CRANBERRY STUFFED GAME HENS
If you've never worked with game hens before, they're very user-friendly. Even stuffed to excess, they only roast for about an hour in a hot oven, and as long as you don't overcook them (use a thermometer!), you'll be enjoying the kind of juicy, flavorful meat that people cooking turkey only dream of.
Provided by Chef John
Categories Meat and Poultry Recipes Chicken Cornish Hen Recipes
Time 2h15m
Yield 4
Number Of Ingredients 19
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Spread bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet.
- Toast bread in the preheated oven until golden, crispy, and completely dry, 20 to 40 minutes. Transfer bread to a large bowl.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir shallots and green onions with a pinch of salt in hot butter until shallots are translucent and soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add dried cranberries to shallots; cook and stir until cranberries are warmed through, 2 o 3 minutes.
- Pour chicken broth into skillet; bring broth mixture to a simmer and pour mixture over dried bread cubes. Stir until liquid is absorbed. Season with chopped thyme, minced rosemary, sage, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Mix beaten egg into bread mixture, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let stuffing sit until liquid is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- Drizzle the bottom of a roasting pan with 2 tablespoons oil and lay thyme sprigs and rosemary sprigs on the bottom of the pan.
- Generously season each hen cavity with salt. Stuff each hen with about 1/2 the bread-cranberry mixture. Tie legs together and set into prepared roasting pan on top of thyme and rosemary sprigs. Brush hens with remaining olive oil and season with salt and black pepper.
- Bake hens in the preheated oven until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 1 hour. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Remove hens to a platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Place roasting pan over medium-high heat. Stir chicken broth, fresh cranberries, and maple syrup into the pan and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Cook and stir until sauce reduces and thickens, 1 to 3 minutes. Spoon sauce over stuffed hens.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 549.1 calories, Carbohydrate 26 g, Cholesterol 196.8 mg, Fat 38.1 g, Fiber 1.5 g, Protein 25.8 g, SaturatedFat 12.3 g, Sodium 296.8 mg, Sugar 12 g
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Techno Stream
[email protected]These were absolutely delicious! The hens were so moist and flavorful, and the stuffing was perfect. I will definitely be making these again and again.
Reese Frank
[email protected]I've made this dish several times and it's always a hit. The hens are always cooked perfectly and the stuffing is delicious. I highly recommend this recipe.
Orefile Rantemane
[email protected]These were so easy to make and they turned out so well. The hens were moist and flavorful, and the stuffing was the perfect complement. I will definitely be making these again.
jennifer maddox
[email protected]I made these for a special occasion and they were a huge hit. The hens were cooked perfectly and the stuffing was delicious. I would definitely recommend this recipe.
Angel Mendoza
[email protected]These were absolutely delicious! The hens were so moist and flavorful, and the stuffing was perfect. I will definitely be making these again and again.
ntalo isima
[email protected]I've made this dish several times and it's always a hit. The hens are always cooked perfectly and the stuffing is delicious. I highly recommend this recipe.
Cm Rana
[email protected]These were so easy to make and they turned out so well. The hens were moist and flavorful, and the stuffing was the perfect complement. I will definitely be making these again.
Phelokazi Ntshinga
[email protected]I made these for a special occasion and they were a huge hit. The hens were cooked perfectly and the stuffing was delicious. I would definitely recommend this recipe.
Meer Hassan
[email protected]These were absolutely delicious! The hens were so moist and flavorful, and the stuffing was perfect. I will definitely be making these again and again.
Gerald Gatus
[email protected]I've made this dish several times and it's always a hit. The hens are always cooked perfectly and the stuffing is delicious. I highly recommend this recipe.
Ahtesham Zafar
[email protected]These were so easy to make and they turned out so well. The hens were moist and flavorful, and the stuffing was the perfect complement. I will definitely be making these again.
Shahb Khan
[email protected]I made these for a special occasion and they were a huge hit. The hens were cooked perfectly and the stuffing was delicious. I would definitely recommend this recipe.
Kipilingenikongo Kenneth
[email protected]These were absolutely delicious! The hens were so moist and flavorful, and the stuffing was perfect. I will definitely be making these again and again.
qadir bux
[email protected]I've made this dish several times and it's always a hit. The hens are always cooked perfectly and the stuffing is delicious. I highly recommend this recipe.
Godfrey Paul
[email protected]These were so easy to make and they turned out so well. The hens were moist and flavorful, and the stuffing was the perfect complement. I will definitely be making these again.
Kk Ahsan
[email protected]I made these for a special occasion and they were a huge hit. The hens were cooked perfectly and the stuffing was delicious. I would definitely recommend this recipe.
Anna Joseph
[email protected]These were absolutely delicious! The hens were so moist and flavorful, and the stuffing was perfect. I will definitely be making these again and again.
nahid sorkar
[email protected]This was my first time cooking game hens and I was so happy with how they turned out. The recipe was easy to follow and the hens were cooked to perfection. I will definitely be making this again.
MICHAEL GOWDY
[email protected]I've made this dish several times and it's always a crowd-pleaser. The hens are moist and flavorful, and the stuffing is the perfect complement. I highly recommend this recipe.
Irish McNealy
[email protected]These were so delicious! I made them for my family last night and they were a hit! The cranberries added a nice tartness to the dish and the hens were cooked perfectly. I will definitely be making these again.