Sausage Stuffed Cornish Hens Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F; spray baking pan with nonstick spray.
• Remove and discard giblets.
• Rinse and pat dry inside and out of the hens.
• Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper; set aside.
• In a medium skillet, cook and stir sausage over a medium heat until no longer pink.
• Add the onion and celery.
• Cook until tender, about five minutes.
• Add stuffing mix, 1/3 cup of water, and 1/2 teaspoons of sage; mix well.
• Spoon warm filling evenly into the inside of the hens.
• Blend the 1/4 teaspoons of poultry seasoning with the butter.
• Rub evenly over the hens.
• Place the hens in a baking pan.
• Roast for 1 hour 30 minutes or until no longer pink and thermometer says 180°F Let stand for five minutes before serving.
• With a knife, split each hen length wise through the center of the breast and through the backbone, cutting just to one side of the backbone.

Steps:

• In a large skillet or saucepan, saute celery and onion in 2 tablespoons butter until tender. Remove from the heat. Stir in cornbread, bread crumbs, pimientos, broth, egg, poultry seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; mix well. , Stuff each hen with 3/4 cup stuffing. Place extra stuffing in a greased 1-qt. baking dish; refrigerate. Place hens breast side up on a rack in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Cover loosely with foil; bake at 375° for 45 minutes. , Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt the remaining butter; add garlic, lemon zest, mint and remaining salt and pepper. Brush over hens. Bake 15-30 minutes longer or until a thermometer reads 180° for hens and 165° for stuffing. Bake the extra stuffing, covered, for 30 minutes.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Remove the necks, livers, hearts and gizzards from the hens. Trim off the tough membranes from the gizzards. Put the tender gizzard meat and hearts in the container of a food processor and blend well. Chop the livers finely.
• Melt one tablespoon of the butter in a saucepan and add the chopped onion. Cook, stirring, until wilted and add the sausage meat and gizzard and heart mixture. Cook, stirring with the side of a spoon to break up the lumps. Add the chopped livers and cook until the mixture loses its red color. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the egg, parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Add the bread crumbs and stir. Let cool.
• Stuff the hens with equal portions of the mixture. Truss, if desired.
• Melt the remaining butter in a baking dish and add the hens, turning them in the butter until coated all over. Sprinkle the hens with salt and pepper to taste. Arrange the birds on their sides. Place the onion in the center and scatter the necks around.
• Place the hens in the oven and bake 10 minutes, basting often. Turn the hens on their other sides and bake 10 minutes, basting. Turn them on their backs and bake 15 minutes longer, basting.
• Add the wine to the roasting pan and stir. Remove the hens and untruss. Serve half a chicken per person with the pan juices spooned over.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cook rice according to package directions. In a small skillet, saute celery and onion in 1 tablespoon butter until tender. Stir in the soup, mushrooms and prepared rice., Sprinkle inside and outside of hens with salt and pepper. Stuff with rice mixture. Place on a rack in a greased shallow roasting pan; cover with foil. , Bake at 350° for 40 minutes. Remove foil. Melt remaining butter; brush over hens. Bake 25-35 minutes longer or until juices run clear and a thermometer reads 180° for hens and 165° for stuffing.

Steps:

• Whisk together the dry ingredients the salt, cumin, chile powder, black pepper, and allspice in a small bowl. Season both sides of the hens with this mix, and set them aside to marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature or for up to 8 hours in the refrigerator. Meanwhile, prepare the stuffing.
• Cook the sausage in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat until no pink remains, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a plate lined with paper towels; drain all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet. Return the skillet to the heat, and add the oil. Add the onion, celery, and jalapeño, and cook, stirring, until the vegetables have softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in the thyme, crumbled cornbread, sausage, chicken stock, parsley, and cilantro, if desired. Remove the skillet from the heat; taste the stuffing for seasoning, and add salt and pepper as desired.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease two 13 × 9 × 2-inch baking dishes with oil.
• Place the hens skin side down on a work surface. Pack one fourth of the stuffing into each cavity. Arrange the hens stuffing side down in the prepared dish. Brush the tops of the hens with the mustard. Roast the hens until they are golden brown and juices run clear when thighs are pierced, 50 to 55 minutes. Transfer the hens to a platter, and serve.