Cornish Game Hen Spatchcock Hen Recipes

Steps:

• Put the hens on a cutting board, breast side down. Use kitchen shears to cut out the backbones. Open the hens to expose the ribs and then flip them breast side up. Use the palm of your hand to press down between the breasts to slightly flatten the hens. Put the hens in a large resealable zip-top bag, and then add the buttermilk, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, dried rosemary and 1 tablespoon salt. Shake well and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 8.
• About 2 hours before ready to serve, take the hens out of the refrigerator and let them marinate at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Place a wire rack on top of a baking sheet. Fill a Dutch oven with 2 inches of oil and bring to 350 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer over medium-high heat.
• While the oil heats, remove the hens from the marinade and pat dry. Put the flour in a large, wide, shallow bowl with 1 teaspoon salt. Toss the hens to coat in the flour.
• Put one of the hens in the hot oil, skin side down and reduce the heat to medium. Cover and cook for 5 minutes then uncover and cook for 5 minutes more. Turn the hen over and cook for 5 minutes. Flip and cook for 5 minutes more. Continue to cook, turning occasionally, until cooked through, up to a few minutes more. Carefully remove the hen from the oil and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt.
• Return the oil to 350 degrees F and fry the other hen in the same way. Transfer the second hen to the prepared baking sheet and let them stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Combine the garlic powder, pimenton, rosemary and lemon zest in a small bowl. Toast the coriander and cumin seeds in a small pan until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Combine the toasted seeds with the other spices and grind in a spice grinder.
• Season the game hen with salt and crushed red pepper.
• Heat the olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over high heat. Sear the hen, skin-side down, adjusting the heat as necessary. Place the brick on top of the hen and cook until evenly browned. Remove the brick and flip the hen. Rub some of the spice mixture onto the skin side. Flip the hen over and rub some of the spice mixture onto the back side. Roast in the oven, skin-side down, for 15 minutes. Flip the hen skin-side up and continue to roast until the skin is crispy and the internal temperature is 165 degrees F, about 15 minutes more. Let rest.
• Serve drizzled with olive oil, with Mashed Potatoes on the side.
• Place the potatoes and garlic in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and heavily season the cooking water with salt. Turn down the heat and simmer until the potatoes are fork tender; drain. Pass the potatoes through a food mill into a bowl.
• Meanwhile, bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan. Add 1/4 cup of the heated cream and the cold butter to the potatoes and stir vigorously. Add more cream and butter as needed. Season with salt.

Steps:

• For the Cornish game hen: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Set a wire rack over a baking sheet.
• Toast the coriander and cumin seeds in a small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, a few minutes. Grind in a spice grinder. Combine half of the ground spices, the garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Reserve the remaining ground spices.
• Pat the hen dry with paper towels and season all over with the spice mixture. Drizzle with olive oil and place, skin-side up, on the prepared baking sheet. Roast until cooked through, 35 to 45 minutes. Cut the hen in half.
• For the green mojo: Combine the olive oil, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, serrano and the reserved ground cumin and coriander in a high-powered blender. Blend until bright green and smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
• Pour the sauce over the hen and serve with Mashed Citrus Sweet Potatoes.
• Place the sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover by 1 inch with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and season with salt. Turn down the heat and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Strain the potatoes, then add them back to the pot to dry. Mash the potatoes in the pan. Add the chicken stock, honey, thyme, lemon zest and juice and orange zest and juice. Add more chicken stock if needed. Season with salt and pepper.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine lemon zest, garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Divide mixture between 2 large resealable plastic bags. Place 2 hens in each bag and seal. Turn to coat hens with marinade. Let marinate, refrigerated, at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.
• Preheat a grill pan or a grill over high heat. Remove hens from marinade, wiping off any excess zest or garlic. Cut along each side of the backbone to remove it. Place hen, breast side up, on a cutting board. Flatten with the palm of your hand to break the breastbone and collapse the hen. Make a small incision between each leg and bottom end of the breastbone and pass the ends of the legs through the incisions to hold them in place. Repeat with remaining hens.
• Place hens, skin side down, on grill and immediately reduce heat to low. Place a brick or heavy cast iron pan on top of each hen and grill, rotating frequently, about 15 minutes. Turn hens over and grill until cooked through and the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately with lemon and olive relish.

