By the time my husband and daughter returned from their afternoon outing yesterday at the neighborhood playground our house was filled with the comforting aromas of garlic-roasted Cornish game hens. They knew they were in for a real treat.
Ever since I first spatchcocked Cornish game hens on my panini grill I’ve been a big fan of these little gals. They roast so quickly and are just as juicy and flavorful as their larger counterparts. So when I found a recipe for what sounded like a zesty, flavorful garlic-lime chicken marinade on the side of a garlic powder bottle, I immediately nixed the boneless, skinless chicken breasts it called for in favor of hens. Instead of garlic powder, dried cilantro and lime juice I freshened things up a bit with fresh garlic and cilantro and lime zest. These aromatics tucked under the skin gave the hens a real zing, while the cumin and cayenne pepper in the rub added a welcome touch of smoky heat.
I’m sure the original recipe would have been delicious too, but my version is a bit more to my taste. With some savory Mexican rice on the side this was a meal anyone would look forward to coming home to.
Garlic-Lime Cornish Game Hens
Inspired by the Garlic-Lime Chicken recipe on a bottle of McCormick California Style Garlic Powder with Parsley and the Roasted Orange-Herb Game Hen recipe on Epicurious
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
3-4 cloves garlic, minced (depending on your personal taste)
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon grated lime zest
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Cornish game hens (approx. 1-1/2 lbs each), thawed (if necessary) and patted dry
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken stock
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Combine garlic, cilantro, lime zest, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in a small bowl. Slide your fingertips under the skin of the hens to loosen. Spread half of the herb mixture under the skin of each hen. Brush butter onto the skin; season with coarse salt and pepper. Tie the hens’ legs together with kitchen twine or create small slits in the skin near the cavity (as I did – see the photos) and insert the ends of the legs through the slits. Place hens in a shallow roasting pan.
Roast hens until golden and cooked through (when an instant read thermometer registers 170°F – 175°F at the thickest part of the thigh), adding broth after 10 minutes and basting twice throughout the cooking time, about 30 minutes. Transfer the hens to a platter and let stand for 10 minutes. Serve with Mexican Rice, if desired.
This looks beautiful! I need to expand my chicken roasting recipes, and this may be the next one I try!
This recipe looks like something I would be afraid to make, but you make it sound pretty easy. Thanks!
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Oh, it was incredibly easy! And didn’t take all that long either, which I find to be a plus 🙂
sounds very appetizing!! 🙂
Dani’s last blog post..#57) Hawaiian Drops
A little cornish hen is one of the tastiest birds. So tender. Your cilantro/lime basting is nice.
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You can’t go wrong with garlic and lime. Great combo!
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This looks wonderful. I’ve never tried cornish hens – I’ll be on the lookout for them. The garlic and lime are a great combination of flavors.
Pam’s last blog post..Wild Mushroom Agnolotti with Roasted Marinara Sauce
That looks great Kathy. Cornish hens are delicious and yes, totally easy. I really need a new recipe for my household though, been making the same ones for so long. Thanks for the ideas!
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This looks like a great, fresh recipe. You’re obsessed with spatchcocking (lol). I just got a young chicken to try it again!
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This looks so easy and utterly delicious… I’ll have to convince my parents to make it tonight!
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A bottle of McCormick’s spice helped inspire this gorgeous meal? I better head for the pantry and give my spice bottles a proper once over!
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You’ll be amazed at what you’ll find!
This recipe looks delicious and easy to do.I’m going to try it tonight.
Terrific – I hope you enjoy it!
Wow, this was an awesome recipe! I was searching for something with cornish hens and lime just because I had both in the fridge and wanted to use them together. 🙂 I didn’t have fresh cilantro on hand but I did have some dried cilantro leaves so I used that instead…Otherwise, I had all the rest of the ingredients on hand. Served it with a simple mashed potato and some green peas…Really great! Next time, I am going to get the fresh cilantro and do a mexican rice like you did. Thank you so much!!
That’s terrific – I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
My boyfriend ran across this recipe when we were trying to find something to go with a bottle of dry white wine and use an extra lime we had lying around. This was perfect and easy to make. Plus the Cornish hens make the meal more sophisticated. I am glad we found this website in the process. I am making this again for the second time and I can’t wait!
That’s fantastic to hear, Josie!