Description
Herb-Crusted Cornish Game Hens are the perfect date night dinner for two, an intimate Thanksgiving or Christmas lunch for four, or a festive Friendsgiving! These individual hens are rubbed with herbed vegan butter and roasted to golden brown perfection.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 Cornish Game Hens
- 4 tbsp Miyoko’s Creamery® European Style Cultured Vegan Unsalted Butter, or butter of choice
- 1 1/2 – 2 tbsp Fresh Rosemary, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 – 2 tbsp Fresh Lemon Thyme, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Himalayan Pink Salt
- 4 Garlic Cloves, peeled and left whole
- 1/2 Navel Orange, divided
- 1/2 Lemon, divided
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350° degrees F. Dry the skin of the Cornish Hens by patting with paper towels. (Make sure to do this step thoroughly or the herb butter won’t stick as well).
- Butter: To a small bowl, add the butter, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper and stir to combine.
- Rub: Brush or rub the mixture all over the hens – outside and underneath the skin.
- Aromatics: Add 1/4 of an orange segment, 1/4 of an lemon segment, 2 garlic cloves, and a small sprig of rosemary and thyme to each of the hen cavities. Truss (tie the legs together) with the twine.
- Roast: Place breast side up on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Roast, uncovered, for 1 hour or until juices run clear when the thickest part of the chicken is pierced with a meat thermometer and it reaches 165° degrees F.
- Brown: To brown the skin, increase the temperature to 400° degrees F during the last 10 minutes, or turn the oven to high broil and brown the skin for just a couple of minutes. (If you use the broil option, be sure to stand and watch so the skin doesn’t burn).
Notes
- Herbs: Another great alternative, to using the fresh herbs I recommend, is to use my DIY Garden Herb Salt. It contains all the same ingredients and is just as delicious!
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Roast
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Chicken Recipes, Christmas, Cornish Hen, Dairy-Free Recipes, Date Night Recipes, Easy Chicken, Fall, Fresh Herbs, Gluten-Free Recipes, Holiday Recipes, Main Dish, Poultry, Roasted Chicken, Roasting, Thanksgiving