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Ingredients
Basting Sauce
4 tablespoons (1/2
stick) butter
1/4 cup freshly squeezed
lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced fresh
rosemary or 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed rosemary
1/8 teaspoon (or 2-3
splashes) hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
1 teaspoon
Worcestershire sauce
Stuffing
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup diced celery
(about 1 stalk)
1/3 cup diced onion
6 cups firm bread (sour
dough or other bread) cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 teaspoon minced fresh
rosemary OR 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed rosemary
1 teaspoon minced fresh
sage OR 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 to 1 cup chicken
broth or water
Cornish Hens
4 Cornish hens
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°
F.
Basting Sauce
In a small saucepan,
melt butter. Whisk in lemon juice, rosemary and hot
pepper sauce. Set aside.
Stuffing
In a small skillet or
saucepan, melt butter. Add celery and onions and
sauté on low-medium heat until tender (about 3-4
minutes). Set aside. Place bread cubes a mixing bowl
and add rosemary, sage, salt, 3/4 cup of the chicken broth and
sautéed celery and onions along with any butter
remaining in pan. Toss to thoroughly combine. If
bread cubes still seem a little dry, add up to an
additional 1/4 cup of chicken broth and stir again
to combine. (Bread cubes should be very moist but
not soggy.) Set
aside.
Hens
Rinse Cornish hens
thoroughly inside and out with cold running water,
then allow to drain completely. Spray a roasting
rack with nonstick spray, then place hens on
roasting rack over a roasting pan and season with salt and pepper. Brush
insides of hens with Basting Sauce, then spoon
stuffing into each hen through the neck cavity.
Brush outsides of hens with more Basting Sauce, then
place on middle rack in oven, uncovered, and cook
for 1 to 1 hour 15 minutes, depending on size of
hens (refer to Cornish hen package instructions for
specific baking details). Baste hens every 15
minutes until done (hens will be a medium brown and
the legs might be on the verge of becoming detached
when done).
Remove hens from oven
and place on individual serving plates. Remove top
rack from roasting pan. Add Worcestershire sauce to
juices in roasting pan and stir to combine. Baste
each hen again with juices from pan and serve. |
