Name: Roast Cornish Hens with Apple-Sausage Stuffing
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Ingredients: 4 (1¼ to 1½ pounds) Cornish hens , giblets discarded; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary; 2 teaspoons kosher salt , divided; ¾ teaspoon pepper; 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil; 8 ounces sweet Italian sausage , casings removed; ½ onion , chopped; 1 celery rib , chopped; ¾ cup panko bread crumbs; 1 small apple , peeled, cored, and cut into ½-inch pieces

Why This Recipe Works

Roasting Cornish hens stuffed with a savory dressing is a simple way to turn a familiar chicken dinner into something that feels celebratory. Because of their diminutive size, these birds cook through a lot faster than a full-size chicken, and they’re easier to serve, since every diner can get their own bird. As with larger poultry, trussing the hens creates a compact shape that roasts more evenly. To enhance browning, we brush the hens all over with melted butter and season them with rosemary, salt, and pepper. We make a savory stuffing with sweet Italian sausage, onion, celery, and panko and mix in some chopped apple for subtle sweetness and brightness. We roast the hens first at high heat to jump-start browning before lowering the temperature so that they cook through evenly. Roasting the hens on a wire rack allows heat to circulate, for crisp golden skin all over.

Before You Begin

We developed this recipe with Honeycrisp apple, but you can use any apple variety you like.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Place wire rack in rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and set aside.

Pat 4 Cornish hens dry with paper towels. Brush hens evenly with 4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons chopped rosemary, 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, and ¾ teaspoon pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add 8 ounces sweet Italian sausage, casings removed, and cook, breaking up meat with spoon, until starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to large bowl. Add ½ chopped onion and 1 chopped celery rib to fat left in skillet and cook until vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Transfer vegetables to bowl with sausage. Stir in ¾ cup panko; 1 small apple, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces; and remaining ½ teaspoon salt.

Spoon stuffing into each hen cavity. Working with one hen at a time, use twine to tie legs together, and tuck wingtips in. Place hens on prepared rack, transfer to oven, and roast for 15 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue to roast until thermometer registers 160 degrees in thickest part of bird, 25 to 30 minutes longer. Let hens rest for 15 minutes before serving.