Herb Butter Cornish Hens roasted to a golden perfection and complemented with a savory bacon gravy. Seasoned & basted with an herb infused butter to create the most succulent and flavorful Cornish hens.
While you’re here be sure to check out this Juicy and Tender Oven Roasted Chicken and this Garlic Butter Seafood Boil!
When we host our annual Christmas brunch, these Herb Butter Cornish Hens with Bacon Gravy help create such a great meal. Moreover, the Cornish Hens are the perfect size and selection for this dish. They are easy to prepare and cook in a breeze.
For the bacon gravy, we always have to use our favorite Wright® Brand Hickory Smoked Bacon. We love this bacon because they are quality pieces of thick cut bacon. Bacon gravy requires a hearty bacon, that will stand-up to being fried and chopped.
Every year, the kids wake us up way before the sun is even thinking about rising to open their gifts! Since opening gifts are the first and ONLY thing on their mind in the morning, we don't worry about breakfast. Christmas brunch is now our tradition.
What started out as us hosting grandparents, has since turned into us hosting extended family, and friends alike! It always makes for a great celebration after the chaos of Christmas passes. Each year we host, we try to have something prepared for our guest to take home with them.
This Savory Bacon Gravy makes an awesome gift to send our guests home with. Once the gravy is prepared and cooled, simply place it in 8 ounce jars. Decorate the jars with festive holiday labels and bows. Our guests will love to have the bacon gravy to use the next day for breakfast, or store in the refrigerator for up to one week to use later.
Where to find the ingredients for the Herb Butter Cornish Hen & Bacon Gravy:
Tyson Premium Cornish Hens are available at your local Walmart stores. While at my local Walmart, I found the Cornish Hens in the middle bin in the meat department. As far as the Wright Brand Hickory Smoked bacon, head to the deli department at your local Walmart, it should be tucked away where the other breakfast meats are. I'd also recommend you head to Walmart's online grocery to place orders ahead for pick-up or delivery too to make your life a breeze! Also, be sure to take advantage of this Ibotta rebates offer (LINK)!
What is the spatchcock technique?
With this particular recipe we used the spatchcock technique. By definition, spatchcock means to split open and dress to prepare for grilling. Furthermore, the spatchcock technique is perfect for the herb butter Cornish hens because it ensured even cooking. Furthermore, it helps provide an even golden brown skin for the Cornish hens.
How to prepare the Herb Butter Cornish Hens:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
- Clean the Cornish hens by removing any giblets. Using kitchen shears, cut down each side of the back bone of the Cornish hen. Start at the neck and cut down to the tail. Remove the backbone and open up the hen.
- Mix the butter, fresh rosemary, thyme, and ground sage in a small bowl until well combined.
- Loosen the skin of the hens with a finger, and evenly distribute the infused butter under the skin on each one. Reserve 2 tablespoons of butter to rub over the top and baste the hens with.
- Lay the Cornish hens flat and season the front and back liberally with the seasoning salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Add the chicken stock directly into the baking dish. Bake the hens for about one hour, check on them after 30 minutes to baste with juices.
- Hen is done when it is golden brown, and the wings or legs are tender when you gently pull them.
Herb Butter Cornish Hens w/ Bacon Gravy
Rosemary and thyme crusted Cornish hens roasted to a golden perfection, and complemented with a savory bacon gravy. Seasoned & basted with a herb infused butter to create the most succulent and flavorful Cornish hens.
Ingredients
Cornish Hens
- 3 whole Cornish hens
- 1 stick Unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon fresh Thyme
- ½ cup Chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon Seasoning salt
- ½ tablespoon Black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Ground sage
- 1 tablespoon Garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon Onion powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9x11 baking dish with non-stick spray.
- Clean the cornish hens by removing any giblets. Using kitchen shears, cut down each side of the back bone of the cornish hen. Start at the neck, and cut down to the tail. Remove the backbone and open up the hen.
- Lay the cornish hens flat and season the front and back liberally with the seasoning salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Mix the butter, fresh rosemary, thyme, and ground sage in a small bowl until well combined.
- Loosen the skin of the hens with a finger, and evenly distribute the infused butter under the skin on each one. Reserve 2 tablespoons of butter to rub over the top and baste the hens with.
- Add the chicken stock directly into the baking dish. Bake the hens for about one hour, check on them after 30 minutes to baste with juices.
- Hen is done when it is golden brown, and the wings or legs are tender when you gently pull them.
Notes
There is a loose flap of skin near the bottom of the breast. Cut a slit on both sides of this area to insert each leg into. This just helps keep the legs in place for a beautiful presentation.
Cooking times may vary by the size of the hens and different oven settings.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 155Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 792mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 1g
This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators.
How to make the Savory Bacon Gravy:
- Fry the bacon until completely cooked, set aside. Reserve the bacon grease in the skillet.
- Add the chopped onions to the bacon grease and cook until they become translucent, about 5-10 minutes.
- Once the onions are translucent, add the flour to the skillet. Use a whisk to mix the flour in with the grease. After the grease is fully absorbed by the flour, slowly begin to add chicken stock.
- Continue whisking the flour and chicken stock until there are no longer lumps of flour. The onions will provide a bit of texture. Add more chicken stock or water to thin the gravy out if it becomes too thick.
- Once the flour is fully incorporated into the gravy, add the bacon back into the skillet.
- Add the seasoning and mix well.
Savory Bacon Gravy
Bacon gravy is an amazing addition to virtually any meat, mashed veggie, or breakfast. Onions, herbs and spices along with chicken stock, make this an amazing, savory bacon gravy.
