These Citrus Marinated Cornish Game Hens are perfect for a special occasion. Cornish game hens are marinated with orange juice and spices, then roasted to a crisp and lovely glaze. The resulting flavor is decadently spiced with a hint of citrus flavor. This is an aromatic and impressive entree, and it’s surprisingly simple to make.
What is a Cornish game hen?
A Cornish game hen is a small, young Cornish breed chicken. Each bird must weight under two pounds to be considered a proper Cornish game hen. They are typically more tender than larger chickens, and cost more. Because of this, they are considered a kind of delicacy.
Comedian and pianist Victor Borge, affectionately known as “The Great Dane” or “The Clown Prince of Denmark,” may have played a role in bringing Cornish game hens into greater popularity. A Spokesman Review article published on April 18, 1959 claims that his farm in Southbury, Connecticut was one of the largest American producers of Cornish hens. Borge made appearances at supermarkets on behalf of his hens, which gave them something of a celebrity status. The article also includes his favorite recipe:
“Put the hen in a Dutch oven and do him in brown butter for 12 minutes. If you have a piano in the kitchen play the ‘Minuet Waltz’ 12 times. Add a little water. Put the lid on and let simmer. When you have finished playing half ‘The Dance of the Hours,’ dragging it slightly, you’re ready to eat like an epicure.”
I grew up eating Cornish game hens. My grandma made them for my mom as a child, and she passed the tradition on to me. The hens we grew up eating were pretty simple, sprinkled with garlic salt and parsley, then roasted in a hot oven. My mom served them with steamed artichokes and salty chicken-flavored rice; it was my absolute favorite meal growing up. I still make them that way, in fact, and my family loves them.
How to Cook Cornish Game Hens
Roasting is the best way to cook a Cornish game hen. When well roasted, the skin becomes crisp and the interior juicy. But do you know how long to cook a Cornish game hen? Although these chickens are small, they don’t cook very fast. It’s always best to use a meat thermometer to make sure your hens have reached a food safe temperature. When fully cooked, they should measure 170 degrees in the thickest parts of the breast and thigh. Also, make sure the juice runs clear. This will help ensure your hens are fully cooked. Of course, a great marinade recipe helps too… just like this one!
The Best Way to Make Cornish Game Hens
I like to marinate my game hens to infuse them with more flavor. But what makes a good Cornish game hen marinade? Try this citrus spice marinade, and you’ll be hooked. I marinate the hens in orange juice, brown sugar, and a mix of delicious spices (a riff on my Spice Broiled Salmon recipe). After marinating, I stuff the hens with orange slices and roast them in a hot oven until almost done. I reduce the citrus marinade on the stovetop to a thick sauce. Surprisingly, the sauce takes on a Middle Eastern barbecue-like flavor, really different and delicious. I brush the thickened sauce onto the top of the hens, then finish roasting them until the skin is dark brown and bubbly.
Yum! These are not the game hens I ate growing up. I’ll always have a soft spot for garlic salt and chicken-flavored rice, but this is my new favorite Cornish game hen recipe. I have a feeling you’ll love it, too!
What to Serve with Cornish Game Hens
When it comes to serving cornish game hens, a side dish is key. I love serving these marinated game hens with saffron rice and a citrus salad. Olive oil mashed potatoes, oven roasted root vegetables, and spicy roasted sweet potatoes are all great options, too.
Note: Since originally posting this recipe, I have clarified the cooking instructions with weight measurements and more specific steps to ensure a delicious result every time. Please use the recommended Cornish game hen weight for best results.
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Marinated Cornish Game Hens
Ingredients
- 4 Cornish game hens 22 ounces each
- 3 cups cool water
- 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 medium orange
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground coriander (freshly ground coriander spice is best)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
NOTES
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl combine water, orange juice, sugar, salt and spices. Whisk to combine thoroughly.
- Rinse hens and trim off any excess fat or skin (do not remove all of the skin, only extra hanging pieces). Place the hens in gallon sized resealable storage bags (2 to a bag) and divide the brine evenly between the two. The spices may settle in the liquid, so give it a swirl as you're pouring it in.
- Squeeze all the air out of the bags and place in a baking dish to prevent any liquid from leaking. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
- When you are ready to cook the hens, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.Place the hens in a roasting pan and reserve the marinade. Tuck an orange quarter inside of each hen, then truss with twine (simply wrap the drumstick ends together and secure with twine).
- Brush each hen with 1/2 tbsp of olive oil.
- Season with salt and pepper. I use about 1/4 tsp of each per hen. Roast the hens for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F. Continue cooking for 25 minutes longer, turning the roasting pan halfway through cooking to ensure even heat distribution.
- While the hens are cooking, strain the remaining marinade into a medium saucepan and bring to a rolling boil over high heat.
- Reduce heat to a bubbling simmer and cook the marinade, letting the liquid slowly reduce until the the mixture is the consistency of a barbecue sauce. It should be simmered for at least 10 minutes, and will likely take 15 minutes or more to thicken into a glaze. Most of the liquid will be cooked out during this process.
- Once the hens have been cooking for 45 minutes (20 minutes at 400 degrees, then 25 minutes at 350 degrees), remove them from the oven and brush them with a generous amount of the reduced sauce.
- Return to the oven for an additional 10-20 minutes, or until the hens reach an internal temperature of 170 degrees F in the thigh and breast. Some hens may take longer than 20 minutes to come to temperature. Use the thermometer as your guide, and only remove them when they've reached 170 degrees F. If you have leftover sauce, you can glaze the hens once more halfway through this final stage of cooking for a very nice, sticky coating. Serve hot.
