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Tender, juicy and one of the best cornish hen recipes ever. Baked cornish hen in oven with marinade of garlic, honey and spices. This cornish game hen is so good!
Cornish Hen Recipe
What is a cornish hen?
In the United States, cornish game hen (USDA approved name) is also called rock cornish hen. It’s a type of small chicken, produced from a cross between the Cornish and White Plymouth Rock chicken breeds.
They are small, young and immature hens, with an average weight of less than 2 lbs each. The meat is tender, juicy, and much better than turkey and even chicken.
This crispy roasted and baked cornish hen is perfect for holidays. It’s also great for dinner tonight!
Cornish Game Hen
They are widely available in the frozen food section or poultry section of food stores and supermarkets.
They are vacuum-packed in a small plastic wrapped package. They are also labeled as Rock Cornish Game Hen.
They are sold without giblets, so cooking cornish hens are quick and easy.
Cornish Hen Ingredients
My baked recipe calls for the following marinade ingredients:
- Garlic
- Butter or extra virgin olive oil
- Honey
- Sambal oelek
- Salt
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Cook Cornish Hen
The easiest way to cook is to bake it in the oven.
First, thaw the hen to room temperature. Make sure you pat dry the entire hen with paper towels, including inside the cavity.
Next, marinate it with garlic, butter (or extra virgin olive oil), honey and sambal oelek. If you don’t have sambal oelek, you can use any dry spices such as chili powder or smoked paprika.
You can also use any hot sauce such as Tabasco, Louisiana hot sauce, Sriracha or anything you have on hand.
Bake in the oven at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). How long to cook cornish hens? For this recipe, it takes 60 minutes to cook it in the oven.
This recipe yields crispy skin, with juicy, moist, tender and flavorful meat. It’s the best!
Frequently Asked Questions
These hens are younger than chickens, so they have less calories as well as less fat. This also makes them more lean.
Yes, you can.
You can air-fry it in an air fryer and have crispy skin.
This recipe has 557 calories per serving.
What To Serve With This Recipe
This recipe is best served as the main dish. For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Other Recipes You Might Like
Cornish Hen ((The Best Recipe!)
Ingredients
- 1 cornish hen
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 toothpicks
- 1 tablespoon olive oil , or unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 tablespoon sambal oelek
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Rinse and pat dry the Cornish hen with paper towels, making sure the cavity is dry. Place the garlic inside the cavity and close it with 3 toothpicks.
- In a small bowl, combine the olive oil (or butter), honey, sambal oelek, and salt. Stir to mix well. Brush the mixture evenly over the skin.
- Place the Cornish hen on a roasting pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until the skin becomes crispy and nicely browned. You can cover it with a sheet of aluminum foil to prevent burning.
- Turn the hen over and bake the other side for another 30 minutes. You can brush the juices that seep out onto the skin. Remove from the oven and serve immediately with lemon wedges.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love your recipes
Thanks Kit for your support.
Gracias por compartir tus fabulosas idea y conocimientos,tengo que preguntar si no encuentro este tipo de gallinas puedo hacer con pollos es lo más común en mi país,y si en tiendas de productos chinos encuentro el Sambala
Yum! Simple and delicious, thank you! I haven’t eaten these in years. They’re good stuffed like a regular hen or turkey too, but you need to make more than one. Bet you could use this recipe on fresh game too, bam!
Yes, cornish hen is very yummy!
Has anyone made it and how did you like it? Flavor? Recipe seems simple so I’m wondering about taste, thanks!
The taste is very good, trust me.
Iris, Yes Cornish game hens are great but they do have a different taste and flavor, to me they don’t taste exactly like chicken, but they are good. I get mine generally in a two pack at my grocery store, Smith’s/Kroger.. This recipe looks awesome, and try it. Also if you have any type of chili paste in your pantry or refrigerator you can use it. I think I have Chili sauce, it is not a paste, but go by the recipe so you don’t get the wrong taste when your little bird is done.
The cornish hen recipe sounds delicious! I might prepare this for Christmas! Any suggestions on sides?
The recipes are here: https://rasamalaysia.com/tag/side-dish/
Look so delicious! Plus I like these video clip like this. And this recipe is simple but still have a good dish for Thanksgiving holiday. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Bee, I love your recipes!
I’m confused about the positioning of the Cornish hen when roasting. Do you cook it on its side or do you just turn it upside down after the first roasting?
Hi Karen. Turn it over. Please refer to the video in the recipe.
what is sambal oelek????
It’s an Indonesian chili paste that you can buy in stores.
thank you!!!!
sambal oelek is a chili sauce. Its supposed to be a hot sauce, but i haven’t tried it
what is sambal and where do you get it?????
Cornish hens always remind me of the chickens I ate in a Wonju Korea cafe, where they were raised pretty much just until the meat firmed up. The chicken that is, not the Koreans. hahaha …sorry but I couldn’t help it.
They served the chicken with a light cucumber pickle that was most delightful. I’m still looking for that recipe.
I will do the Cornish hens and delight in trying to present it as well as your pictures show it.
Thank you yet again.