Roast Cornish Hen with Garlic Lemon Rosemary Butter

Cornish Hens are one of my favorite things to roast.

It's not that I don't like regular chicken, it's just that I find with a smaller bird the sauce and flavors distribute more evenly and with a shorter cooking time. Sometimes you will see they are labeled "Game Hens".

Don't let the name fool you, they are just young chickens and not gamy at all.

This birdie looks pretty big in the photo but only 2.5 lbs.

Shall we start!

Roast Cornish Hen

Ingredients:

1 Cornish hen - 2.5 llb

compund butter ( rosemary )

lemon - 1

garlic - 1

rosemary - few stalks

onion -1

salt + pepper

1. Clean bird, pat dry - dryer the crispier, season inside and out with salt + pepper (can let it sit in the fridge to dry more while you prep).

2. Bring the butter to room temperature

- add minced garlic ( half of head) into the butter use the rest for stuffing. Cut lemon in half.

3. Rub the bird with lemon and then use your hands to butter inside and out, gently under the skin.

- stuff with the lemon halves, rest of the loosened garlic cloves and some rosemary inside.

4. On a roasting pan or foil - I do not have a roasting rack so I layer the base with big slices of onion. This way it does not stick- extra flavor for the bird and sauce.

5. Roast the bird in a oven of 350' degrees for 1 hr 15 mins.

Covered loosely with foil for the first 45 mins then

uncover for the rest of 30 mins

( to check if it is cooked, place a tiny cut at the upper thigh - done if the juice is clear)

can you see my 4 slits.....

Came out delicious juicy and perfect for two.

Cheers!

** EXTRA CRISPINESS**

broil for a few minutes