Roasted Cornish Hens

Roasted Cornish Hens

Use Victoria’s Dry Rub to add new flavor to these roasted hens.  You can stuff them with either wild rice or my Southern Cornbread (recipe to follow). 

INGREDIENTS

Stuffing & Hens:

2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

6 Ounces Diced Andouille Sausage

3 Diced Carrots

1/2 Cup Chopped Onion

3 Diced Celery Stalks

3 Minced Garlic Cloves

1 Bay Leaf

2 Tablespoons Chopped Sage

Crumbled Southern Cornbread or Wild Rice

1/4 Cup Chicken Stock

4 Cornish Game Hens (1 1/2 Pounds Each)

Victoria’s Dry Rub

Or 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt & 1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper

1 Tablespoon Melted Unsalted Butter

Prepare the stuffing.  In a large skillet melt the butter over a medium heat.  Add the Andouille sausage, carrots, onions, celery, garlic and bay leaf.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Add the sage and either cornbread or cooked wild rice.  Continue to cook for a few minutes.  Stir continuously to blend the flavors.  Add the chicken stock, stir and continue to cook for 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat and set aside until you are ready to stuff the hens.  This stuffing can be prepared and refrigerate, covered, up to a day in advance.  Remove the bay leaf before stuffing. 

Thoroughly rinse and dry the hens. Rub the hens inside and out with Victoria’s Dry Rub or the salt and pepper mixture.  Fill the cavity of each hen with 3/4 cup of stuffing.  Spoon the remaining stuffing into a well buttered baking dish and cover with a tight fitting lid or aluminum foil.  Arrange the hens in a roasting pan and brush with the melted butter.  Place the pan and baking dish in the oven.  Roast for 45 minutes until the hens are nicely browned and crisp and the juices run clear when a thigh is pricked with a fork.  The dish of stuffing should be very hot.  Serve each hen on a small bed of additional stuffing.  Serves 4