When it comes to roasted chicken, for me nothing beats Cornish game hens. These little meaty and succulent birdies have much better flavor and texture than a regular chicken. And because of their smaller size, they cook much faster as well which make them suitable for a weeknight dinner. Especially, if you make some preparations in advance.
I like when my food has multiple layers of flavor so I use both wet rub and dry rub and both of them can be prepared ahead of time.
You will need:
- 2 Cornish game hens (about 22 oz each), thawed if bought frozen and wiped dry inside and out with a paper towel
- 1 small Lemon, cut in quarters
- 2 small tops of fresh sage About 5-6 leaves each)
- 2 2-inch sprigs of fresh rosemary
For the wet rub:
- 3-4 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- ¾-1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp ground fenugreek
- ¾ tsp Khmeli-suneli (or take the same amount fo ground cumin)
- ¼ tsp cayenne
- 3 Tbsp vegetable/canola/grape seed/mild olive oil
For the dry rub:
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ or more tsp cayenne
- ½ tsp ground sage
Optional:
- About 10 baby potatoes, cut in halves of quarters
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- A generous pinch of salt and red hot pepper flakes
- Fresh sage and rosemary
Start preheating oven to 425 F. If using convection mode, preheat to 415F.
Make both rubs by stirring the ingredients in small bowls.
Line a baking sheet (mine is 13 x 9.5) with a piece of foil and spray it or brush with oil.
Gently lift the skin around the breast and legs of the hens and massage some wet rub into the flesh. Rub a bit of it in the inner side of the wings, too. Smear the rest of the wet rub in the cavities. In each cavity, place 2 lemon quarters, 1 whole sage top and 1 rosemary sprig. Tie the legs together with a cooking twine or silicone twine. Fold the wingtips behind the back so they don’t get burned during cooking.
Rub the hens all over with the dry rub. Place on the baking sheet breast side up, side by side without touching each other. If using potatoes, toss them with oil, fresh herbs, salt and pepper flakes. Arrange them around the hens.
Place the baking sheet in the oven and cook for about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest about 5-7 minutes before carving.
For carving, use kitchen scissors. First, cut off the legs. You can leave them whole or separate thighs and drumsticks, your call. Then cut off the wings. Now cut out the backbone (most people would discard it, but it’s my favorite part. Call me crazy, but I really enjoy gnawing on it!). At last, cut between the breasts to separate them. Arrange all the parts on a platter. Scoop the potatoes out of the baking sheet and place next to the chicken. You can drizzle them with some juice from the baking sheet for extra flavor.
For greens, I suggest either roasted broccolini, asparagus or briefly sautéed baby Kale.
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