Cornish Game Hens With Rosemary
- Total Time
- 1 hour 10 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 4Cornish game hens, about 1 pound each
- Salt to taste if desired
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- 4thin slices prosciutto or other ham
- 8small sprigs fresh rosemary
- 4whole cloves garlic, crushed
- ¼cup melted butter
- ¼cup fresh or canned chicken broth
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
459 calories; 34 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 14 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 34 grams protein; 780 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Step 2
Sprinkle the inside cavity of each game hen with salt and pepper. Insert one slice of prosciutto, two sprigs of rosemary and one crushed whole clove of garlic inside each bird. Truss the birds with string and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Step 3
Pour the melted butter into a metal baking dish and turn the trussed birds in it to coat well. Arrange the birds on their backs and scatter the giblets around them. Place the baking dish on the stove and bring the butter to the sizzling point.
- Step 4
Place the dish in the oven and bake 15 minutes.
- Step 5
Turn the hens on their sides and bake 15 minutes longer, basting occasionally.
- Step 6
Turn the hens to the opposite side and continue baking, basting occasionally, about 10 minutes longer.
- Step 7
Arrange the hens on their backs and bake 5 minutes longer, basting often.
- Step 8
Remove the birds to a serving dish. Pour most of the fat from the pan. Add the chicken broth, place the pan on the stove and stir to dissolve the brown particles that cling to the bottom of the pan. Untruss the birds. Pour the sauce over the birds and serve them hot or cold.
Private Notes
Comments
This was wonderful. We had this for our Christmas dinner while camping our Airstream. I used the tiny little oven and only cooked two birds, but it turned out beautifully. The turning sounds like a lot of trouble, but the end result is an extremely moist, flavorful bird.
Turning tore the bird apart—even after easy first turn. Bird and pan were well buttered. Second try without turning produced a well browned & balanced bird. Avoid unnecessary complications.
Great method. Grew up with my mother spouting Craig non-stop & he did not fail. Racked mine which made turning tricky but managed. Created a very sweet gravy following this method but also adding bits & bobs of leftovers (including leftover apple sauce, jams & tons of stock - all homemade of course!). Kids devoured & my 7 year old said she wanted it “for breakfast too.”
Bake five minutes longer, basting often. Do I even close the oven door?
I had pepper-crusted salami but no prosciutto, so I used the salami instead and it was delicious! Definitely will make this again -- and might try the prosciutto at some point, but the flavor from the salami was so delicious, I might just stick with that.
Made this recipe for Thanksgiving because it was only three of us this year. I threw in some Bella mushrooms because they were on hand. Also added extra prosciutto because why not? Was too lazy to keep turning the birds, but did flip them toward the end for about 15 minutes. This a great, easy recipe, and the birds were delicious!
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