Garlic-Herb Cornish Hens

I had been wanting to prepare Cornish Hens for quite some time. It seemed like a baby-step toward preparing a whole chicken or turkey (which totally intimidates me). And after searching for what sounded like a good recipe, I found one on Martha Stewart's website. I love garlic, so when I saw that her recipe called for 40 cloves, I was excited!


The next step after finding a good recipe was to find a good occasion for which to make these little hens. Even though they're small, they still provide a pretty hearty meal, so I couldn't make them just for myself. Katie and her boyfriend, Erik, were coming over for dinner a few weeks ago, and I thought it would be the perfect occasion to give the Cornish Hen recipe a shot. Success!


Ingredients
40 cloves of garlic (approximately 3 heads of garlic)
13 sprigs fresh oregano
1 large onion, peeled and sliced
1 rib celery, thickly diced
2 bay leaves
3 Cornish hens
3 lemons, cut into quarters
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp. butter, melted


Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Peel 40 cloves of garlic.
3. Take six cloves of garlic and cut crosswise into very thin slices. Set aside in a small bowl.
4. Take another 12 cloves and set aside in a second small bowl.
5. Pick the leaves from 4 sprigs of oregano and set aside in a third small bowl.
6. Place the onion, celery and bay leaves, along with remaining garlic cloves and sprigs of oregano, in the bottom of a medium roasting pan (or large casserole dish).

7. Remove the Cornish hens from their packaging. If you buy them pre-packaged at the store, the innards should already be removed and packaged in a separate plastic bag stuck inside the hen. Simply pull out that bag and discard along with the packaging.
8. Wash the hens inside and out in cold water. Pat dry.

9. Place hens on a cutting board. Gently loosen the skin on the breast of the hen by sticking your finger between the skin and the meat.
10. Gently slide a few of the thin garlic slices and a few oregano leaves under the skin in a single layer.
11. Place four garlic cloves, one sprig of oregano and two lemon wedges in the cavity of each hen.
12. Place the remaining lemon wedges in the roasting pan.
13. Tie each hen's legs together with kitchen twine and tuck the wings under to ensure that they do not burn while roasting.
14. Nestle the hens side by side in the roasting dish on top of the garlic mixture.
15. Add the wine and chicken broth to the roasting pan.

16. Brush the skin with melted butter so the hens turn golden brown in the oven.
17. Cook the hens, basting occasionally, until golden brown (approximately one hour).
18. Remove the hens from the pan, and let rest for five minutes before serving.
19. Serve with the lemon wedges that you placed in the roasting dish; squeeze lemon juice on top of hen.


I served the Cornish hens with mashed potatoes and asparagus.

Erik even gave me a shout-out on Facebook for this meal :)