Nutrition
My sauce never thickened and I followed the directions exactly. I even added more brown sugar to see if it would thicken.
I made this dish for Shabbat. OMGOSH!! This is an amazing dish with hints of orange and cumin infused in the meat. The glaze is also wonderful to dip the meat into as well. This is going to be on my fav lists forever! Oh! and super easy to make.
Glad you enjoyed it Tracy!
So much trouble with glaze. It did not reduce into a tick syrup. It simply disappeared.
Sorry to hear that! Did you use sugar as directed? The sugar is what helps it to thicken as it reduces. If you cut the sugar down or eliminated it, this may have caused your issue. Also, it can quickly go from saucy to evaporated if you’re not watching it constantly. Hope that helps!
What size hens should I use? Evidently there’s quite a difference. One brand I can get is 16 oz each, the other is 26 oz each.
Great question. For best results with this recipe, use 22 ounce hens.
I would have given this recipe 5 stars, but I had to make several modifications to make this turn out as delicious as it did. First off, the marinade was delicious. However, I did add 2-3 cloves of garlic, nearly doubled the salt, and added olive oil. As several others have mentioned, 90 minutes is entirely too long to cook cornish hens, especially at this high of heat. Several other recipes that can be found online say to cook hens at 350 or 375 for about an hour. I followed this recipe and cooked my hens at 400. I checked the temperature after 45 minutes (also when I poured over the cooked and thickened marinade), and then checked again every 10-15 minutes. My hens were done after about 65 minutes. They turned out delicious!
Hi Andrew, thank you for your feedback. Since you left this comment, I have adjusted this recipe for Cornish game hens with a weight of 22 ounces, and have adjusted cook times accordingly, outlining more specific instructions to ensure a perfect result every time. Glad you enjoyed it!
This was a wonderful success after years of disappointment with these enigmatic little birdsǃ Originally came to this recipe for the cooking method and realized I’d been failing in the past because the higher heat – 400 – I wasn’t doing (old school 350 for chicken just doesn’t work with this hen). Using the high heat made all of the difference and after brining the tiny bird overnight, it was perfection. Being COVID times, I adjusted the recipe for just one serving. I used an Excel spreadsheet to do the math on the amounts (yup – did that), and rounded up for the liquids, which come out to at least 1 cup total. The spice mix reminded me of middle eastern 7 spice mix which varies by region, but it’s all there, so I cheated a little and used the mix I had on hand. I used 2 TBSP of the mix and it was lovely. However, would absolutely recommend using fresh spices and making Tori’s mix from scratch if you possibly can. Fresher is always better. Now that I’ve got it, going to try your grandmother’s recipe. Thank you Toriǃ
So sorry to hear that Cecilia! In our tests 90 minutes at 400 produced excellent results. Not every oven is calibrated the same, which is why we suggest checking halfway through to see how quickly they’re cooking. At any rate, sorry it didn’t work out better for you!
So glad the recipe was a success, Adria! I agree that high heat makes a big difference here. Since originally posting this recipe I have modified the cooking instructions a bit; I start with that high heat to kick start the roasting process, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F for the remaining cook time. This ensures even cooking throughout, and results in the glaze turning a nice golden brown (rather than charring). Appreciate you sharing your subs as well!
Absolutely delicious! I did half the recipe and baked in a roaster oven. I would recommend checking to see if the hens are done at about an hour. Mine were. Other than that, I highly recommend this wonderfully flavored recipe!
could you use chicken parts instead of a Cornish hen
thank you
Yes, as long as they are bone-in, skin on. The cook time may need to be adjusted – use a meat thermometer to check for internal temperature of 170 degrees F for doneness.
What would you serve with the hens?
These would all work well:
Saffron Rice
Oven Roasted Root Vegetables
Citrus Avocado Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
Hi Leona, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. Yes, this is correct. We have found that Cornish game hens take quite a while to cook completely.
Hi Tori,
Am serving two other couples for a total of six for a dinner party using this terrific sounding recipe. Would you vary the temperature/time for a convection oven? Also any ideas for sides to accompany etc?
Thanks so much.
AJ
I don’t have any specific guidance on convection, except to share the general tip that it tends to cook about 25% faster and temperature can be lowered by about 25 degrees. But each convection oven varies, so you really should go by internal temperature of the hens to test for doneness.
I recommend the following side dishes for this recipe. Enjoy!
Saffron Rice
Oven Roasted Root Vegetables
Citrus Avocado Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
I love Cornish Hens, but I prefer not too complicated. Most of the recipes that are ‘simple’ are not particularly interesting. This recipe is uncomplicated, but interesting. I searched and found, and I’m making it tomorrow. Yes, I know not to add a review until you’ve actually tried the recipe. I still need to thaw the birds, but I’m thinking it will be okay to thaw them in the marinade overnight.
So excited to make this for Christmas dinner. I was planning on making cornish hen two ways. Would love if you could share the garlic salt and parsley recipe too! Is it marinated? Literally just garlic salt and parsley? thanks!
It’s literally just garlic salt and dried parsley sprinkled on the skin before roasting! Couldn’t be easier. 🙂
I am making the Cornish hens tomorrow for Friday night dinner. I have had them butterflied and am marinating them.
Will put orange slices under them when I roast.
How long do you think they will take since they are now halved.
Not sure exactly how long. Best to use a meat thermometer, these taste best and are considered done at 170 degrees F internal temp.
Great easy delicious recipe. Added a little honey and less sugar.