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Home » Chicken » Rosemary Garlic Cornish Hens

Rosemary Garlic Cornish Hens

June 17, 2018 by Judith Hannemann

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These quick and easy rosemary garlic Cornish hens are nice enough for guests, but great for family too.

Cornish hens are perfect for the outdoor grill!

Get Grilling

After a rather long and hard winter here in New York, I am so looking forward to outdoor cooking. The bleak and cold weather hung on through May and my heat actually came up Memorial Day weekend, so you better believe I am so happy that it’s warmer and I can do some BBQing!

These Cornish hens celebrated the maiden voyage of my new Weber Spirit over at my office. I’m a real poultry nut so I was really looking forward to making these.

With larger chickens, I either partially cook the pieces or cook them on the grill over indirect heat and just finish them off over direct heat. Since Cornish hens are small, they don’t have to be par-cooked or done over indirect heat. They cook quickly too, but it’s always best to use an instant-read thermometer to make sure. The thickest part of a game hen that’s split is funny enough, the breast. Make sure to check the temperature there.

Cornish hens are perfect for the outdoor grill!

Wonderful Flavors For Cornish Hens

Rosemary is a great herb to use with chicken. It really enhances the flavor.

Combining that with garlic and a hint of lemon takes it from great to totally awesome. The addition of fresh parsley gives the Cornish hens a slight earthiness too. I can’t say it enough; these flavor combinations are marvelous.

You do have to rub the “paste” all over the hens and let them sit in the fridge for at least one hour. It’s important not to cover them because you want the skin to dry out a bit so the herbs will adhere. The skin will also be crispier.  Ideally, they should sit for about 3-4 hours. They will taste better the longer the marinade has time to work it’s magic.

Cornish hens are perfect for the outdoor grill!

Grease The Grates

The last thing you want to have happen is the skin sticking to the grill grates and tearing–especially if you are making this for guests! Therefore, it’s important to oil the grill grates right before placing the Cornish hens (or anything else you don’t want sticking) immediately before placing the food on the grill.

I actually got away from doing this quite a while ago. My answer is to use non-stick BBQ grill pans. Some have “wells” where the grease will collect so it keeps the grill clean and pretty much eliminates the need for the grill’s grease catcher. Some don’t have that feature, but it still keeps the grill clean and prevents sticking. The one you see in my pics I got off QVC. It’s the Copper Chef brand. What I really like about this pan is that the design will automatically give you the cross-hatch marks (quadrillage if you want to get fancy) without having to do the 10 o’clock then 2 o’clock turns.

The Recipe

 

Cornish hens are perfect for the outdoor grill!
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Rosemary Garlic Cornish Hens

These quick and easy rosemary garlic Cornish hens are nice enough for guests, but great for family too.
Prep Time1 hr 10 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Total Time1 hr 25 mins
Course: Chicken, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cornish hen recipe, cornish hens
Servings: 4
Calories: 575kcal
Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

  • 2 cornish game hens cut in half

Marinade:

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 tbs fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tbs chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 tbs chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 tbs chopped fresh garlic
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper

Instructions

  • Puree the marinade ingredients in a blender or food processor.
  • Coat the cornish hens with the marinade and chill for at least 1 hour.
  • Preheat your grill to medium (450-500 degrees F). Brush the grates with oil or use a non-stick grill pan (like you see in my pics).
  • Grill skin side up, brushing with any remaining marinade for about 10 minutes, covered. Turn the hens and grill (covered) for an additional 10 minutes, being careful that they do not burn. Internal temp should be 165 degrees F.
  • Remove from grill, tent with foil and let them rest for 5 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 575kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 227mg | Sodium: 1301mg | Potassium: 531mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 323IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @midnitebaker or tag #midnitebaker!
Cornish hens are perfect for the outdoor grill!
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Filed Under: Chicken, Grilling Tagged With: bbq, grilling, poultry

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Comments

  1. Kathi says

    June 17, 2018 at 11:44 pm

    Have made a similar recipe a few years ago – just want to know = do you thing this would be okay in an Air Fryer? We are starting to get into the hot summer months here in sacrament and do not want to heat up the entire house. I have done fried chicken in the air fryer so this should work. Right?

    • Judith Hanneman says

      June 18, 2018 at 12:40 am

      This would be a great thing to make in the air fryer! I’d try it at 400 for about 10 mins–flipping half way through.

  2. Bettye Tomlinson says

    June 18, 2018 at 12:16 pm

    Can this be cooked in the oven?

    • Judith Hanneman says

      June 18, 2018 at 2:09 pm

      The broiler might be better–and you can use the times in the recipe (I’d use low setting if your broiler has settings). For the oven, I’d do them at 400 for 30-40 minutes skin side up. Make sure to test the internal temp though–in the breast as it’s the biggest part.

  3. Brasserie Louis says

    June 18, 2018 at 3:41 pm

    Oh my goodness!! This is the best cornish game hen recipe I have ever found. Thanks for sharing.

    • Judith Hanneman says

      June 18, 2018 at 9:25 pm

      They were very delicious and quick cooking too!

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