J – I have always loved game hens.
Neat little packages of a richer-chicken flavor that are so versatile. Grill ‘em. Roast ‘em. Braise ‘em. Serve hot or cold. Half a hen per person; a whole one if you’re really hungry. What could be easier? Not sure why I don’t make them more often. But, I don’t seem to.
We were searching for some alternatives to the usual holiday meals. We did turkey for Thanksgiving. I’m done with turkey until next year. Ham? No. What’s to cook about ham? Roast? No. We’re not doing a large dinner party. And, we’re already doing a bunch of more-elaborate braised things, including squab early next year.
Right now, I wanted to do something simple. Christina was all over that idea! She had just come off of Bake Week … whew! We both needed a break.
So, I went recipe-cruising. Somehow I thought I needed a back-up preparation idea. I’d done hens so many times … just several years ago. I ran across one in Food & Wine. Seemed familiar. On closer examination, the recipe is just what I’ve done many times. I’ll give them credit anyway … for helping me remember.
Important things about this recipe are: a well-heated oven, a well-heated roasting pan and careful browning before putting into the oven. Trussing the hens does make a difference. The temperature within and surrounding the birds is more consistent. Also, the herbs and onion tend to stay inside that way.
| Herb-Roasted Game Hens |
- Two 1½ pound game hens
- 1 Tbsp chopped thyme, plus 4 small thyme sprigs
- ½ Tbsp chopped rosemary, plus 1 rosemary sprigs, cut in half
- 1 Tbsp chopped parsley
- 1½ Tbsp extra virgin olive
- Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
- ½ small onion, quartered
- 4 medium garlic cloves, skinned and smashed
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a small bowl, combine the chopped thyme, chopped rosemary and parsley. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Using your fingers, gently loosen the skin over the breast and thighs of the game hens. Stuff 1 heaping tablespoon of the herb mixture under the skin of each bird, pushing the skin around to help distribute the herbs evenly.
- Season the cavities with salt. Then, stuff each with 2 thyme sprigs, 1 rosemary half, 1 onion quarter and 2 smashed garlic cloves.
- Tie the legs of the hens together with butcher twine.
- Season the outside of the hens with salt and pepper.
- In a very large ovenproof skillet or dutch oven, cook the butter over high heat until browned, 2 minutes.
- Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the hens to the skillet, breast down, and cook until golden brown, 5 minutes.
- Turn the birds and continue to cook until golden brown all over. 15 minutes longer.
- Transfer the hens to the oven and roast, breast up, for 1 hour, or until the juices run clear when a thigh is pierced.
- Let the hens rest for 5 minutes. Remove twine.
- Transfer to a platter and serve.
- Enjoy!
The game hens turned out great. Juicy. Rich. Fall-off-the-bone good. We served them with a Potato-Bacon Gratin, but they go with just about anything chicken-friendly.
I think I’ll be making game hens more often.
Adapted from: Food & Wine: Herb-Roasted Game Hens.