Steps:

• Preheat a panini press on high.
• Place the game hen breast side down on a cutting board. Using scissors or poultry shears, remove the backbone by cutting down each side of it. Flatten the bird (Alton says to make a small slit in the cartilage at the base of the breastbone then grab the bird with both hands on the ribs and open up like a book, facing down towards the cutting board. Remove the keel bone.) You may (but don't have to) cut small slits in the skin of the bird behind the legs and tuck the drumsticks into them in order to hold them in place. Season on both sides with salt and pepper.
• Spray both the top and bottom of the panini press with cooking spray and put the hen, skin side up onto the press; spray the skin side with cooking spray and close the lid, and squeeze HARD. Top the press with a brick or two or other heavy weights (10 pounds) and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until the skin is golden brown.
• Allow to rest 3 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and leave the bread slices out on the wire rack to dry a little.
• To spatchcock the Cornish hen, get some strong, sharp scissors (or poultry shears) and cut down either side of the spine, take out the spine, then press down on the breast to open it out flat. Cut the Cornish hen in half. Put it into a small roasting pan; you can toss in the spine to give extra flavor for the dressing later.
• Drizzle the hen with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, sprinkle with paprika and thyme sprigs, and throw in the unpeeled garlic cloves. Roast until the Cornish hen is reddish-gold on top, and cooked through, about 30 to 40 minutes. I did 2 head garlic at 350 deg. for 45 minute before doing the hen.
• Meanwhile, put the golden raisins into a small saucepan with the vermouth or white wine. Bring to a bubble over low heat on the stove top. Remove the pan from the heat, and leave for about 10 minutes or, better still, leave it to cool while the Cornish hen is roasting.
• Toast the pine nuts in a hot, dry frying pan over low heat until golden. Remove the pine nuts from the pan to a small bowl. Slice the crusts from the bread and cut into croutons. Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in the frying pan and fry the croutons until golden and crisp. Remove to a plate.
• Once the bird is cooked, take the pan out of the oven and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes. Discard the spine and thyme sprigs. Arrange the salad leaves on a couple of plates.
• Whisk together the Dijon mustard, salt, vinegar, and 3 tablespoons of the cold-pressed canola or extra-virgin olive oil in a bowl. Remove the Cornish hen and garlic cloves to a board, add the juices from the roasting pan to the dressing, and whisk again. If you want to get every last bit of pan-flavor out, add a little hot water from a recently boiled kettle and swirl it around the pan Add this liquid to the dressing, then whisk in the soused golden raisins.
• Set each half of Cornish hen on top of the salad on the plates and add 2 garlic cloves (provided they don't look too burned, though scorched and caramelly is good). Give the dressing a final whisk and pour it over the hen and the salad. Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts, croutons, and a few fresh sprigs of thyme.

Steps:

• To start, grab kitchen shears or a sharp knife. I used all-purpose kitchen scissors. Place hen or chicken breast-side down and cut along one side of the backbone. Repeat with the other side. Don't discard the backbone as you can use it later for stock. Flip the bird over and using the palm of your hand, press down on the breastbone. Use your muscles for this and you'll hear a snap. Presto, you have now spatchcocked! To barbecue the cornish hen, season to your preference and cook over a medium heat 20 to 25 minutes (turning halfway). Note: Remove wing tips if barbecuing as they tend to burn easily. If using an oven, preheat to 425 degrees and roast cornish hens 40 to 50 minutes or until thickest part of breast reaches 165 degrees, allow to rest 5 to 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Steps:

• Combine the broth, vinegar, jam, rosemary, pepper, and cloves in a small saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the jam has dissolved.
• Reserve half of the glaze; cover and refrigerate.
• Add the oil to the remaining half.
• To spatchcock the hens, with a sharp knife or poultry shears, remove the wings at the first joint.
• Then remove the backbone and spread the hens open, like a book, skin side down.
• With a paring knife, cut along each side of the breastbone and pull the white cartilage out, so that the hens lie flat.
• Prick the hens all over with the tip of a knife; place in a large dish.
• Brush the glaze-and-oil mixture over the hens. Cover the dish and refrigerate overnight.
• Spray grill rack with nonstick spray. Prepare grill for medium fire.
• Place the hens on the grill rack and grill, skin side down, for 10 minutes, moving them to the edge of the grill if they brown too rapidly.
• With tongs, turn the birds skin side up and grill 15 minutes more.
• Turn again and grill until a thermometer inserted into thigh reads 180°F, about 5 minutes longer.
• Remove the skin before eating.
• Warm the reserved glaze, and serve it with the grilled hens.
• 4 Points per serving (1/2 hen with 1 tbsp glaze).