Cornish Hens with Stuffing Recipe

Three Cornish Hens on a serving platter and garnished with rosemary and thyme.

5 from 3 votes

Cornish Hens with Stuffing Recipe

Cornish Hens with Stuffing Recipe is a delicious, elegant, and inexpensive main course for your Christmas dinner or a special dinner party!

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Total Time1 hr 15 mins

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Christmas entree recipes, cornish game hen recipes

Servings: servings

Calories: 478kcal

Author: Sharon Rigsby

Ingredients

Cranberry Stuffing

4 corn muffins
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup shallots finely minced (can substitute sweet onion or scallions)
2 ribs celery finely minced
⅓ cup dried cranberries
½ cup pecans
½ cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon fresh thyme chopped
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary chopped
½ teaspoon poultry seasoning

Cornish Game Hens Ingredients:

4 Cornish Hens
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoons ground black pepper

Instructions

Cranberry Stuffing Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and celery and cook for about five minutes, or until the veggies are translucent and soft.
Add cranberries and pecans and cook for an additional three minutes, or until the cranberries have plumped up.
Crumble the corn muffins over the cranberry mixture. Add thyme, rosemary, and poultry seasoning. Mix well. Add the chicken broth. Mix well and taste. Add a little salt and pepper, if needed. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Cornish Hens Directions:

Pat birds dry with a paper towel and season each cavity with salt. Stuff each bird with about one-third cup of the cranberry stuffing. Tie the drumsticks together with kitchen string and place in a baking dish, which has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
Brush olive oil over each of the birds and season all over with additional salt and pepper.
Bake for about one hour, or until the hens are golden brown and the meat registers 165 degrees on a meat thermometer. Remove from the oven let the birds rest for at least ten minutes.
Remove the kitchen string and place the hens on a platter to serve. Optional, garnish with fresh sprigs of rosemary and cranberries. Serve immediately.

Notes

If your birds are frozen, thawing in the fridge overnight is the best and safest way to defrost them.

Leftovers, if you have them, can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. They can be frozen for up to nine months.

Unlike most baked dishes, this recipe works best if you don't tent it while the chicken rests. If you do tent it, the condensation might make the skin soggy.

Plan to serve one cornish hen per person.

You can cook the Cornish hens without the stuffing if you prefer, or change it up. Other stuffing ideas include wild rice stuffing, Cornbread and Sausage Dressing, and Sourdough Bread and Apple Stuffing.

Nutrition