This roasted Cornish hen recipe is easy to make yet looks impressive. Season the hens and roast them over potatoes and carrots until the meat is juicy and the skin is crispy.
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Other Ingredients
- Vegetables: Potatoes, carrots, and onions roast under the hens and soak up all of the juices adding extra flavor. Add other vegetables like bell pepper or mushrooms.
- Note: You can skip the vegetables and cook the hens on a rack if preferred.
- Seasonings: Rosemary, lemon zest, thyme, and garlic powder make the perfect rub.
Variations
- Stuff the Cornish game hens with homemade stuffing. This will increase cooking time, ensure the center of the stuffing reaches 165°F.
- Swap the seasoning for a chicken seasoning blend, Italian seasoning, or zesty Cajun for a twist.
- Try Bacon grease in place of olive oil.
How to Cook Cornish Hen
- Vegetables: Toss the vegetables with oil and seasonings and place in a pan.
- Season: Season the Cornish hens and place them on top of the vegetables.
- Roast: Bake, uncovered according to recipe directions below.
Recipe Tips
- Thaw frozen hens in the fridge overnight.
- Add fresh herbs or lemon slices 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
Store leftover Cornish hens in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to 4 days or freeze leftovers for up to 4 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.
Did you enjoy this Roasted Cornish Hen Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
Equipment
- 9 x 13-inch Casserole Dish or rimmed baking sheet
Ingredients
- 2 (about 1.5 pounds) each cornish hens
- 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
Nutrition Information
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.
The recipe is tasty, but you are incorrect about the origins of the hens. Cornish hens are a fairly recent American invention dating from about 60s. Joy of Cooking says they are a cross between the White Rock and Cornish breeds of chickens which are naturally small. They have nothing to do with the English county of Cornwall.
Brian, thank you for your comment. We always appreciate feedback. We confirmed the information about the Cornish at Oklahoma State University’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, where they confirm which indicates that Cornish were developed in the shire (county) of Cornwall, England and recognized in the 1800s.
Super delish!
This has to be one of the top 5 worst recipes we have ever tried!! Cooked exactly per recipe directions. Veges we’re still crunchy. Chicken was not good at all!!! I would give it a 0. As a retired couple we were extremely disappointed to spend what we did on this terrible meal!!
I’m extremely surprised to hear that Tom, considering that this recipe has a rating of 4.98 from almost 70 people. Did you use cornish hens (not chicken)? Vegetables should most definitely be cooked after the baking time of 55-65 minutes. Have you checked your oven’s temperature with an oven thermometer? I’d be concerned that it is not baking at the correct temperature.
I tried this recipe and followed the instructions exactly as written. While the meat was tasty, I wasn’t prepared for how “wet” it was. The amount of juice made it difficult to eat and, honestly, the vegetables sitting in that juice just weren’t very appetizing. I’d do two things differently next time: (1) add more spices to the olive oil rub to give it more zing, and (2) absolutely finish it under the broiler as was listed as an option. It needs a crisper skin.
Were your cornish hens sitting on top of the vegetables? The juices from the cornish hens drip down, and the meat is not sitting in juices. Perhaps your vegetables were overcooked? Crisping under the broiler sounds great!
I have found this recipe to be both easy and delicious. In response to the above criticism, the recipe is written slightly incorrectly. I KNEW to place the hens atop the vegetables, because of cooking experience. However, the recipe actually says, “Arrange the prepared vegetables around the hens”. This is where the confusion occurs. If the recipe were followed to the letter as written the hens would indeed be braising in a puddle of their own juices instead of roasting nicely.
I’m so glad to hear you love this recipe! We did place the vegetables around the hens when we roasted them and we did not have and issue with the juices. Placing atop would change that, although the vegetables “may” overcook (may not as well). Thank you for your comment Shawn.
I made this before and it turned out great. Confused about your comment where you said that you weren’t prepared for how “wet” the chicken was but I assume you mean the juices from the chicken, I however find juicy chicken very appetizing and flavorful. I also really enjoyed the potatoes and carrots cooked in the seasoned juice from the chicken to also be very good… possibly when you made it they were chopped too small?
Wow!!! So beautiful and wonderful delicious Cornish Hen recipe by the great Chef Holly Nilson Perfect presentation good texture tender crispy good taste mouth watering good create nice color rich ingredients professional cooking shows Thanks for your dedication and hard work that will be appreciated successful results God bless you and your family always with Good Health Good Luck and Happiness Love Stay safe in New Year 2021⭐️❤️
Thank you for your kind words, Caroline! You made my day. So glad you love this cornish hen recipe!
