365 More Ways to Cook Chicken (365 ways) (54 page)

• 3 Cornish game hens, quartered
  

• ½ teaspoon salt
  

• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  

• 3 tablespoons honey
  

• 3 tablespoons dry white wine
  

• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  

• 1 tablespoon butter
  

• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
  

1.
Preheat oven to 450°F. Use your hands to flatten hen quarters somewhat. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a shallow roasting pan, skin side up. Roast 10 minutes.

2.
Meanwhile, make glaze. In a small nonreactive saucepan, combine honey, wine, vinegar, butter, and ginger, heating and stirring to melt butter.

3.
After hens have roasted 10 minutes, turn and brush with some of glaze. Roast 10 minutes. Turn again and brush liberally with more of glaze. Roast until juices run clear when pricked with a knife tip, about 15 minutes longer.

Prep: 15 minutes Cook: 45 minutes Serves: 4

• ¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
  

• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  

• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
  

• 3 garlic cloves, crushed through a press
  

• ¾ teaspoon salt
  

• ¾ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  

• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  

• 1 cup plain yogurt
  

• 2 Cornish game hens, halved
  

• 2 tablespoons olive oil Parsley sprigs and lemon slices, for garnish
  

1.
Preheat oven to 425°F. In a small bowl, combine parsley, oregano, lemon zest, crushed garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir about half of garlic-herb paste, along with lemon juice, into yogurt. Use your fingers to loosen skin on hens. Rub remaining paste under skin, spreading it as much as possible without tearing skin. Brush hens with olive oil. Season lightly with additional salt and pepper.

2.
Place, skin side up, in a shallow roasting pan and roast 15 minutes. Turn hens over. Reduce oven temperature to 400° and roast 20 minutes. Turn again and roast until hens are cooked through and thigh juices run clear when pricked with a knife tip, about 10 minutes.

3.
Serve hen halves garnished with parsley and lemon. Spoon yogurt sauce alongside.

Prep: 10 minutes Cook: 40 minutes Serves: 4

While perfect for the backyard barbecue, these hens can also be broiled with excellent results.

• ⅓ cup bottled chili sauce
  

• 2 tablespoons bourbon
  

• 1 tablespoon molasses
  

• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  

• 2 Cornish game hens, quartered
  

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  

1.
Prepare a medium fire in a barbecue grill or preheat broiler. In a small nonreactive saucepan, simmer chili sauce, bourbon, molasses, and soy sauce over medium-low heat 5 minutes. Use your hands to flatten hen quarters somewhat.

2.
Rub hens with oil. Grill or broil, skin side down, 10 minutes. Turn, brush with some of sauce, and grill 10 minutes. Turn and brush liberally with more sauce. Grill or broil until skin is crisp and browned and juices run clear when pricked with a knife tip, about 15 minutes longer.

Prep: 5 minutes Cook: 45 minutes Serves: 4

The slightly gamy flavor of Cornish hens stands up well to the assertiveness of goat cheese. If desired, a good herbed cheese spread, such as boursin, can be substituted for the chèvre.

• 2 Cornish game hens, halved
  

• 3 ounces soft herbed chèvre
  

• Salt and freshly ground pepper
  

1.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Loosen skin of hens with your fingers. Rub cheese under skin, spreading as much as possible without tearing skin. Season hens lightly with salt and pepper.

2.
Place hen halves, skin side up, in a shallow roasting pan. Roast 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375° and continue to roast until juices run clear when pricked with a knife point, about 35 minutes longer.

Prep: 5 minutes Cook: 2½ hours Serves: 4

If you don’t have a smoker, you can convert a covered grill into a good facsimile. Be sure to keep the fire constant, but not too hot. You’ll need four to six handfuls of applewood or other wood chips for this recipe.

• 4 Cornish game hens, halved
  

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried leaf thyme
  

• ½ teaspoon salt
  

• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  

• 3 tablespoons apple jelly
  

• 3 tablespoons dry white wine
  

1.
Soak wood chips in cold water for at least 30 minutes. Prepare a home smoker according to manufacturer’s directions. Or prepare a medium indirect charcoal fire in a covered grill by pushing hot coals to one side of grill so that hens can be placed on grill away from direct heat. Just before cooking, toss about one-third of the chips onto fire. If using a gas grill, follow manufacturer’s instructions for grill smoking.

