Roast Stuffed Cornish Hens
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 21, 2007
Time
2¾ hours, plus 2 hours brining
Yield
Serves 6
Ingredients
Roast Cornish Hens
2 cups kosher salt or 1 cup table salt6 (1¼- to 1½-pound) Cornish game hens, giblets removed, rinsed well6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 3 tablespoons olive oil ¼ cup dry vermouth or white wineStuffing
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms 1¼ cups chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth, plus extra as needed1 cup wild rice blend 2 tablespoons butter 1 small onion, minced1 small carrot, minced½ celery rib, minced4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced thin2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsleyBefore You Begin
Brining the birds breast-side down ensures that the meatiest portions are fully submerged. Pouring a little water into the roasting pan at the 25 minute mark, once the birds have been turned, both prevents them from smoking during cooking and makes instant “jus,” eliminating the need to deglaze the pan over two burners. To enrich the flavor of the jus to use as a sauce, pour it into a small saucepan, spoon off the fat that collects on the surface, and simmer it with a little vermouth or white wine. We prefer Bell & Evans Cornish Game Hens. This recipe also works well with our Couscous Stuffing with Currants, Apricots, and Pistachios and Wild Rice Stuffing with Cranberries and Toasted Pecans.
Instructions
- Dissolve salt in 5 quarts cold water in small clean bucket or large bowl. Add hens breast side down; refrigerate 2 to 3 hours. Remove, pat dry, and prick skin all over breast and legs with paring knife.
- Cover mushrooms with 1 cup hot water in microwave-safe bowl; cover bowl with plastic wrap, cut vents in wrap, and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Let stand to soften mushrooms, about 5 minutes. Lift rehydrated porcini from liquid, squeeze dry, and chop coarse. Strain rehydrating liquid through fine-mesh strainer lined with paper towel and reserve (should be about ¾ cup).
- Add enough chicken stock to mushroom liquid to equal 2 cups. Bring liquid to boil in medium saucepan, add rice blend, and return to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until rice is fully cooked, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer rice to large bowl and fluff with fork.
- Heat butter in 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery and cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add shiitake mushrooms and cook until tender and liquid evaporates. Add porcini mushrooms and thyme and cook, stirring until well coated, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Add vegetable mixture to rice and toss to combine. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk balsamic vinegar and oil in small bowl; set aside. Spoon ½ cup stuffing into cavity of each hen; tie legs together with 6-inch piece of kitchen twine. Leaving as much space as possible between each bird, arrange them breast side down and wings facing out on wire rack set over equally large roasting pan. Roast until backs are golden brown, about 25 minutes.
- Remove pan from oven, brush bird backs with vinegar and oil glaze (re-blending before each bird), turn hens breast side up and wings facing out, and brush breast and leg area with additional glaze. Return pan to oven, add 1 cup water, and roast until birds register 150 degrees, about 15 to 20 minutes longer. Remove pan from oven, brush birds with re-blended glaze, return pan to oven, add another ½ cup water to pan, and increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Roast until birds are spotty brown and cavity registers 160 degrees, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Remove birds from oven, brush with remaining glaze, and rest for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, pour hen drippings from roasting pan into small saucepan, spooning off excess fat. Add vermouth or wine and simmer over medium-high heat until flavors blend, 2 to 3 minutes. Drizzle ¼ cup sauce over each hen and serve, passing remaining sauce separately.
for brining the cornish hens
for the stuffing
to stuff and roast cornish hens
Time
2¾ hours, plus 2 hours briningYield
Serves 6Ingredients
Roast Cornish Hens
Stuffing
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Roast Cornish Hens
Stuffing
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Roast Cornish Hens
Stuffing
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
For our best stuffed Cornish hens recipe, we wanted to stuff and roast at least six grocery store–quality Cornish hens in a way that made them look good and taste great. To prevent steaming, we lifted the birds up and out of the roasting pan and onto a wire rack. We also spaced the birds as far apart as possible; crowding food while it's roasting inhibits browning. The ideal roasting temperature, as it turned out, was 400 degrees, with a quick crank up to 450 degrees at the end of cooking to promote browning. For even more color, we opted to glaze the birds with balsamic vinegar; this gave them a pleasant, spotty brown barbecued look. Heating the stuffing in our stuffed Cornish hens recipe before placing it inside the birds let it come up to the proper temperature more quickly during cooking, thereby keeping the breast meat from overcooking.
Before You Begin
Brining the birds breast-side down ensures that the meatiest portions are fully submerged. Pouring a little water into the roasting pan at the 25 minute mark, once the birds have been turned, both prevents them from smoking during cooking and makes instant “jus,” eliminating the need to deglaze the pan over two burners. To enrich the flavor of the jus to use as a sauce, pour it into a small saucepan, spoon off the fat that collects on the surface, and simmer it with a little vermouth or white wine. We prefer Bell & Evans Cornish Game Hens. This recipe also works well with our Couscous Stuffing with Currants, Apricots, and Pistachios and Wild Rice Stuffing with Cranberries and Toasted Pecans.
Instructions
- Dissolve salt in 5 quarts cold water in small clean bucket or large bowl. Add hens breast side down; refrigerate 2 to 3 hours. Remove, pat dry, and prick skin all over breast and legs with paring knife.
- Cover mushrooms with 1 cup hot water in microwave-safe bowl; cover bowl with plastic wrap, cut vents in wrap, and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Let stand to soften mushrooms, about 5 minutes. Lift rehydrated porcini from liquid, squeeze dry, and chop coarse. Strain rehydrating liquid through fine-mesh strainer lined with paper towel and reserve (should be about ¾ cup).
- Add enough chicken stock to mushroom liquid to equal 2 cups. Bring liquid to boil in medium saucepan, add rice blend, and return to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until rice is fully cooked, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer rice to large bowl and fluff with fork.
- Heat butter in 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery and cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add shiitake mushrooms and cook until tender and liquid evaporates. Add porcini mushrooms and thyme and cook, stirring until well coated, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Add vegetable mixture to rice and toss to combine. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk balsamic vinegar and oil in small bowl; set aside. Spoon ½ cup stuffing into cavity of each hen; tie legs together with 6-inch piece of kitchen twine. Leaving as much space as possible between each bird, arrange them breast side down and wings facing out on wire rack set over equally large roasting pan. Roast until backs are golden brown, about 25 minutes.
- Remove pan from oven, brush bird backs with vinegar and oil glaze (re-blending before each bird), turn hens breast side up and wings facing out, and brush breast and leg area with additional glaze. Return pan to oven, add 1 cup water, and roast until birds register 150 degrees, about 15 to 20 minutes longer. Remove pan from oven, brush birds with re-blended glaze, return pan to oven, add another ½ cup water to pan, and increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Roast until birds are spotty brown and cavity registers 160 degrees, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Remove birds from oven, brush with remaining glaze, and rest for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, pour hen drippings from roasting pan into small saucepan, spooning off excess fat. Add vermouth or wine and simmer over medium-high heat until flavors blend, 2 to 3 minutes. Drizzle ¼ cup sauce over each hen and serve, passing remaining sauce separately.
for brining the cornish hens
for the stuffing
to stuff and roast cornish hens
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