Definitely delicious!! Followed recipe exactly as written
Made this dish past Saturday night. I have to say I was really skeptical. The only change I made is that I added a pound of sliced mushrooms. The dish came out fantastic. You didn’t mention, but I was able to make gravy with all the drippings and it was really tasty thanks for a great recipe!
Great idea Doug! I love gravy! So happy you love this cornish hen recipe!
Why does it say to preheat the over to 450 but then turn it down to 400?
Popping them into a hotter oven will help the outside crisp up. Enjoy!
I made this for an elderly friend and she loved it! I figured since she doesn’t eat a lot she would have leftovers but I was wrong! She said she kept eating and eating until it was all gone and she said she slept so good that night. Made me happy!
Oh so happy to hear that Dorothy! You made my day!
Now that is a compliment!
Yummy. Very simple recipe to follow. Didn’t change a thing. Delicious. I did leave the oven on for 10 minutes at 450 but turned it down after that and had nice, crispy hens.
excellent recipe. love the adaptability of vegetable options. i used duck fat instead of oil. as that gold does for absolutely everything – turns it to extra YUM!!
I bet the duck fat adds great flavor!
Hi this looks delicious- would you increase the time if I’m cooking more hens at the same time? Thanks!
As long as they’re in a pan that is large enough (and not touching), the cook time should remain close to the same.
Great was dry and veggies greasy. Not a do again.
How disappointing Anita, I’m sorry this didn’t work out for you. At 165°F the meat should be cooked but still tender and juicy.
Excellent dish! So easy & flavorful. I used Epicure Holiday seasoning. 2 tbsp of seasoning to 2 tbsp of olive oil on the hens. I also used 1 tbsp of seasoning mixed with 1 tbsp of olive oil on the veggies. S & P to taste. Finger licking, lip smacking good :)
SO glad you loved this Rosie!
Kudos to you, Holly Nilsson! A great versatile recipe. As we are minimal carbs, my veggies are brussel sprouts, chopped onion, sliced carrots and minced garlic ( I used jarred garlic, still tasty) Tossed all veg in bowl with few tbsp olive oil, and dried rosemary, which I crushed in my palm before adding to veg bowl.
Arranged little hens in baking dish sprayed with cooking spray, surrounded with oil tossed veg. Did about 3 tbsp o. Oil in side dish with a bit more crushed rosemary and a pinch of sea salt; brushed over birds, then into 400 degee oven for 1 hour. Let rest, lightly foil covered for 10 min before serving. RAVES ALL AROUND! Succulent meat and tender done veggies! A very easy and adaptable recipe!
So happy to hear how much you enjoyed the cornish hen! Thank you for sharing your method April.
I followed your recipe and our Thanksgiving hens turned out great! I used bacon grease that I had from another recipe and then used the spices that you had listed. I will definitely refer to this when I make them again!
So happy it worked out so lovely for you Holly!
Since there’s only two of us for Thanksgiving dinner, instead of Turkey we’re going to try this recipe. The only thing different I added was I injected the hens with melted butter and a mixture of seasoning suggested in the recipe. This will hopefully keep the chicken very moist on the interior. I will update after we indulge. Happy Thanksgiving to all.
That sounds amazing! And great idea for two! Haappy Thanksgiving!
Trying for very 1st time & I’m definitely not a cook….I don’t have any type of string to use….any replacements or will my hens be dry if I can’t tie the legs?
Thanks!
While I haven’t tried it you could try wrapping them with a little bit of foil. Tear off a piece and scrunch it into a rope shape. If it doesn’t work, they should be fine cooked untied too. Let us know how it goes!
Well it looks great but it doesn’t say what temp. to cook the hens that could fine.
Hi Deanna, please take a look at the recipe card to see the full ingredients and instructions, which includes the temperatures for baking the cornish hen. You can find a jump to recipe button at the top to take you right there!
I usually do a whole chicken but have not done one of these little guys. I have a good recipe I use for big chickens so going to try it out with these. I’m going to cook two of them, one for me and one for the GF. Came here to find out cooking times and temps. Looking forward to see how it comes out!!
Let us know how it works out for you!
Never tried this kind of chicken yet because they’re not as readily available ion our country. But definitely gonna try it with some of my fave recipes to taste the difference.