In my food world I am always game for finding one more way to shovel Frank's RedHot Buffalo-Wing Sauce into my family's and tailgate friends deep-fried chicken-wing loving mouths. This lip-making, finger-licking knife-and-fork recipe for one of the simplest of things in the poultry world to cook, the Cornish game hen, is a keeper. Pair it up with some deli-style coleslaw, potato- or macaroni-salad, or, mac-and-cheese, it's game on for a super-fun weeknight gameday dinner!
The Cornish game hen, also known as the Rock Cornish game hen, is the USDA's approved name for a particular variety of broiler chicken. Connecticut farmers Jacques and Alphonsine Makowsky cross-bred the standard Cornish chicken with a White Plymouth Rock hen and a Malayan fighting cock in the 1950s. They were bred to mature quickly and develop a large breast and weigh no 2 pounds max uncooked (with the most common weight about 1 1/4 pounds).
Despite the "game hen" in the name, the Cornish hen is not a game bird. While the "hen" in the name implies a female bird, males and females are sold and served as Cornish hens, meaning, many aren't hens. Once cooked, the Cornish hen is known for its tender meat which loves to absorb flavors from creative marinades or spice rubs.
The pianist and comedian, Victor Borge was an early investor and promoter of this single-serving bird, leveraging his popularity to transition the Cornish hen from an exotic item to a common household meal who's petite size and young age give it a unique flavor and succulent texture that bigger chickens simply do not have. That said, it's as versatile as a regular-sized chicken, so, any recipe for any chicken is easily adapted to the mini-chicken (which will cook more quickly, in approximately 1 hour depending on the recipe ). The small size also makes it easier to achieve a crispy skin with perfectly-cooked meat simultaneously with no real need for basting.
Two ingredients + coleslaw or potato salad = one fab feast:
1-2 Cornish game hens, thawed and at room temperature
1/4-1/2 cup Franks's Original RedHot Wing Sauce
~Step 1. Remove hen(s) (cook as many as you want) from packaging and on a rack in a shallow roasting pan that has been lined with aluminum foil. Bend/twist/fold (whatever word you want to use) the wing tips down and underneath the hen(s) -- this will prevent burning. Do not be inclined to season the hen(s) with salt and pepper as Frank's RedHot wing sauce is nicely seasoned -- it's perfect. Roast hen(s) on center rack of 375º oven for 45 minutes.
~Step 2. At the 45 minute mark, remove hen(s) from oven. Working as quickly as possible, use a pastry brush to paint the entire surface of the hen(s) with RedHot wing sauce. Return to oven and continue to roast 5 more minutes. Repeat the basting process every 5 minutes until an instant-read meat thermometer, inserted into the thickert breast meat, reads 150°-155°, about 15-20 more minutes. Remove glazed hens from oven, loosely tent with foil and allow to rest 5-10 minutes prior to serving -- residual heat will finish-cook the hen(s) and allow juices to redistribute.
Serve w/a favorite side -- try my creamy-crunchy coleslaw:
My Easy Buffalo-Glazed Rock Cornish Game Hen: Recipe yields instruction to roast and glaze as many Cornish game hens as you want to.
Special Equipment List: appropriately-sized roasting pan; aluminum foil; roasting rack; small saucepan; pastry brush; intant-read meat thermometer
Cook's Note: What started in 1964 as late-night pub grub at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, NY, deep-fried chicken wings, is now found in many forms. Truth told, there's not much that Buffalo-style chicken can't do, and applying Buffalo wing sauce as a glaze to oven-roasted chicken leg-thigh quarters, or, stirring it into some previously roasted or poached chicken is the perfect way to transition this iconic game day snack into all sorts of other appetizers, sandwiches, main or side-dish salads, or, main-dish meals. Trust me, as a lady who loves her deep-fried wings, but, only in the privacy of her own home (where she's free to lick fingers, smack lips, pick teeth, and, drip sauce), while different, the following Buffalo-Style delicacies are every bit as enjoyable as chicken wings. For lots of Buffalo-style recipe ideas, read my post: ~ How Many Ways Can One Say Buffalo Wing Style ~.
Comments