Ingredients
- 6 slices Wright brand thick cut bacon, cooked and crumbled, bacon grease reserved
- 2 tablespoons All purpose flour
- 4 cups Chicken stock
- ½ Onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Seasoning salt (optional)
- ½ teaspoon Ground sage
- ½ teaspoon Garlic powder
Instructions
- Fry the bacon until completely cooked, set aside. Reserve the bacon grease in the skillet.
- Add the chopped onions to the bacon grease and cook until they become translucent, about 5-10 minutes.
- Once the onions are translucent, add the flour to the skillet. Use a whisk to mix the flour in with the grease. Once the grease is fully absorbed by the flour, slowly begin to add chicken stock.
- Continue whisking the flour and chicken stock until there are no longer lumps of flour. The onions will provide a bit of texture. Add more chicken stock or water to thin the gravy out if it becomes too thick.
- Once the flour is fully incorporated into the gravy, add the bacon back into the skillet.
- Add the seasoning and mix well.
Notes
Use water to loosen up the gravy if it become too thick.
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As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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Erika
This sounds amazing and bacon really does make everything taste better!
Tamara J.
Yes, bacon definitely makes everything better.
Kay
We love a spatchcocked chicken in our house! Cooks it perfectly and I love the gravy you posted to go with it.
Tamara J.
Yes, I agree!
Marta
I love that you're using cornish hen! It's so underrated.
Tamara J.
I agree! They are the perfect serving sizes for our family.
SHANIKA
I love making Cornish Hens! These look so beautifully done and the Herb Butter rub looks amazing!
Tamara J.
Thank you! They are delicious.
LaKita
They look so delicious and bacon gravy sounds amazing!!
Tamara J.
The bacon gravy takes the Cornish hen to the next level!
Jazz
This is right on time for the holidays!
Tamara J.
Absolutely!
Eden | Sweet Tea and Thyme
My mama always made cornish hens for holidays, so this brought me back! So good, really flavorful and that bacon gravy is to die for!
Tamara J.
Thank you, it really is delicious!
Katrina Adams
I plan on making a Cornish Hen for Christmas so this recipe is right on Time!!
Tamara J.
Perfect! They make for a great meal.
Kenya Rae
Cornish hens are so delicious. I have not made them in forever but this has put them back on my radar.
Tamara J.
They are delicious!
Colleen | Bakes & Blunders
That looks delicious! I've never tried making Cornish hens before because I just had no idea what to do. Thanks for breaking it down 😀
Tamara J.
Oh you should definitely give them a try!
Christy Boston's Kitchen
I usually associate spatchcocking with larger birds, but what a great idea to do it with a Cornish hen! I love Cornish hens because they make for single meals and are so pretty on the plate. And bacon gravy... yum!
Tamara J.
They’re the perfect size!
Raquel
I love how delicious the roasted skin looks! I'm not big on meat as an entree, but these pictures make me want to just cook up a bird!
Tamara J.
It is something special!
Angela
I am so on the look out for cornish game hens now so I can make this - yum!
Tamara J.
Awesome! It’s amazing, and foolproof!
Genevieve
I had no idea Tyson made Cornish Game Hens! What a unique recipe and bacon does make everything better. 🙂
Tamara J.
Yes! They’re the best!
Lisa Ho
I have never tried roasting young chooks before, hopefully I can find one here (Australia) so that I can try your recipe 🙂
Tamara J.
Yes, you will love it!
Gari
Your recipes always inspire me, this looks amazing.
Tamara J.
Well thank you!
Ai
Girl, you had me at herb butter! That bird looks perfectly roasted with crispy skin! Yummy 😀
Tamara J.
It is delicious!
Aline
I love this recipe for Sunday supper. The ham and gravy make everything even better!!!
Tamara J.
Yes indeed! Enjoy!
Aimee DiPasquale
That looks so so delicious. I would love that for my christmas eve get together.
Tamara J.
Yes- it would be perfect!
Simone
I just love Cornish hens & I serve them almost every Thanksgiving instead of turkey, but I never thought of using the spatchcock method. Thanks for the suggestion & recipe!
Tamara J.
Thank you Simone.
Jacqueline Debono
I haven't had a Cornish hen for ages. Going to change that soon. Your bacon gravy sounds so good!
Tamara J.
Thank you, it was a special touch!
Beth
I love Cornish game hens (though my son doesn't like it that he can tell they are little birds) and the golden, herby finish on these is fantastic. Love your explanation of how to spatchcock, too.
Tamara J.
Thank you Beth.
Stacey from Food Safety Superhero
You won me with the word.....BACON....its my favorite food and I adore cornish game hen. I always feel like Henry VII eating them... This is. A great recipe and I'm going to add it to my menu plan for next month.
Tamara J.
That's excellent Stacey. Enjoy!
Alexandra
I am a huge bacon fan, and so I am loving the sound of this gravy!
Chef Dennis
I haven't thought about Cornish Hens in ages, thanks for the inspiration! These tasty little hens will be making an appearance at my house soon
Amanda Marie Boyle
This gravy is amazing! Love the recipe!
maren
Wow this is awesome
Kayleen
How many Cornish hens are needed for this herb butter recipe?
Tamara J.
This recipe is for two Cornish hens.
Kamryn
I tried this recipe yesterday for my family and it was delicious me and the other 5 people in my house enjoyed it for dinner last night the hen and gravy was great.
Tamara J.
Yay! I am so happy you all enjoyed it. Thanks for the review.