Roasted Cornish Hens with Italian Dry Rub

roastedcornishhensitaliandryrub These Roasted Cornish Hens will be your new favourite recipe for romantic date nights or to impress dinner party guests. They're simple, elegant, and turn out perfectly every time. Cornish hens are simply a particular breed of chicken. Sometimes referred to as Cornish game hens as well, this variety of chicken is much smaller than the standard chickens we usually see sold in grocery stores. They are typically 1-2 lbs each. The flavour isn't much different than a regular chicken, either. They are an easy-to-serve variety of whole chicken that will allow each diner to have a full breast and leg with that delicious skin intact.

4 (1¼-1½ lbs) whole Cornish hens, at room temperature, rinsed well and patted dry
2 sprigs rosemary
4 sprigs thyme
1 large onion, cut in quarters
6 cloves garlic
1 lemon, cut in slices
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Dry Rub:
1 tsp. kosher or sea salt
1 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
2 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes

Combine all the dry rub ingredients together in a small bowl.

Pat the hens dry with paper towels and generously season with the dry rub both inside and out.

Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C/200°C fan, Gas Mark 7).

In a roasting pan add the rosemary, thyme, garlic, onion, and half the lemon slices. Place the hens in the roasting pan over the herbs and onions and drizzle the olive oil over the hens.

Transfer the roasting pan to the preheated oven and bake for 50-60 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers at 165°F.

Remove the hens from the oven and let them rest for 20 minutes. Garnish with additional thyme, lemon slices and rosemary and serve over mashed potatoes.

Makes 4 servings.

Cook's Notes:

Cornish hens are hard to find fresh, most will be frozen. They can easily be thawed overnight in the refrigerator. Them them come to room temperature before cooking, about 30 minutes. Then be sure to pay dry.
Your leftover roasted Cornish hens will last 3-4 days in the fridge or 1-3 months in the freezer. It reheats very well in the microwave. You can also keep some of the pan drippings and reheat the chicken in a skillet with the drippings to prevent it from drying out.

Nutrition Information:
Serving: 0.5, Calories: 783kcal (39%)Carbohydrates: 10g (3%)Protein: 60g (120%)Fat: 55g (85%)Saturated Fat: 14g (88%)Cholesterol: 344mg (115%)Sodium: 796mg (35%)Potassium: 960mg (27%)Fiber: 3g (13%)Sugar: 2g (2%)Vitamin A: 966IU (19%)Vitamin C: 22mg (27%)Calcium: 85mg (9%)Iron: 4mg (22%)