This Roasted Cornish Hens and Potatoes baked dish is such a great family dinner. I often make this for Sunday night dinners and serve with a big salad! Just so flavorful and delish!!!
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Cornish Hens or Chickens?
Well, Cornish Hens are chickens but usually they’re much smaller. Usually Cornish Hens are less than 2 lbs. I looked at all the ones in my grocery store and they were between 1-1.25 lbs.
Cornish hens were used at dinner celebrations in my native country, usually serving 1 per person. However, when I prepare them at home, I usually serve 1 hen to 2 people by splitting in half. We called this dish “Tave me Pule dhe Patate”.
They’re more elegant in presentation hence Cornish hens are often served in fancy restaurants too when the dish calls for a roasted chicken.
Side Dishes
I love serving this baked dish with a big, fresh salad. Below you’ll see an example with a garden salad that has halloumi cheese. You can also serve it with the following:
Tips & Notes
I love roasting Cornish hens with potatoes. Usually I use Russet Potatoes for this dish. It takes the chickens about 1 hr to roast properly so you don’t want potatoes that cook in 30-40 minutes. Russet potatoes when cut in big pieces also take about 1 hr to cook, allowing you to roast them together.
I used a simple Mediterranean herb rub for the Cornish hens and the leftovers of the rub as a spice for the potatoes. The herb rub contained: Parsley, Oregano, Paprika, Marjoram and Salt.
Other spices and herbs you can use in the rub are: Rosemary, Cayenne pepper, Black pepper etc.
Baking dish pictured is 9×14.
Internal temperature of the Cornish hens should reach 165 degrees F when roasting.
When the dish is done cooking and you would like the skin of the hens to be slightly charred, then you can turn the Broil on for about 5 minutes.
And finally, try to baste once or twice during the time the dish is cooking. It helps the skin of the hens not to get too dry. Usually, I grab one side of the baking tray with oven mittens, tilt it to one side then spoon some of the liquid on top of the chickens. If that’s not possible, use some more chicken stock or butter to soften the skin!
Roasted Cornish Hens with Potatoes
Equipment
- 9×14 baking dish
Ingredients
- 2 Cornish hens about 1-1.5 lbs each
- 3 lbs russet potatoes
- 2 ozs carrots
- 3 tbsps olive oil extra virgin
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 red onion
- 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp dry parsley
- 1 tbsp dry oregano
- 1 tbsp salt I prefer Mediterranean Sea Salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dry marjoram
Instructions
- Make sure Cornish hens are thawed. Peel the potatoes and place them in a big bowl of water so they don't brown. Prepare spice rub. Mix parsley, oregano, salt, marjoram and paprika well in a separate container. Chop the red onion in cubic shapes and slice the lemon. Peel and cut the carrots too if you didn't get them already peeled.
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (about 200 degrees Celsius).
- Pat dry the Cornish hens with a paper towel. Then rub the herb rub all over the hens, under the arms, over the drumsticks, under the skin etc. Stuff the cavity with red onion and lemon as seen in the video below.
- Place both Cornish hens in the baking dish. Then slice the potatoes in big slices and add them around the hens. Add leftover onion pieces all around and add the carrots as well. Use leftover herb rub as seasoning for the potatoes. Drizzle olive oil and finally add 1 cup of chicken stock over the potatoes.
- Bake for about 1 hour, check around 30 minutes and baste the hens. Cover with aluminum foil if they look already cooked so they don't burn by the 1 hr mark.
- Once baked you. can serve half a Cornish hen per serving with potatoes and a large salad as a side dish. Enjoy:)
Video
Nutrition Label
Nutrition
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Other Dinner Recipes
Check out more dinner recipes from my blog.
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