Herb Butter Cornish Hen Recipe

This herb butter cornish hen recipe is beyond delicious! Cornish game 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.

Why we love this recipe:

Cornish hens are very affordable. You can grab cornish hens from the meat department at your local grocery store. They are usually near the chicken.

It is full of flavor! This oven roasted cornish game hen always turns out super moist and tender.

They cook pretty quick. Unlike a whole chicken, cornish game hens are much smaller. So they tend to cook a lot faster than a whole chicken.

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 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! It makes for a great celebration after the chaos of Christmas passes.

Each year, we try to have something prepared for our guests to take home with them. Our guests 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.

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.

How is Cornish hen different from chicken?

Cornish hens, also known as Cornish game hens,  are a smaller breed of chickens from Cornwall, an English county. When fully matured, they are about half the size of a regular chicken.

So, what is so special about game hens? They are preferred because they are delicately flavored, super tender, and cook faster than regular chicken.

Where to find the ingredients for the Herb Butter Cornish Hen & Bacon Gravy:

Premium Cornish Hens are available at your local Walmart stores. While at my local Walmart, I found these cornish game hens in the middle section in the meat department.

The bacon for the gravy can be found in the deli department at your local Walmart, with the other breakfast meats. 

What is the spatchcock cooking technique?

With this particular cornish hens 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 ensures even cooking. It also 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.

How do you keep Herb Butter Cornish Hens from drying out?

Allow the cooked hen to rest for about ten minutes before slicing it. This allows the juices to redistribute for moist, succulent meat. Adding the butter to the hens is also helpful to keep it moist and tender.

What should I serve with Cornish Hens?

Upgrade your meal from a dinner to a feast with a few sides:

• Sweet Cast Iron Cornbread
• Southern Cornbread Dressing
• Creamy Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole
• Cheesy Bacon Ranch Scalloped Potatoes
• Southern Collard Greens
• Southern Macaroni and Cheese
• Oven Roasted Brussel Sprouts

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.

Continue to Content

📖 Recipe

Yield: 2 Hens

Herb Butter Cornish Hens w/ Bacon Gravy

Print

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.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients

Cornish Hens

• 2 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

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9x11 baking dish with non-stick spray.
2. 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.
3. Lay the cornish hens flat and season the front and back liberally with the seasoning salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
4. Mix the butter, fresh rosemary, thyme, and ground sage in a small bowl until well combined.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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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  OXO Good Grips Freezer-to-Oven Safe 3 Qt Glass Baking Dish with Lid, 9 x 13,Clear,9 x 13"

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount 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.

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