With its perfectly crispy, golden brown skin and moist, flavorful meat, this Roasted Cornish Game Hen recipe is sure to win you a standing ovation from your dinner guests!
Get ready to learn how to prepare roasted Cornish hen that is super moist and flavorful with perfectly browned and crispy skin!
I’ve always enjoyed Cornish game hen. Â Growing up they were our traditional New Year’s Eve dinner for many years. Â Not only were they delicious, they also catered perfectly to those egocentric developmental stages of childhood and teens where the importance of possession dominates: Â Being in miniature form, I could have an entire chicken all to myself! Â And it’s still neat to be served a mini chicken you can call your own.
One of the reasons I like Cornish hen is that it makes for such an elegant presentation. Â It’s one thing when you bring in the large roasted chicken for your dinner guests to admire and it’s then carved and divided among the plates, each guest with their own little pile of chicken meat – and of course the dark meat lovers have to fight over who gets the two drumsticks. Â But it looks much more impressive when you can serve your dinner guests their very own beautifully golden-browned hens. Â And those dark meat lovers get both sets of drumsticks to themselves! Â Thinking of inviting your boss over to dinner to prep him for that raise request? Â These Cornish game hens are the perfect thing to feed his ego.
Do people even still do that or have I been watching too many 60’s movies??
There are a few tips and tricks to achieving roasted Cornish game hen that is perfectly browned and crispy on the outside while super moist and flavorful on the inside. Â Whether you’re preparing a special meal for your family, enjoying a romantic dinner for two, celebrating a special occasion or holiday, or simply feeding your egocentric needs, this recipe will show you what you need to do to get the perfect results.
Roasted Cornish Game Hen Recipe
Let’s get started!
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
I used fresh rosemary and thyme for these hens, but you can use any herb of your choice. Â Peel four whole cloves of garlic and cut a lemon in quarters. Â Pat the hens dry with paper towels. Â This is important for getting nicely browned, crispy skin.
Use your index finger to carefully loosen the skin on top of the hens, then slip a thin slice of butter under the skin on top of each breast.
Next slip a few fresh herb leaves under the skin.
In each cavity, stuff a quarter of the lemon, a clove of garlic, and a sprig of fresh rosemary and thyme (or herbs of choice).
Rub each hen all over with some extra virgin olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Truss the hens by tying the legs and wings. Â For a step-by-step visual, you can Google “how to truss a chicken” and multiple videos will come up.
Place the hens on the rack of a roasting pan lined with aluminum foil. Â Place the hens as far apart from each other as possible to enable the skins to get browned and crispy (I added a fifth hen this time for our dinner guests). Â Place the hens in the preheated oven and roast for 25 minutes.
In the meantime, combine the chicken broth and white wine in a small bowl. Â After the hens have roasted for 25 minutes. pour the liquid over the hens, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and continue roasting for another 35 minutes, basting every 8-10 minutes with the juices on the bottom of the pan. Â This is important to keep the meat juicy and flavorful.
The hens are done when an instant-read thermometer placed in the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F. Â Using a meat thermometer is very helpful for getting the best results. Â You want the chicken to be done but cooking it too long will dry out the meat.
If you want the skins browner, turn off the oven to broil and roast for a couple more minutes, watching closely so the skin doesn’t burn.  Carefully remove the hens, pour the juices from the cavities into the roasting pan.  Transfer the hens to a warmed platter, remove the trussing string, and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm.  Pour the liquid from the roasting pan into a small saucepan and boil for 5 minutes until it is a thin sauce-like consistency.  Serve the hens whole per guest or cut them in half lengthwise, placing  them cavity side down on each plate, drizzle with the sauce and garnish with a sprig of fresh herb and a slice of lemon.  Serve immediately.
ENJOY!
For a very different and incredibly delicious roast chicken recipe, be sure to try our Peruvian roasted chicken, Pollo a la Brasa!

Roasted Cornish Game Hen
Ingredients
- 4 Cornish game hens ,patted dry with paper towels
- 8 thin slices of butter
- 4 sprigs each of fresh rosemary and thyme or herbs of choice plus some extra leaves of each
- 4 large cloves garlic ,peeled
- 1 lemon ,scrubbed well and cut into quarters
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Pat the hens dry with a paper towel. Use your index finger to loosen the skin on the top of the hen and slip a thin slice of butter under the skin on top of each breast. Add a few rosemary and thyme leaves (or herb of choice). Repeat for each hen. Put a quarter of a lemon in the cavity of each hen along with a clove of garlic and a sprig of fresh rosemary and thyme (or herb of choice). Truss the hens by tying the wings and legs.
