Roasted Cornish Hens

Is there anything better than a chicken roasting in the oven on a Sunday? Nope! This recipe for rosemary, lemon and garlic roasted cornish hens is amazing! It looks and smells like it was slow roasting for hours....but it only takes about an hour and a half in the oven! If you haven't cooked cornish hens before, they are just young chickens and are the perfect portion for 1 person. Pair with roasted potatoes and asparagus for a perfect meal! The compound herb butter can also be frozen and used to top steak, chicken and seafood. 

Compound herb butter

• 2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened

• 5 sprigs of rosemary finely chopped

• 8-10 cloves of garlic minced

• dash of sea salt

• zest of 1 lemon

After butter is softened at room temperature, use either a food processor or mixer and combine all ingredients. 

Then form into a log on clear cling wrap. Freeze until ready to prep the hens. 

Roasted Cornish Hens

• 2 cornish hens

• 1 bunch of fresh rosemary 

• 1 lemon

• salt

• olive oil

• 1 small onion, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 450

Take out the hens from refrigerator and bring to room temperature. It should take about an hour. 

Remove the package and also remove the bag on the inside. Rinse bird with cool water inside and out. Pat dry inside and out. 

Salt the bird inside and out. Stuff the bird with half of onion and half of lemon (chopped) and a few sprigs of rosemary. 

After the bird is stuffed, using kitchen twine, tie the legs together. I didn't have twine, so I used parsley to tie it. 

Take out the compound butter. Make a space to put the butter under the skin. 

Rub more of the butter all over. Place in a roasting pan add a dash of salt, slice of lemon and a few sprigs of rosemary. 

Insert a meat thermometer. 

Roast on 450 for 25 minutes, reduce temp to 400 and continue to roast approx 40 mins OR until thermometer reads 175-180. 

Take the hens out, and rest for 10 mins. 

Roasted new potatoes and baby asparagus side

• 8 red new potatoes, quartered

• 1 bunch of baby asparagus sliced into 2 inch pieces (or regular asparagus)

• 4 tablespoons olive oil 

• salt

Place on foiled baking sheet will drizzled olive oil and salt. Roast with the cornish hens for 30 minutes until potatoes are soft. 

Once hens are rested, empty the contents from inside. Arrange on platter with fresh lemon and rosemary. 

Enjoy!!!!!!