Description
Two lemon-herb roasted Cornish hens, split into four half-hen portions.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 hens Cornish game hens, thawed
- 2 tablespoons Olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Fresh lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons Fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Fine salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lemon Lemon, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400°F. Remove any giblets from two fully thawed Cornish hens. Pat dry with paper towels, then clean and sanitize hands and surfaces that contacted raw poultry. Set the birds breast-side up on a rack in a roasting pan.
- Mix 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp lemon zest, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp chopped thyme, 1 tsp chopped rosemary, two minced garlic cloves, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Rub over the outside of both hens; arrange wedges from one lemon around them in the pan.
- Roast approximately 60–65 minutes, rotating the pan if browning unevenly. Check the thickest breast and innermost thigh with an instant-read food thermometer without touching bone; continue roasting until every checked poultry location reaches 165°F. Shield skin loosely with foil if it browns before the interior reaches temperature.
- Rest the hens about ten minutes, then use clean shears to halve each lengthwise for four servings. Record actual weights, measured endpoint and time in a kitchen trial. Do not claim a fixed time replaces the thermometer.
Notes
Recipe-development draft; not kitchen-tested. Timing and yield are estimates. Nutrition has not been calculated.
Additional chilling, resting or cooling time: 10 minutes, included in the total.
Untested estimate: roughly 60–65 minutes roasting plus 10-minute rest; thermometer endpoint governs and preheat excluded.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Chilling, resting or cooling: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 65 minutes
- Category: Dinners
Nutrition
- Serving Size: One half of a roasted hen