First time baking Cornish Hens?

Question

Easy way to season and baking time. Having unexpected company so want to make a nice meal but quick

Answer 1

Sounds like since the company is unexpected you might be short on time. Here is something simple and nice for company. You can do this in the microwave or regular oven and results are both excellent. The cooking time will vary according to the number of hens you are going to cook.

I find that stuffing the little birds with Uncle Ben's White and Wild Rice makes a delicous meal and it is really easy. I garnish with lemon slices if I have them and season with Lemon Pepper and Pam Butter flavor spray or margarine or butter at room temp. Here are the steps:

Depending on size and number of hens you will need to cook up Uncle Ben's White and Wild Rice. To do 4 hens I usually cook up two boxes according to the directions. I set the rice aside to let it cool a bit and make it easier to handle when stuffing hens.

I then rinse and remove any giblets from hens. After rinsing I shake them out and then pat dry inside and out. Tuck wings under so the hens will stand on their own in pan. If you have Butter flavor Pam put one spray inside then sprinkle lightly with Lemon Pepper seasoning or combination of Lemon Pepper seasoning and Garlic Salt. Go light as you don't want too much salt! Do this with each hen. Then stuff each hen with white and wild rice mix until just full. After all hens are stuffed 1/4 inch slice lemon and place inside of opening. This adds flavor and keeps stuffing in if you don't have it or like it this recipe still works fine. If you have two hens then pick the smallest baking pan so that they will sit up against each other if possible. A brownie pan works for two hens. Put them in pan with legs going in opposite directions this helps promote even cooking in microwave and regular oven. Once you have the hens seated in the pan you are ready for the final bits of prep. If you have Butter Flavor Pam handy just spray the hens and the in the pan and be sure to get the stuffing/ "lemon door" covered as well. Sprinkle with Lemon Pepper and or Lemon Pepper + Garlic Salt to taste. Top the hens with thinner slices of remaining lemon and spray some more Pam on them.

Your hens are ready to be cooked in microwave or the regular oven. The will brown if you cook them in the microwave and I like the result better when doing two hens. You can decide the cooking time according to what is suggested on the package the hens came in. Cooking in the microwave will cut time in half as a rule. I have an old microwave 800 watt. For microwave I place a sheet of wax paper over the hens to reduce spatter and keeps moisture in. Next I cook for 10 minutes and then rotate the baking dish and cook again for 10 min until done. It usually takes 30 minutes or three turns for two hens depending on how big they are. The test for doneness is the leg will wiggle loosely and if pulled away from body you will only see clear juices.

Let the hens set about 7 minutes or so as you get dishes ready for serving. I usually serve my hens on individual plates with serving of steamed vegetables. I usually start my veggies during the last 10 minutes of cooking of hens and usually they are almost ready when last 10 min. ends.

If you opt for regular oven I think baking at 350 for about an hour should do it. Watch for hens getting too brown and cover with foil if that starts to happen. I also suggest turning baking dish in regular oven as well. These hens are not uniform in size and keeping them together and with legs alternating helps them cook more evenly.

You could stuff with any rice mix that goes with chicken from Uncle Bens or Rice a Roni. The lemon slices add flavor and moisture to the hens. If you don't have butter flavored Pam and have regular that works fine. If no Pam then just grease them up with butter or margarine and you might want to baste them once if they are looking dry. For some reason the Pam seems to hold on to the bird plus spraying is not as messy as greasing up with butter or margarine.

This is my favorite after work recipe when I want cook something nice or above average and don't have a ton of time. You can stuff and let set a half hour while you change for dinner. Recipe times are for the hens at near room temp before cooking. You will also not have a lot of clean up after dinner which in my book is a big plus any time.

I hope this will work for you as it has for me over the years.

Answer 2

Brine them to create moist and flavorful birds. Create a solution of salt and water. Add any seasoning you like. People often add some sugar (or honey or whatever). Soak hens in brine solution for 1-2 hours in the fridge. Remove, rinse, pat dry and cook as you normally would. They'll take a little less time to cook than non-brined hens. See links below for details.

I'm making some brined chicken breasts for supper tonight.
Brine solutions range from about 0.5 C of salt to 1.0 C salt per gallon of water, and may include an equal amount of sugar or less, plus any desired seasonings. The brine solution and chicken needs to be at fridge temp throughout the soaking period.

Other than the brining, follow any recipe you normally would for the Cornish Hens, except for a slightly reduced cooking time. Finished meat will have some salt in it, so please taste before adding any at the table.

If you don't have time to do this tonight, try it some other time with any poultry, pork, or seafood. You won't regret the results.

Answer 3

350 degrees for an hour, though I looked on Allrecipes.com for cornish hen recipes, and the time & temp varies from recipe to recipe. Two tips that I learned the hard way recently: don't remove the skin before cooking (I know it's obvious to everyone who's cooked poultry before, but I hadn't!), and be sure the hens are thoroughly thawed before cooking, or the inside will still be red for a long time while the outside is done.

Answer 4

Rub butter on inside and out.
Whisk the followiing ingredients together: salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and lemon. Season bird inside and out. Cook at 325 degrees. Not certain about length of time.

Answer 5

butter it add flour and salt and pepper a little garlic and cover bake on 400 or put in a cooking bag seasoned also at least an hour