Looking for a faster, easier alternative to roasting a whole turkey this Thanksgiving? Make Roasted Cornish Game Hens instead! They cook in a fraction of the time it takes to roast an entire turkey, but are just as visually impressive.
The herby maple glaze makes these Cornish hens taste like something you’d order at a fancy restaurant, yet the hands-on prep takes less than 30 minutes!
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Roasting Cornish Hens Is SO Much Easier Than Roasting a Turkey!
We’re turkey lovers in this house, and when we’re hosting a large group around the holidays I’m always more than happy to make my favorite maple-bourbon glazed turkey. But roasting a whole turkey takes quite a bit of advance planning and requires a lengthy roast time. And don’t even get me started on the pounds upon pounds of leftovers afterwards!
If roasting a whole turkey isn’t on your holiday bingo card this year, swap out the big bird for several small ones. Cornish game hens are really just tiny chickens, about 1 to 2 pounds each. Their small size lends to a fairly quick cook time, and they roast up even juicier than whole chickens.
My recipe has you coat the hens in an herby maple glaze that’s reminiscent of my favorite turkey recipe (minus the bourbon). The glaze caramelizes and becomes slightly sticky as the hens roast, and the skin underneath becomes nice and crispy.
Cornish game hens are typically reserved for fine dining in restaurants with wine labels I can’t pronounce, which is such a shame because they’re so incredibly easy to prepare at home. If you’re hosting a smaller Thanksgiving gathering this year or need a special meal to serve at a dinner party, these ultra moist and succulent roasted Cornish game hens are a fantastic option!
Ingredients for Seasoning and Glazing the Cornish Game Hens
full list of ingredients, quantities & method in the recipe card at the end of the page.
- Cornish game hens. You can find these fresh or frozen (both work equally well for this recipe). Depending on the size of your hens, you can either serve each person one whole hen or just half a hen.
- Garlic. A whole head of garlic is broken into cloves and stuffed inside each game hen. This helps infuse the birds with flavor from the inside out.
- Fresh herbs. I used a blend of fresh thyme and sage, but you can get creative with the herbs you use.
- Shallots. Have a more delicate flavor that tastes like a cross between an onion and a clove of garlic.
- Salted butter. This is my fat of choice for glazing the hens. Butter gives the glaze a much richer flavor than olive oil would.
- Maple syrup. Make sure you’re using pure maple syrup and not pancake syrup.
- Dijon. Doesn’t make the glaze taste like mustard, it simply deepens the flavor and makes it taste more complex.
Helpful Kitchen Tools
How to Roast Cornish Game Hens
- Dry brine the hens. Pat the Cornish game hens all over with paper towels to remove any excess moisture. Then, season liberally with kosher salt and black pepper, taking care to really rub in the seasonings. Chilling the hens in the fridge overnight gives the salt time to absorb deep into the meat, seasoning it from the inside out and making it super tender. Dry brining also dries out the skin a little, which helps it crisp up in the oven!
- Make the maple glaze. Just add the butter, maple syrup, Dijon, and fresh herbs to a saucepan and simmer until thickened.
- Stuff the hens with aromatics. Cornish hens are very small, so you can only add a few sprigs of thyme, a couple cloves or garlic, and half a shallot. I suggest trussing the legs together with kitchen twine to hold in the stuffing and encourage even roasting.
Jenny’s Tip: Set the Cornish game hens out on the counter about an hour before roasting. You want them to be room temperature when they go into the hot oven, otherwise they’ll cook unevenly.
- Roast for 25 minutes, then start basting. After the 25-minute mark, you should start basting the hens every 5ish minutes with the maple glaze. This keeps the meat from drying out and also prevents the maple syrup in the glaze from burning.
- Rest before serving. Just 15 minutes allows the juices within the hens to redistribute and makes for a more tender bite.
Cook Times and Internal Temps to Note
Cooking Cornish hens is very simple, but their small size makes them easy to over-cook on accident. My recipe has you roast the Cornish game hens in a 400ºF oven for 55 to 65 minutes.
The thickest part of the meat needs to reach 165ºF to be deemed safe to eat, but I’ll typically pull the hens out of the oven when they reach 160ºF. The carry-over heat from the oven will bring the hens up to 165ºF during the 15-minute rest period.
Side Dish Suggestions
Whether you’re serving these oven roasted Cornish hens in place of a turkey this Thanksgiving or you just want to make a special weeknight meal, here are some of the dishes we love to serve on the side.
If you do give this recipe a try, I love hearing about it! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram.
More Crowd-Pleasing Holiday Mains
- Herb Crusted Beef Tenderloin
- Slow Roasted Turkey Thighs
- Buttered Cheesecloth Turkey
- Bourbon Glazed Ham
- Apple Cider Braised Pork Shoulder (a reader favorite!)
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Roasted Cornish Game Hens Recipe
Ingredients
Cornish Game Hens
- 4 cornish game hens
- Kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 head of garlic
- 8 sprigs thyme
- 2 medium shallots, halved lengthwise
Maple-Herb Glaze
- 1 1/2 sticks (6 oz) salted butter
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh sage leaves
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prep the hens. First, remove any giblets from the cavity of the cornish game hens and make sure they’re completely defrosted (if using frozen hens). Place them on a large cutting board and pat them very dry with paper towels, inside and out. Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet and liberally season all over (front and back and inside) with kosher salt and black pepper (about 2 teaspoons salt per bird) and really rub it into the skin of each bird. Transfer uncovered to the fridge for 8 hours.
- Remove hens from the fridge 1 hour before you plan to cook.
- Make the glaze. Combine the butter, maple syrup, dijon, and herbs in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Stir in the pepper and cool slightly.
- Preheat an oven to 400 F.
- Stuff the hens. Stuff the cavity of each hen with 2-3 cloves of garlic, 1/2 a shallot, and 2 sprigs of thyme. Tuck the wings behind the breasts and use a piece of kitchen twine to truss the legs together. Drizzle with the olive oil and work it into the skin. Place the hens in a roasting pan or braiser.
- Roast and baste the hens. Place the hens in the oven. After the first 25 minutes, baste the hens with the glaze every 5 minutes or so. The hens are done when the thickest part of meat not touching bone registers at 165 F, about 55-65 minutes total cooking. Let the hens rest for 15-20 minutes before serving.
- You can use the drippings to make my foolproof gravy.
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