I had this idea for a long time but never got around to implementing it, and it turned out better than I could have imagined. We both really enjoyed it. The delicious rub on the fowl is wonderfully complemented by the tart cherries. For the final 10 minutes of cooking, raise the temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for golden brown, crispy skin.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 1 hr 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 50 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ⅛ teaspoon paprika
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 Cornish game hens
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 (15 ounce) can tart cherries, drained
- 1 ½ cups red wine
- ¼ cup pulp-free orange juice
- 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, or as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Combine sea salt, black pepper, thyme, garlic powder, rosemary, and paprika in a bowl. Place hens on a baking sheet and evenly brush with 5 tablespoons butter. Rub hens with spice mixture.
- Bake hens in preheated oven until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 1 1/2 hours, basting every 1/2 hour with white wine. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 180 degrees F (82 degrees C).
- Mix cherries, red wine, orange juice, and brown sugar in a saucepan; bring to a boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, stir in 2 tablespoons butter, and cook until sugar is dissolved and butter is melted, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle flour into the sauce; whisk until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Drizzle cherry sauce over cooked hens.
- If hens don’t yield enough juice as mine did initially, a combination of about 2 tablespoons butter and 1/2 cup white wine can be used to add basting fluid.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 646 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 20 g |
| Cholesterol | 204 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Protein | 27 g |
| Saturated Fat | 19 g |
| Sodium | 531 mg |
| Sugars | 14 g |
| Fat | 41 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
The tart cherry sauce really didn’t cut it. It did not thicken enough to be meaningful despite using 3 tbsp of flour. Also, I would not go through making the rub again as it is washed away during the white wine basting. I have made far better hens with much less effort.
The tart cherry sauce really didn’t cut it. It did not thicken enough to be meaningful despite using 3 tbsp of flour. Also, I would not go through making the rub again as it is washed away during the white wine basting. I have made far better hens with much less effort.
I made this with chicken breasts and seasoned them as per the recipe. I did not baste with white wine. I used about a quarter cup of red wine in the cherry sauce and the remaining ingredients as listed. We enjoyed it very much and will make it again.
Hen was delicious. I would skip the sauce next time or try something different to top it with.
I just made this for dinner, and it was absolutely delicious! The hens were so succulent and the cherry sauce was just tart enough to bring all of the flavors together. Can’t wait to make it again!
The cherry sauce was not well received but the Cornish hens were delicious with nice crisp skins! Our cat tried to steals carcass for himself after the meal so clearly everyone thought it was or looked delicious!
The cornish hens are great, but skip the sauce. It’s expensive and not any good. Substitute regular cherry preserves for the sauce.
Wonderful mix of flavor. I was worried it would be too sweet for me however it was a very nice balance of flavors. It did make quite a bit of cherry sauce, easily enough for 4 hens.