2.
Loosen skin on hen halves and rub half of thyme under skin, spreading as much as possible without tearing skin. Season hens with salt and pepper. Place hens, breast side up, on smoker rack or grill rack away from coals. Cover smoker or grill and smoke 2 hours, adding more wood chips about halfway through smoking time.

3.
While hens are smoking, make glaze by heating jelly, wine, and remaining thyme in a small nonreactive saucepan, stirring until jelly melts. After 2 hours of smoking, brush hens with glaze and smoke 15 minutes. Brush again and smoke to an internal temperature of 180°F.; thigh juices should run clear when pricked with a knife tip. This will take about 15 minutes longer, for a total of about
2½
hours smoking time.

Prep: 10 minutes Cook: 35 minutes Serves: 6

• 3 Cornish game hens, quartered
  

• ¼ teaspoon salt
  

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  

• ¼ cup Dijon mustard
  

• 3 tablespoons apricot preserves
  

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Use your hands to flatten hen quarters somewhat. Season lightly with salt and generously with pepper. Place in a shallow roasting pan, skin side up. Roast 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, make glaze. In a small saucepan, heat together mustard, preserves, oil, and lemon juice. After hens have roasted 10 minutes, turn and brush with some of glaze. Roast 10 minutes. Turn again and brush with glaze. Roast until juices run clear when pricked with a knife tip, about 15 minutes longer.

Prep: 10 minutes Cook: 35 minutes Serves: 6

This is a simplified version of a classic British sweet-and-sour sauce for game. The hens can be served warm or at room temperature for an autumn picnic or tailgate party.

• 1 cup port wine
  

• ¼ cup fresh orange juice
  

• ¼ cup red currant jelly
  

• 2 tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard
  

• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  

• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
  

• 6 Cornish game hens, quartered
  

1.
In a nonreactive saucepan, bring wine, orange juice, and jelly to a simmer, stirring to melt jelly. Simmer until reduced by one-third, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in mustard, vinegar, and orange zest. Set sauce aside. (Sauce can be made a day ahead and refrigerated.)

2.
Preheat oven to 450°F. Use your hands to flatten hen quarters somewhat. Place in a shallow roasting pan, skin side up. Brush with some of sauce and roast 10 minutes. Turn, brush again, and roast 10 minutes. Roast, turning and brushing one more time, for a total of 35 minutes roasting time.

3.
Serve hot or at room temperature.

Prep: 10 minutes Cook: 36 to 37 minutes Serves: 6

Worcestershire sauce stains these hens to a burnished golden brown color, which is especially lovely if you serve them with bright vegetables, such as green beans and sautéed cherry tomatoes.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
  

• 2 tablespoons chopped shallots
  

• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  

• 2 tablespoons apricot preserves
  

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  

• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  

• 3 Cornish game hens, quartered
  

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. In a small saucepan, heat olive oil and cook shallots over medium-low heat until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add Worcestershire sauce, preserves, mustard, and pepper, stirring to melt preserves.

2. Use your hands to flatten hen quarters somewhat. Place in a shallow roasting pan, skin side up. Brush with some of sauce and roast 10 minutes. Turn, brush again, and roast 10 minutes. Turn and brush again, then roast until juices run clear when pricked with a knife tip, about 15 minutes longer.

• 3 Cornish game hens, quartered
  

• ¼ cup orange marmalade
  

• 1½ tablespoons olive oil
  

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  

• 1½ teaspoons curry powder
  

• ½ teaspoon salt
  

• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  

• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
  

1.
Preheat oven to 450°F. Use your hands to flatten hen quarters somewhat. Place in a shallow roasting pan, skin side up. Roast 10 minutes.

2.
Meanwhile, make glaze. In a small saucepan, heat together marmalade, olive oil, lemon juice, curry powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne, stirring to melt marmalade. After hens have roasted 10 minutes, turn and brush with some of glaze. Roast 10 minutes. Turn again and brush liberally with glaze. Roast until juices run clear when pricked with a knife tip, about 15 minutes longer.