Best 10 Honey Baked Cornish Hens Recipes

HONEY-BAKED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Twist wing tips of Cornish game hens under backs. Place hen halves, cut sides down, in a shallow roasting pan. Combine the oil, the salt, and the black pepper. Brush mixture over Cornish hens.
• Cover and bake prepared Cornish hens in a 375 degree F oven for 35 minutes.
• In a small saucepan, cook honey over medium heat until bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in the Grand Marnier or orange juice.
• Uncover hens. Brush glaze evenly over the hens. Sprinkle with walnuts. Bake, uncovered, for about 25 minutes more or until hens are tender and no longer pink. Serve each half hen with Wild Rice Dressing and Sauteed Vegetables and garnish with orange peel, if you like. Makes 6 servings.
• Cook one 6-ounce package long-grain-and-wild-rice mix according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, cook 1 cup chopped celery and 2/3 cup chopped onion in 1 tablespoon melted butter or margarine until vegetables are tender, but not brown. Stir in 3/4 cup pecans, 2/3 cup raisins, 4 slices bacon (crisp-cooked, drained and crumbled), and 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Fold mixture into the cooked rice. Makes 6 servings.
• Cut 2 medium yellow summer squash and 2 medium zucchini into 1/8-inch-thick diagonal slices. Cut 1 medium red onion into julienne strips. In a large skillet, cook and stir the yellow squash, zucchini, and red onion in 2 tablespoons hot olive oil for 2 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup dry white wine and 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed. Cook and stir for 3 to 4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Season with salt and black pepper. Sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese, if you like. Makes 6 servings.

HONEY ROASTED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Split hen in half. Wash and pat dry. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Brush both sides with 3 Tbs butter.
• Place breast side down on a rack in a shallow pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes.
• Turn. Brush with butter and bake for 25 minutes.
• Mix honey with 1 1/2 Tbs melted butter. Brush half the mixture on the hen. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn and brush with remaining honey mixture. Bake for 15 minutes longer.

LIGHT HONEY-GLAZED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients. Preheat oven to 350 F.
• Place game hens breast-side down ​on a cutting board and cut in half along the backbone. Remove skin and trim excess fat.
• In a small microwave-safe dish, combine orange peel, lemon juice, orange juice concentrate, soy sauce, honey, garlic, onion powder, and thyme. Bring to boiling point in a microwave oven; set aside.
• Lightly grease a baking dish or spray with cooking spray.
• Divide chopped onion into 4 portions in baking dish; place hens bone-side down on onions.
• Pour orange juice mixture over hens.
• Bake hens in preheated oven for 45 minutes, basting every 10 to 15 minutes with cooking juices. If they brown too quickly, cover them loosely with aluminum foil.
• When hens are done, remove from baking dish, onions and all, to warm dinner plates.
• If desired, garnish with orange slices. Skim fat off juices in baking dish. If desired, thicken pan juices with a teaspoon of cornstarch mixed with 1 teaspoon of cold water. Serve juices on the side.
• Serve with hot cooked rice and a green vegetable. Enjoy!

ROASTED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a small mixing bowl, stir together salt, lemon pepper, dried basil and poultry seasoning. Rub olive oil all over the hens and season each with the salt mixture. Place the hens on a baking sheet pan with plenty of space between them. You may need to use 2 pans. Loosely stuff the cavities of each hen with some green bell pepper, celery and onion. Roast the hens in the preheated oven for about 1 hour or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F and the juices run clear. Remove the hens from the oven, loosely tent with foil and let rest 10 minutes before carving or serving.

ROASTED CORNISH GAME HENS MARINATED IN HONEY AND MUSTARD

Steps:

• Mix the honey, mustard, garlic, 3 tablespoons oil, thyme and cinnamon together in a bowl and set aside. Remove the wing tips from the hens. Roll the hens in the marinade and marinate overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Season the birds inside and out with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze over each bird. Put a used lemon half in the cavity of each bird. Truss the birds.
• Set a rack in a roasting pan and brush the rack with several tablespoons vegetable oil. Place the birds, breast side down on the oiled rack. Roast for 30 minutes. Turn the birds breast side up, reduce the heat to 350 degrees and roast an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until the hens are cooked through and the skin is brown. Allow the hens to rest 10 minutes before serving.

BAKED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, bring broth and rice to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 60-70 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. , Meanwhile, in a nonstick skillet, saute onion and celery in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the apricots, almonds, 1/3 cup apricot nectar, 1/4 cup wine, 1/4 teaspoon salt, poultry seasoning and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Stir into cooked rice. , Spoon mixture into four mounds in a shallow roasting pan coated with cooking spray; top each with a Cornish hen half. Cover and bake at 375° for 45 minutes. Uncover; bake 15-20 minutes longer or until a thermometer reads 180°. , In a large saucepan, combine remaining nectar and wine. Bring to a boil; cook for 5-7 minutes or until reduced to 1/2 cup. Add the vinegar, cinnamon and remaining salt and pepper. Reduce heat; cook and stir over medium-low heat for 1 minute. Serve with hens and rice.

HONEY-HERB CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Rinse and pat dry hens. Cut out the backbone and split through the breastbone. Trim any excess skin or fat.
• Place oil in a shallow pan and heat oven to 400 degrees.
• In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, honey, thyme, and oregano. Season hens with salt and pepper.
• Once pan is heated, place hens skin side down and brush with half of the honey mixture.
• Bake for 30 minutes. Flip hens and brush with remaining honey mixture. Bake 20-30 minutes longer, or until internal temperature reaches 180 degrees. Place on a platter.
• Drain drippings into a fat separator or skim as much fat as possible. Serve with hens.

GLAZED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Place hens, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes. , In a small bowl, combine spreadable fruit and orange juice. Spoon some of the apricot mixture over the hens. Bake until golden brown and juices run clear, 30-35 minutes, basting several times with remaining apricot mixture. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

BAKED CORNISH GAME HENS

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).

HONEY ORANGE CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place game hen halves with skin sides up into a 9x13-inch roasting pan.
• Roast hens in the preheated oven for 35 minutes.
• Stir orange juice, honey, soy sauce, and vinegar together in a small bowl; brush mixture over hens.
• Roast hens for 5 more minutes and baste again with orange juice mixture. Roast until skin is browned and meat is no longer pink inside, about 10 more minutes.