- Rub each hen all over with some extra virgin olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place then hens on the rack of a roasting pan lined with aluminum foil, spacing them out so they are as far apart from each other as possible. This will enable their skins to get browned and crispy.
- Place the hens in the preheated oven and roast for 25 minutes.
- While the hens are roasting, combine the chicken broth and wine in a bowl.
- After the hens have been roasting for 25 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Pour the broth/wine mixture over the hens and continue to roast for 30 minutes, basting the hens with the juices at the bottom of the pan every 10 minutes or less. The hens are done when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F and the juices run clear. If you prefer darker skins, turn up the temperature to broil for a couple more minutes, watching closely to prevent burning.
- Carefully remove the hens and pour the juices from their cavities into the roasting pan. Transfer the hens to a warmed platter, remove the trussing string, and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm. Pour the juices from the roasting pan into a saucepan and boil for about 5 minutes until the liquid is a thin sauce-like consistency. Serve the hens whole per guest or cut in half lengthwise and place cavity-down on each serving plate. Drizzle the sauce over the hens and garnish with fresh herb sprigs and a slice of lemon. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
First published on The Daring Gourmet March 24, 2014
phxcooks says
It looks so tasty . I love your recipe very much. I think your dish is very delicious. I will make this recipe for my family and my friend. I hope you have more recipe like this. Thank you for sharing.
ATX says
Wow, your recipe is so awesome. I have never known this recipe. Thanks for sharing. I will try to follow your recipe and I hope it looks delicious as your picture. I will share this recipe for my friends and my family. I think they love it too.
brooklyn grill says
Thank you for sharing. It looks so yummy.
bistro sk says
Your recipe is so amazing. I have never known this recipe. Thank for sharing. I will share this recipe for my friends and my family. I think they love it too.
backbeat says
That’s so great!!! Your share is very awesome. I really love cooking. I hope you will share more recipe like these. Thank you for sharing.
bistro says
Wow,it looks delicious.I love it very much. I really love homemade dishes because homeade dishes are very safe and tasty. Thank you for sharing. I will try to make this dish for my family. I believe my family will like this very much. Love so much.
Chef Bega says
Hey there! Thanks for the idea. What if I add some onions and leak on the bottom? I’ll try the recipe as soon as possible.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Absolutely, Chef Bega!
Chris Conrad says
I used this recipe yesterday (Thanksgiving) for my dinner with Mom. I stuffed the bird cavity with orange and apple slices.
It was wonderful. The skin was nice and golden crispy. The meat was moist and tasted scrumptious. Yes, I will make another one.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That sounds wonderful, Chris, thanks so much for the feedback!
Lasesana says
Look so delicious and great. I did it for last night. It was really delicious. Everyone complimented. Your recipe is easy to make and effective. Thanks for the great article. Can I add more lemons to this recipe? Does this affect the flavor of the dish? Thanks.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Lasesana, thank you! Yes you can add more lemon if you like.
Lasesana says
Amazing food. I really like this dish. I followed your recipe yesterday, then I had a great meal. People also love this dish. Do I add a lot of red onions to the recipe, does this affect the quality of my food? Thanks.
Cat>^.^>woman Miller says
I made these for my husband & I for dinner tonite. They were de-lish! They were tasty & moist and so simple to prepare. I went a little heavy with the Rosemary, but it didn’t spoil it. I actually think it enhanced the flavor of the meat. The crispy skin was an added treat! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I will use it again!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, thanks so much for the feedback!
Loralee Cooley says
How is the best way to split a game hen in half? Is it better to cook it first (as you suggest here) or do it before cooking? And how do you keep from having a mess with the splitting….as in ruining the chicken, and having chicken fragments all over the place?
Akemi says
I usually use tongs to hold the hen and cut it with Sharp kitchen shears/scissors(I have a pair of kitchen aid shears and it works great). I definitely Recommend cutting it after cooking and not before. They are also pretty easy to split open when they’re cooked so it shouldn’t make too much of a mess.
Julianne says
So yummy! I mixed the under skin butter with minced shallots and garlic and an assortment of chopped herbs from the garden. These babies are beautiful and very delicious,
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Julianne, I’m so glad you enjoyed them, thanks for the feedback!
YYCgrandma says
I would prefer to halve the Cornish hens before roasting Any tips on stuffing with lemon – perhaps just placing them cut side down on baking sheet with no rack and nestling your ‘Stuffing’ ingredients under each half?
Anne Bakerim says
Kimberly!What a wonderful recipe, it looks appetizing, I showed it to my husband, he made me promise to prepare it for the next Thanksgiving