Rock Cornish Hen

Cornish hens are a tasty little bird, with all white meat perfect for a romantic dinner for two, or a special occasion/small dinner party. I love them but they're a little on the pricey side at about $6 each, sometimes you can get them on sale for a lot less or you might find them more reasonably priced at Sam's or Costco.

The Rock Cornish Game Hen (as they are more formally known) were originally bred only about 60 years ago by a woman, Alphonsine “Therese” Makowsky, who escaped from the Nazi invasion of France and settled on a farm in Connecticut. She cross-bred them from Cornish game cocks, White Plymouth Rock hens and Malayan Fighting cocks. She meant for them to be a substitute for her flock of Guinea hens that had burned in a fire but they were so popular with her customers and with some of the finest restaurants in New York City that they became her farm's main source of income, filling orders for as many as 3,000 hens a day!

Cornish hens can be stuffed, surrounded by vegetables and potatoes like a roast, or just roasted by themselves. I prefer to cook them unstuffed and alone in the roasting pan and I like to serve them with wild rice and asparagus. This recipe makes a tasty sweet/tangy glaze for the birds. As always, use this as a guide and experiment with what you like. Because they are on the small side, they cook quickly making for a relatively fast and simple to prepare meal – especially if you don't stuff them.

Simple Glazed Cornish Hen

1 hen
2 Tbl orange marmalade
garlic powder
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put hen in roasting pan, brush marmalade all over the hen, sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Roast for about 40 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Remove and let sit for a few minutes to let the juices settle. Cut in half and serve each person half of the hen. Serves 2.

If you enjoyed this article or this blog – click on the “Subscribe” link below.