Roasted Cornish Hen Recipe

This Roasted Cornish Hen recipe is basted in the most delicious, sweet bourbon glaze. So easy to make and perfect for Sunday dinners or holiday meals!

We love serving these Cornish hens on a bed of our Rice Pilaf with Almonds & Cranberries and a whole lot of our Sweet Cornbread on the side!

Why You’ll Love This Roasted Cornish Hen Recipe

While this Roasted Cornish Hen recipe is wonderful for the holidays, they’re easy enough to make for Sunday dinners or even a nice dinner during the week! All you need to do is tie them up, make a quick glaze and off to the oven they go.

So if you don’t have enough of a crowd to make a Whole Roasted Turkey or this gorgeous Bourbon Glazed Ham, these Cornish Hens will be just the right amount!

What Are Cornish Hens?

Cornish Hens (also known as Rock Cornish Game Hen) are produced from a cross between Cornish and White Plymouth Rock chicken breeds. They are bred to have a larger breast, which makes for a delicious dinner for those that don’t like the dark meat. Cornish hens usually weigh in at about 2 – 2 1/2 pounds each.

You can serve Cornish hens as an individual portion, but most commercial Cornish hens sold in stores today are big enough for two people. An easy way to serve them to a group is to cut the chicken down the middle before serving. 

Why Do You “Truss” A Chicken Or Turkey Before Cooking?

Trussing means to tie a chicken or turkey up so that the wings and legs stay tucked into the body of the bird, ensuring an even cooking time. If you don’t truss the chicken, the legs and wings will be done before the breast is.

Trussing a chicken or turkey also makes for a nicer presentation when serving because you get that perfectly tucking in bird like you see in our pictures here. Trussing only takes a few minutes to do and anyone can do it!

Of course there are super professional ways to truss a chicken, but as long as you get some kitchen twine and get everything nice and tucked in, you’re good to go.

Tips For Success!

A big mistake people make when adding barbecue sauce or any type of glaze to their meat or poultry when cooking is adding it too soon. Barbecue sauce and glaze recipes like this bourbon glaze are made with some sort of sugar which will burn if added to soon.

• Baste With Glaze At The End: Baste the hens with the bourbon glaze about 5 minutes before the cooking time is over. This will let the poultry finish cooking and also allow the glaze to set.
• Don’t Overcook: Because Cornish Hens are small, it’s easy to overcook the meat. Use an oven thermometer to ensure success.
• Rest: Let the birds rest for 10 minutes (or a few minutes more works, too) when they comes out of the oven so that the juices don’t run out when carving.

How Do You Serve Roasted Cornish Hens?

You can serve these roasted Cornish hens whole or as an individual portion if you have big eaters! Typically, as we mentioned before, Cornish hens are about 2 or 2 1/2 pounds so that’s probably too big for one person, unless your feeding a hungry crowd.

I like to cut the hen right down the middles and serve each person a half of the chicken. Along with a couple of sides, that’s a very generous portion. When planning a holiday or diner party, you can typically count on one Cornish hen feeding two people.

What Side Dishes Go Well With Cornish Hens?

Like we mentioned before, we like serving these roasted Cornish hens on a bed of our delicious Rice Pilaf, but there’s a ton of other side dishes that go perfectly with Roasted Cornish Hens!

• Perfectly Smooth Mashed Potatoes
• Twice Baked Potatoes
• Baked Macaroni & Cheese
• Brussels Sprouts Casserole
• Garlic Roasted Broccoli
• The BEST Roasted Carrots Recipe

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