Lemon Roasted Cornish Hens

Basically, a Cornish Hen (a.k.a. Cornish Game Hen or Rock Cornish Hen) is a hybrid chicken that is raised to grow at a more rapid rate than a regular hen and usually doesn't weigh more than 2 lbs. As my daughter likes to call them "little chickens". They are super moist and you can prepare them just like you would a roasted full size chicken. With this one in particular, I just squeezed some fresh lemon juice on top, added a little wine to help baste it and the outcome was a lemony, delicious meal. When visiting my Mom a few months ago in Florida, she made something similar using her Meyer lemons and some limes too, also very good. Once cooked, you cut them in half down the center bone, removing the back bone, and then serve half per person. 

Lemon Roasted Cornish Hens
2 Cornish Game Hens
1 Lemon
Garlic Powder, to taste
Kosher Salt, to taste
Fresh Ground Black Pepper, to taste
1 tbsp. Parsley, chopped fine
1 c. White Wine
Canola Oil Cooking Spray


Rinse and pat dry your hens and place them in an oven safe roasting pan (careful to remove all of the innards). Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice onto each piece of meat, then place one half into the cavity of the bird. Season the meat with garlic powder, salt, pepper and parsley then spray with cooking spray. Add the wine to the bottom of the pan and bake at 375 degrees for approximately 60-70 minutes or until the proper internal temperature is reached. Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before cutting each bird in half. Serves 4. 


Enjoy!


Shared on Recipes for my Boys 5/10/12