This Cornish hen recipe is an easy way to make an elegant meal.
Cornish hens are seasoned and roasted alongside vegetables until tender and juicy.
Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: Crispy, golden skin and tender, juicy meat infused with garlic, herbs, and a hint of citrus make this roasted Cornish hen irresistibly flavorful.
- Skill level: This is easy enough for home cooks but with techniques like seasoning, roasting, and temperature checking that require some attention to detail.
- Serving suggestions: Serve these roasted Cornish hens with buttery mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, a crisp green salad, or warm dinner rolls for a well-rounded meal.
Ingredient Tips For This Cornish Hen Recipe
- Cornish Hens: Cornish hens are small birds, usually about 1.5 to 2 lbs each. You can find Cornish hens in the freezer section with chicken and turkeys (you can also order them online here).
- Vegetables: Onions, carrots, and potatoes are cooked along with the hens for a complete meal in one pan. The juices from the hens will flavor the vegetables for a perfect meal. If you prefer to roast the hens without veggies, use a rack in the baking dish.
- Seasonings: Rosemary, lemon zest, thyme, and garlic powder make the perfect rub for these Cornish game hens.
Variations
- Cornish game hens can be stuffed with homemade stuffing like a holiday bird—ensure the center of the stuffing reaches 165°F.
- Other vegetables can be added; try bell pepper or mushrooms.
- You can also use a basic chicken blend, Italian seasoning, or zesty Cajun for a twist. Instead of olive oil, use leftover bacon grease to add a smoky flavor to the skin.
Recipe Tips
- Thaw the hens in the fridge overnight before cooking.
- Fresh herbs or lemon slices can be added to the cavity before cooking.
- Cook until the hens reach 165°F with a thermometer in the thickest part of the breast.
- Let the hens rest for 10 minutes before serving. If needed, the vegetables can be placed back in the oven while the hens rest.
Storing Leftovers
Leftover Cornish hens can be kept in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to 4 days and can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Use leftovers as you would use leftover chicken— in a chicken wrap, toss into soup, or add to a quick and easy buffalo chicken dip.
Create a Cornish Hen Feast with These Sides…
Did you enjoy this Roasted Cornish Hen Recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below.
Cornish Hen
Roasted Cornish hens are tender and juicy with a crispy, golden-brown skin.
Equipment
- 9 x 13-inch Casserole Dish or rimmed baking sheet
Ingredients
- 2 cornish hens about 1.5 pounds each
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary crushed
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Optional Vegetables
- 1 pound potatoes cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 carrots cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 onion cut into 1-inch wedges
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- If using, toss the vegetables with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt & pepper to taste. Place in the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish or roasting pan.
- In a small bowl, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil with salt, rosemary, lemon zest, pepper, thyme, and garlic powder. Brush hens with the olive oil mixture. Twist wings to tuck under the bird. Tie legs together with twine if desired.
- Place Cornish hens on the vegetables and transfer the dish to the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 400°F.
- Bake the hens uncovered for 55 to 65 minutes or until the hens reach 165°F* with a thermometer. Ensure the thermometer does not touch the bone.
- Transfer the hens to a serving plate and loosely tent with foil for 10 minutes.
- Stir the vegetables into the juices on the pan. If needed, you can place them back into the oven as the hens rest. If the vegetables are cooked to your liking, turn the oven off and place them in the oven to keep warm.
- Cut hens in half using kitchen scissors and serve with vegetables.
Notes
Cornish hens can range in size from 1.5 to 2.25 lbs. Cooking time can vary slightly based on the size of your hens.
Poultry should reach a final temperature of 165°F in the thickest part of the meat with the thermometer not touching the bone. I remove the hens from the oven at 160°F as they will continue to cook as they rest and will reach 165°F.
Leftovers will keep for 4 days in the refrigerator and 3 months in the freezer.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 568 | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 227mg | Sodium: 450mg | Potassium: 669mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 5338IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Excellent recipe. Popped these hens in the oven with some cut up vegetables and a healthy, delicious dinner was ready in an under an hour.
I made this tonight and all the family loved it! I doubled the recipe and added celery to the veggies. Put one lemon slice in each chicken. This was easy and delicious. I will make this again. Thank you for an easy yummy recipe.
I had bought a couple of Cornish before Christmas. And then because of family commitments I didn’t have time to use either of them. So yesterday I thought one out and today I made this and mine looks amazing. I deviated a little bit. I only use salt pepper and garlic powder on my bird along with the oil inside I put the oil and I had the same spices and then I stuffed it with chopped up pepper sweet peppers and chopped crimini mushrooms. The bird was roasted on top of the bed of onions and green beans because that’s what I had. And I thought that would work out well I do love green beans done in the oven I love green beans anytime but it felt like this was perfect to use them because it was different.
This cornish hen looks like maybe the best I’ve ever made. I haven’t tried it yet so I don’t know if the flavour is gonna be good or not. I really like simple and I think salt pepper and garlic powder is simple. Poultry is one of my favourite things ever. And I love Cornish so we’ll see. As it turns out Family is invited me for a meal tonight so I guess I’m gonna have Cornish tomorrow. But isn’t it always better on the next day?
I made this recipe exactly as posted. We found it to be somewhat dry. Not the birds but the veggies.The veggies didn’t cook at the same rate as the birds. They were crunch instead of tender. There needs to be some kinds of sauce emwith this recipe.
I am sorry to hear that. In step 7, we recommend stirring the vegetables into the juices on the pan. Then if needed, you can place them back into the oven as the hens rest. You can then cook them until tender and moist.
Great recipe as it stands. On our second cook, we stuffed the birds with a bulgar and fresh porcini mushroom mixture. It was incredible!
That sounds delicious!
Absolutely screw-up proof!!
I’ve made this recipe a dozen times since I found it, changing up a little here or there every time, and it just doesn’t matter – this technique & time is simply perfect. Change all the veggies? Still yummy. Forget to drop the temp down from the 450 start? Super crispy skin but still tasted great and not even dried out. It goes together quickly, and as long as you use your biggest pan and max out the veggies under the chickens, it’s an easy one-pan set & forget meal that serves up so elegantly it’ll convince others you worked extra hard in the kitchen.
If you leave the bird tightly trussed up with its elastic string in place, then the heat is not able to penetrate into the groin area, and it could well be underdone and still ‘bloody’ in spite of a good colour to the skin.
I love the spend with pennies blog! Quick question for you Holly: I should thaw the hens first right?
Yes, the hens should be thawed before cooking.
do you cover the Cornish hens while cooking
They are cooked uncovered so the skin can get crispy.
This recipe rocks, I’ve made it numerous times.
I love roasted celery so I added it.
Like a rough chop Mara poix
So good! We really enjoyed this recipe.
YUM!!! Flavors are amazing! Both hens and veggies seasoned and cooked perfectly!
I’m planning to make this for Easter. If I half the hens before baking, does that affect the baking time? Would you recommend this or not? I’m also not baking the veggies with the hens. Thanks
I haven’t tried halving the hens in this recipe so I can’t say for sure.
We subbed in a sweet potato for the regular potato. My family loved it! Thank you