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/5
1 hour hr 25 minutes mins
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By: Rachel GurkPosted: 03/23/2016
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This Cornish game hen recipe is perfect for Easter or any other occasion! The bright flavors of the orange, sherry, and rosemary will have everyone wanting more.
Raise your hand if you eat ham every single Easter. I bet a lot of you are raising your hands. As much as I love ham (especially this five ingredient slow cooker maple dijon ham), I think there comes a time for mixing it up a little.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Approachable: If you’re intimidated by the thought of preparing a Cornish hen, don’t be! It’s really simple. If you can cook chicken, you can cook Cornish game hen.
- Impressive and flavorful: Blow your family and friends away with this beautiful Cornish game hen recipe. They’ll be impressed, but more importantly, their taste buds will be satisfied with the bright citrus of the orange and the savory pine notes of the rosemary.
How to Make this Cornish Game Hen
This recipe looks super impressive but in reality is quite easy to make. Those are my favorite kind of recipes. As always, scroll down for the complete and printable recipe card.
- First, remove the giblets. If you like giblets, you could make giblet gravy or a homemade stock.
- Give the Cornish hens a little massage with olive oil. That helps them get crispy beautiful brown skin. Season them, inside and out, with salt and pepper. Put them into a roasting pan large enough to accommodate the hens side by side.
- Start with a high temperature to get the Cornish hens going and to caramelize the onions and the oranges. Then, reduce the temperature and add the sherry, chicken broth, and mustard to the pan to keep the hens moist, and to add terrific flavor during the remainder of the cooking time.
- Remember to baste every 10-15 minutes to bathe the hens in the great flavor of the broth and to keep them from drying out.
- Once the hens have finished cooking (I like to use an instant read thermometer), remove them from the pan, put them on a platter, and tent them with foil to keep warm. Reduce the juices in the pan over high heat to make a nice sauce.
- All that’s left to do is to enjoy!
Serving tips
Try serving Cornish hens with brown butter slow cooker mashed potatoes, zucchini rice casserole (also bakes at 350!), sauteed parsnips with white wine and thyme, or green beans with lemon and feta.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Recipe
Get the Recipe: Cornish Game Hen Recipe with Orange and Rosemary
4.53 from 76 votesPrep Time: 15 minutes mins
Cook Time: 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
Total Time: 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins
4 servings
Print Rate Recipe
This Cornish game hen recipe is perfect for Easter or any other special occasion! The bright flavors of the orange, sherry, and rosemary will have everyone wanting more.
Ingredients
- 2 Cornish hens (about 2 pounds each)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 orange, quartered
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 yellow onion, quartered
- 1/4 cup Sherry or Sherry Cooking Wine
- 1/4 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450°F.
If present, remove giblets from Cornish hens.
Rub outside of Cornish hens with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Season hens with salt and pepper on all sides. Place 1 orange wedge and 1 sprig of rosemary in cavity of each hen. Arrange in a roasting pan, and arrange remaining orange wedges and quartered onions around hens. Roast at 450°F for 25 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together Sherry Wine, chicken broth, mustard, and remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and pour over hens.
Continue roasting about 45 minutes longer, or until hens are golden brown and juices run clear and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 180°F. Baste with juices from pan every 10 minutes.
Transfer hens, oranges, and onions to a platter, pouring liquid from cavities into the roasting pan. Cover Cornish hens loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm. Transfer pan juices to a medium saucepan (you can also do this right in the roasting pan) and place over high heat. Boil until liquids reduce to a sauce, 5-7 minutes.
To serve, cut hens in half lengthwise and arrange on plates. Spoon sauce over hens and serve.
Notes
- If you’d rather not use sherry, substitute with additional chicken broth.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 0.5cornish game hen, Calories: 623kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 51g, Fat: 44g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 4g
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Author: Rachel Gurk
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Reader Interactions
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Joyce says
Rachel, I’m wondering if I could use orange juice instead of the sherry?
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Rachel Gurk says
That should work fine!
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JennyDinVa says
Superbly excellent! I made this today, followed your directions to a T except for a tiny difference. I had no cooking sherry or reg sherry, but I did have cream sherry (It’s not a cream, it’s a sipper).
I tell you, the kitchen smelled divine, but the taste — ohmylord, it was heavenly, moist as can be, and so tender it was almost falling off the bone. The sauce was outstanding!
I ate 1/2 of a hen and have wrapped up all the rest for the next few days’ dinners, including the sauce.
Whew, I can’t thank you enough for such a wonderful 5-star recipe!Reply
JennyDinVa says
(I am fighting SUCH an urge to polish off all the rest of it. Geezy peezy, that was so damn great. Not good, GREAT) I will not go back to the kitchen, I will not go back to the kitchen……
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Rachel Gurk says
Both of your comments brought a smile to my face! I’m happy you enjoyed it so much!
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Mary Johnson says
Best recipe I’ve tried for game hens! Delicious!Reply
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked them! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review, it means a lot!
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Dnguido says
Can I make this with hens that are split already??
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Rachel Gurk says
Probably, but I haven’t tried it that way! Cook time may be slightly shorter. Let me know if you give it a try.
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Maria says
Looking forward to making this recipe for thanksgiving but we do not have Sherry. Would another cooking wine or vinegar work?
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Rachel Gurk says
I would just use white wine! I hope you have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!
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Jacqui says
Absolutely fantastic! Made it last Thanksgiving exactly as is with the exception of the cooking sherry as we don’t have that particular brand where i live, was superb! And easy! Everyone loved it! Made it a couple times since just cuz and am making it for thanksgiving again tomorrow! Can’t wait! Thank you for sharing it! Be safe :)
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Rachel Gurk says
So glad you like this recipe so much! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
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Michael says
Hello Rachel,
I was looking for a fresh idea for Cornish hen I found your recipe with the orange rosemary and sherry. I’ve been a chef for over 40 years and Holland House cooking wines been around a lot longer than I have and I just got to tell you it’s a sin to use this filled with salt terrible taste I don’t know how you can recommend this. A chefs rule to cooked by if you can’t drink it don’t cook with it let me see you take a drink of this disgusting Holland House.
By the way the recipe was fantastic while using a really good sherry that is drinkable I thank you for that but please do not recommend this Holland House oh my goodness.Reply
Rachel Gurk says
Thanks for your opinion. There’s definitely more than one way to make this recipe!
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The Gurkanator says
GURK! Oh man! Sorry that’s your name. You don’t wanna get gurk’d if you live near south Jersey (or maybe you do). :D
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Rachel Gurk says
Ha….okay? You must know something I don’t know. :)
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Susan Hohmann says
I have made this recipe 3 times in 6 weeks, my husband loves it. It truly is delicious.
I use Fino Sherry, not the cooking sherry, because I have that sherry in my pantry.. it is company worthy. It is not a stressful recipe, served with Ina’s wild rice salad and on other occasions served it with Birds eye steamed white rice with mixed vegetables for a weeknight dinner.Reply
Rachel Gurk says
Wow, I love that! I’m so glad you like this recipe, thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
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Michael Juergensen says
Made this dish for Easter dinner – big hit. Reminded me of France – the aroma and taste were wonderful. Served this with a wild rice dish and some corn. Great way to make Cornish hens!
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Rachel Gurk says
I’m so happy to hear that you liked this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
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