Spatchcocked Fried Cornish Game Hens Recipes

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:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• In a small bowl combine the 1/2 cup melted butter, onion, celery, bell pepper, mushrooms, garlic, basil, oregano and parsley.
• Season hens inside and out with salt and pepper to taste, then stuff with equal amounts butter/vegetable mixture. Place stuffed birds in a 9x13 inch baking dish, breast side up. Drizzle with 1/4 cup melted butter.
• Cover dish and bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours. Remove cover and brown at 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).

Steps:

• Whisk together the first six ingredients in a small bowl. Set half of this mixture aside.
• Divide the remaining seasoning mixture between two large mixing bowls, and pour the buttermilk evenly between the two bowls, whisking to combine. Put half of the onion and thyme in each bowl. Place three game hens in each mixing bowl, and turn to coat. Cover the bowls with plastic wrap, and leave in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight (the longer the better; allow the seasonings and flavors to permeate the game hens).
• Heat the peanut oil to 375 degrees F in a large Dutch oven or deep-fryer. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees F, and cover two heavy-duty sheet trays with wire racks. Remove the game hens from the buttermilk mixture while the oil is heating.
• Whisk together the flour and the remaining seasoning mixture in a large casserole. Working with one game hen at a time, put one game hen in the flour and toss to coat, then shake off the excess. Slip the coated game hens, in batches according to the size of your fryer, into the hot oil, and fry for 13 minutes, until beautifully golden brown. Place each fried hen on the wire-rack-fitted sheet tray, and hold in the warm oven. Repeat with remaining hens.
• ALTERNATIVE
• Baked Cornish Game Hens Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cover two heavy-duty rimmed sheet trays with wire racks, and spray with nonstick spray.
• Drain the hens from the buttermilk marinade, and pat dry. Place the hens on the sheet trays, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
• Put the pan in the oven, and roast for 45 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F and the juices run clear.
• Pat's Guide to Deep-Frying
• One of the things I think people really don't know about me is that I was frying food before I was grilling! (Nowadays my love of fried food comes second only to my love of grilling.) Fried food in the South is like pizza in Chicago: if you grew up in Memphis, you grew up with it. My grandfather used to fry whole rabbits, and my grandmother used to fry chicken for breakfast, served up with biscuits!
• 1 CHOOSE YOUR OIL Neutral oils like peanut, safflower, canola, and vegetable oil all have a high "smoke point," so they work well at high frying temperatures. We often like to use peanut oil, because it adds a very subtle peanut flavor; the flavor of canola oil is less pronounced.
• 2 PICK YOUR POT If you don't have an electric fryer, select a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven for deep-frying. You'll usually need at least 3 or 4 inches of oil in the bottom of the pan, but more if you're frying something larger, like Cornish game hens or chicken.
• 3 FILL IT UP Be careful not to overfill your pot! If you don't leave room for the items you're frying, the oil may spill over the sides, causing a mess or, even worse, a fire. To check how much oil you need, you can first do a test run with water. Fill the pot up with water, then slip in the food you're going to try. Wherever the water rises to, that's how high your oil is going to go-so mark that place on the pot, and don't fill it too high!

Steps:

• Don't fill your stockpot more than half full with shortening/oil, to allow for the inevitable boiling up when the hens are added.
• Also, be sure the hens are at room temperature so the fat temperature doesn't drop dramatically from the shock of an ice-cold bird.
• Rinse the hens and pat completely dry, inside and out, with paper towels. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Place a large wire cake rack over a jelly roll pan/cookie sheet.
• In a stockpot, melt vegetable shortening over high heat to a depth of 2 to 3 inches and heat it to 375 degrees F.
• Carefully put 1 Cornish hen in the hot shortening. Deep fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown.

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 a panini press on high.
• Place the game hen breast side down on a cutting board. Using scissors or poultry shears, cut from the neck to the tailbone to remove the backbone. Once you remove the backbone you will be able to see the inside of the bird. Make a small slit in the cartilage at the base of the breastbone to reveal the keel bone. 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. 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 the bottom of the panini press with the nonstick cooking spray. Place the bird, skin side up onto the press, pray the skin side with non-stick cooking spray and close the lid. Top the press with a 10-pound weight and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until the skin is golden brown.
• Allow to rest 3 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Combine Cajun seasoning and pepper; rub over inside and outside of hens. Tie legs together with one end of a 30-inch string.
• Place flour in a large heavy duty, zip top plastic bag; add hens, 1 at a time, and shake to coat thoroughly.
• Pour oil to a depth of 4 inches into a deep pot of a propane cooker; heat to 350°F carefully lower hens into hot oil, using string.
• Fry 18-20 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted in thickest part registers 180°F remove hens from oil, and drain on paper towels; remove string before serving.

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 450°F BROILER!
• Remove any giblets and rinse cavity and hen well and pat dry.
• Split hens in half vertically.
• Sprinkle both sides of each half hen with lemon pepper.
• Place skin side down in foil covered broiler pan.
• Place 1 T butter on each cavity half; pour 1 T lemon juice over each half.
• Broil 7 inches away from heat.
• Broil 5 minutes then baste.
• Broil 15 minutes longer.
• Turn hen over; baste and broil 15 minutes, basting 1 to 2 times.
• Place pineapple around hens and sprinkle with sugar. (Be sure to put in the juice). Broil 5 minutes.
• Mix parsley with rice.
• Serve hens over the rice with pineapple slices and drippings for gravy.
• Serve with lemon wedges or slices for garnish as well as for more lemon flavor on hens.

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:

• Basting sauce instructions; In a small bowl, stir together ginger, onions, garlic, orange zest and juice, lime zest and juice, sugar, soy sauce, salt and pepper, cinnamon, and cloves; add the oil. Mix wel and then let stand 10 minutes (or cover and refrigerate up to 2 days).
• About 10 minutes ahead, preheat gas grill or about 1/2 hour ahead, light charcoal briquettes.
• Use poultry shears to or knife to cut hens in half, cutting through the breast and backbones.
• Grill hens, covered over low to medium heat until golden brown, turning as needed to prevent burning; Basting with sauce during grilling; reduce temperature or transfer hens away from direct heat and finish cooking with indirect heat; Grill until no longer pink at the bone, about 40 to 45 minutes (stop basting at least 10 minutes before cooking time is up to avoid contaminating cooked chicken with raw chicken juices). Discard leftover basting sauce.
• To use sauce as marinade; arrange hens in dish, cover with sauce, cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours, Grill as directed.