUM!!! Onion and savory fresh herbs. Yippee!!! Then I create an incredible flavorful sauce of white wine, butter, and chicken broth to baste them in…and the gravy you can make from that sauce is gonna knock your socks off!!! Sooo….

Let’s get cooking!

How To Make Fresh Herb Stuffed Cornish Game Hens

I want to let you know that you can double, triple, or quadruple this recipe! So regardless of the size of your group you can easily make this recipe for two or eight.  This basic recipe makes enough for two Cornish Game Hens. 

To make preparation of this dish easy, I recommend cutting one half of an orange into 1 inch chunks, reserving the other half for later… and 1/2 a granny smith apple into chunks. No need to remove the rind or peel. Just cut them into nice size chunks that can fit into the small cavity of the hen. Also cube up one small onion. Set aside while you season the hens.

Preparing Cornish Hens for Roasting

Preheat Oven to 350°

Remove hens from plastic wrapping, discard wrap, rinse with cool water, making sure to rinse out the cavity of the hen. Use paper towels to pat hens dry! 

Salt and Pepper the cavity of each hen to taste.

I know some of you are thinking “How do I know how much that is?” I recommend about 1/4 teaspoon of each per hen. Pull the breast back slightly, to open up the cavity opening, hold each hen upright so that you can sprinkle the seasonings down into the cavity. It doesn’t have to be pretty…you just need it in there. 

Alternate stuffing the cavity with orange chunks, apple chunks, and onion. This will do two things…it helps the hen hold its shape during baking, and, more importantly, it adds incredible flavor to these mighty little hens!

Most Cornish Game Hen recipes call for lemon, onion, and celery as the “stuffing”.  I really wanted the subtle flavors of fall to wind its way throughout these hens….and they do!  

Add Fresh Herbs. Again this is more a taste preference than an exact measurement. I broke off a few small stems of rosemary and thyme and stuffed them inside the hen on top of the onions, oranges, and apples. In addition, I added two small sage leaves inside each hen. Exact measurements are in the recipe card below.

Before we close up the hens, add 1 Tablespoon butter pat inside each of the hens. I recommend adding that butter about halfway through the “stuffing” process, but if you forget you can just place it in there at the end. The most important thing is that it’s there.

In order to keep all that yumminess inside each hen, we’re going to tie their little legs shut!

Cut a 12-inch piece of bakers twine. Go underneath the back of the hen behind the “wings” centering the string. Pull both sides up and over the top of each leg between the breast and the leg, then down under the “ankle” (Do birds have ankles? I’m going to be thinking about this for days!) then back up over the “ankle” drawing the two drumsticks together and tie. 

Place the tied hens on a roasting rack in a medium size roasting pan, or a large roasting pan if you’re making more than two! Notice mine are snuggled up next to each other. I recommend a little space between them…but my roasting rack had handles. I just made do!

TIP: If you don’t have a roasting rack you can cube up onion and celery and place it underneath the Cornish hens to create a “natural” roasting rack.

Drizzle each hen with about 2–3 Tablespoons of Garlic infused Olive Oil. If you don’t have garlic infused olive oil you can use regular olive oil.

Now I know my photo shows the hen not tied…this was a mistake I made. Don’t be a Norine. Don’t make this mistake. Ever tried to catch a greased pig? That’s what it’s like trying to tie a Cornish hen that’s been greased! Don’t do it! That sucker will fly right out of your hands and across the kitchen. It’s like a horrible version of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”!! 

Using your hands, or a pastry brush, rub the olive oil all over the hen. This will crisp up the skin and allow the seasoning to stick during roasting.

Sprinkle tops with more salt and pepper. Tuck Orange slices, more rosemary, thyme, and sage in and among the hens. You’ll notice I didn’t use a ton of fresh herbs. Just a few here and there.

It’s okay not to be exact on measurements here. If you love rosemary…add a little more. I prefer a balanced flavor, so I tried to use about the same amount of every herb.

Add butter to top of each Cornish Hen by places 1 Tablespoon pats of butter on top and around the hens in the roasting pan.

Roasting Cornish Hens

Now for the fun! Add 1/2 cup white cooking wine and 1/2 cup of chicken broth to the bottom of the pan. This will do two things…it allows the flavors to immerse themselves into the hens during baking…AND it prevents the juices from the hens to burn on the bottom of the pan.

Place hens on center rack in the center of preheated oven. Roast for 1 hour basting with pan juices every 20 minutes. 

After one hour increase the oven temperature to 410° and continue roasting another 35 minutes, basting one more time before removing from the oven. Hens should be golden brown and the internal temperature should reach 165° on a meat thermometer. Squeeze the other half of reserved orange over the top of each hen.

Remove hens from oven and place on serving platter. Allow hens to rest 10–15 minutes before serving. This allows the juices to seep back into the meat. Cutting right away will have the juices running all over the plate and all that flavor is lost. (Sadness! We don’t want sadness!) 

How To Make Cornish Hen Gravy

While the hens are resting…it’s the perfect time to whip up a little gravy with the pan juices.

Remove the roasting rack. Using oven mitts strain the dripping through a mesh colander, into a medium sauce pan. This will remove any bits of herb and unsightly pan drippings. 

Add one cup chicken broth to drippings. In another cup mix 1/2 cup of water with 4 Tablespoons cornstarch. Mix until well combined and smooth.

Bring broth and pan juices to a low boil over medium heat. Slowly whisk in cornstarch mixture, whisking constantly until mixture begins to thicken and goes from cloudy to semi-clear. Turn the heat off and place in serving cup.

How To Serve Cornish Game Hens

You have two options when serving Cornish Game Hens. The first, which is what I chose to do, is to remove the string holding the legs together.

Note, I left the stuffing ingredients inside the hen. You can remove them. It’s 100% personal choice.

Set each hen on a serving platter and garnish with more fresh orange slices and herbs. 

The second option is to cut the hens in half lengthwise using a pair of kitchen shears. Cut right down the middle of each breastbone and then the backbone. It will cut easily. Remove the stuffing ingredients. Place each hen half, raw edge down, with the leg and thigh on top.

The presentation of this dish is stunning!! It’s a showstopper. The only thing better than its looks is its amazing flavor. Honestly it’s outstanding!!! We were swooning! 

The skin is crispy and golden. Hints of apple and orange with the subtle flavor of fresh herbs was intoxicating. I was so excited with how this dish turned out. ” Mr. Nest” agreed that this would be the perfect Holiday dish for a smaller gathering. He raved over the flavor and how juicy they were!

I served this dish with a beautiful Kale Cranberry and Pecan salad and my new Sweet Potato and Potato Medley that I’m sharing later this week. It’s the perfect pairing with these stunning succulent Roasted Cornish Game Hens. They’re truly the BEST!

Other wonderful Thanksgiving Main Dish Recipes

• Stuffed Acorn Squash 
• Herb Crusted Turkey Roast
• Sheet Pan Ham Steak For Two
• Roast Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Sauce

 I hope you enjoyed this recipe! I can’t wait to make it again…and again..and again! I know it will be making regular appearances at this Nest. Especially during the Holidays!

Happy Nesting and Happy Holidays!

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