Best 11 Bbq Balsamic Cornish Game Hens Recipes

TUSCAN GRILLED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Sprinkle the Cornish hens with 1 teaspoon salt on each side.
• Combine the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a ceramic or glass dish just large enough to hold the flattened hens. Add the hens, and turn to coat. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight, turning once or twice.
• When ready to grill, prepare a hot charcoal fire on one side of a grill (or turn a gas grill on low heat). Spread 1/4 of the coals across the other side of the grill. Place the hens on the cooler side skin-side up and weigh them down with a gratin dish with a foil-wrapped brick inside.
• Cook for 12 minutes, until the underside is golden brown. Turn the hens skin-side down, weigh them down again, and cook for another 12 minutes until the skin is golden brown and the hens are cooked through.
• Place the lemon halves on the cool side of the grill, cut-side down, for the last 10 minutes of cooking. Remove the Cornish hens and lemons to a plate or cutting board, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Cut the hens in half, sprinkle with fleur de sel, and serve with the grilled lemon halves.

GRILLED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Oil and salt the hens, let sit to come to room temp: Pat the hens dry with paper towels, then coat them with the olive oil. Salt well and set aside for 15-30 minutes; the hens will cook better if they are at room temperature.
• Prepare the grill: While the hens are coming to room temperature, get your grill hot. Make sure the grates are clean. Just before you put the birds on the grill, soak a paper towel in some oil and use tongs to wipe down the grill grates.
• Season and rest before serving: Move the hens off the grill and grind some black pepper over them. Let the birds rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve with lemon wedges on the side. Links: How to Spatchcock (Butterfly) Chicken , here on Simply Recipes Smoked Soy-Honey-Rum Cornish Hens , from She Simmers Game Hens with Caprese Salad , from Guilty Kitchen

GRILLED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and place the Cornish hens skin side down on a cutting board.
• Using kitchen shears cut along one side of the backbone from the tail towards the neck. Cut along the other side of the backbone to remove it completely.
• Turn the hen over and bend the legs so they face outward. Using two hands, press down firmly on the breast until you hear the breastbone cracking. Repeat with the remaining birds.
• Add olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, parsley, salt, and pepper to a large bowl or large Ziploc bag and mix everything together. Add in the hens and use your hands to move everything around making sure they are coated well in the marinade.
• Preheat half the grill to 350°F/180°C. Clean and oil the grilling grates to help prevent the birds from sticking.
• Place the hens skin side up over the heat/coals and brush them with the remaining marinade. Cover and cook for 5 minutes then flip and cook for another 15-25 minutes.
• Remove from the grill and serve.

ORANGE BALSAMIC ROCK CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Line 2 baking pans with foil for easier cleaning. Set a baking rack in each pan. Split hens and butterfly open and place 3 hens in each baking pan. Season the hens with salt and pepper liberally. Mix the orange concentrate, balsamic vinegar and olive oil and pour evenly over the hens. Sprinkle with rosemary and roast 15 minutes at 425 degrees F and 30 minutes at 375 degrees F.

GRILLED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• In a large, non-reactive bowl, mix onion, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, white wine, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, pepper, celery salt, and salt. Place Cornish game hens in the bowl, coating evenly with the marinade mixture. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 4 hours.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat, and lightly oil grate.
• Cook hens about 1 hour on the prepared grill, brushing occasionally with remaining marinade, until no longer pink and juices run clear.

BBQ BALSAMIC CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Marinade: (Reserve 2 tbsp of the marinade for basting the hens while barbecuing).
• Combine Garlic, vinegar, oil, rosemary, hot sauce, cumin, oregano and pepper in a large Zip Lock plastic bag.
• Put hens in the marinade bag and turn to coat the hens.
• Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Heat BBQ to medium heat.
• Spray grill with oil and place hens skin side down on rack.
• Baste with the reserved marinade.
• Cook until the juices run clear when the thigh pierced 20-30 minutes.

BROILED CORNISH HENS WITH LEMON AND BALSAMIC VINEGAR

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler, and adjust the rack to about 4 inches from the heat source. Use a sharp, sturdy knife to split the hens through their backbones; it will cut through without too much effort. Rub the skin side with olive oil. Flatten the hens in a broiling or roasting pan, skin side down, and liberally sprinkle the exposed surfaces with salt and pepper. Slice one lemon as thinly as you can (a mandoline is best for this) and lay the slices on the birds.
• Broil for about 10 minutes, or until the lemon is browned and the birds appear cooked on top; rotate the pan if necessary. Turn the birds over, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and return to the heat. Cook another 10 minutes, or until the skin is nicely browned. Meanwhile, slice the remaining lemon as thinly as possible.
• Lay the lemon slices on the skin, and broil 5 minutes. The lemons should be slightly browned and the birds cooked through; if not, cook a couple of minutes more. Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar, garnish with parsley and serve.

BARBECUED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• With a meat pounder or mallet, pound the hens halves to flatten.
• Combine the spices and the herbs, except the parsley. Blend well.
• Rub the hens on both sides with the mixture and place them, skin sides down, on a large baking dish. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes.
• Preheat charcoal grill or oven broiler.
• If charcoal broiling, place the hens, skin sides down, on the grill. When the skins are nicely browned, turn the hens and cook for about 15 minutes, brushing with the oil every 5 minutes. Then turn over onto the skin sides for about 5 minutes, or until done.
• If using the oven broiler, lay the hens in a shallow baking dish. Place the dish about 5 inches from the source of heat. Cook for 10 minutes, brushing the hens with the oil. Turn the pieces and continue broiling for about 10 minutes more. Baste often until cooked through and browned.
• Pour on melted butter if desired. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

MOROCCAN STYLE BALSAMIC CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Rinse the game hens under running water. Pat dry and cut them in half lengthwise (kitchen scissors work fine).
• Arrange orange slices in bottom of a 9x13" glass baking dish. Top with game hens.
• Mix 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped garlic and 1 1/4 teaspoons cumin in bowl. Rub mixture all over hens. Wash your hands well with soap and hot water.
• Whisk together port, sherry, oil, vinegar, and honey in small bowl. Taste it to see if the mixture is to your taste, then if it is, pour over hens. (There is quite a difference between the taste of balsamic vinegar - which is sweet - and red wine vinegar, so if you use wine vinegar you'll definitely want to taste the mixture and adjust the amount of honey to your preference before pouring it over the hens.).
• Tuck dates and olives between hens and season with salt and pepper.
• Cover and refrigerate at least 12 hours or overnight, turning hens once. (I've made this recipe beginning in the morning and marinated it 6-8 hrs during the day, too, and it was still delicious.).
• Remove hens from refrigerator and place on counter, covered, for at least 30 minutes. (You don't want to put a chilled baking dish straight into a preheated oven.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Turn the hens skin side up, then bake hens with marinade, dates and olives until hens are cooked through, basting occasionally, about 40 minutes.
• Transfer hens, dates and olives to serving platter. Discard orange slices. Pour the pan juices into a heavy small saucepan.
• Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon cumin and 1 tsp butter and simmer until reduced to about half, whisking frequently, about 5 minutes.
• Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spoon some sauce over hens. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro.
• Serve, passing remaining sauce separately in a gravy or sauce bowl.
• Note: when I first made this recipe, I didn't have fresh cilantro on hand, and couldn't even find dried in our herb stash, which surprised me. Mike collects herbs and spices, and we have a huge collection in the pantry. (I call him Condiment Man.) I had a bunch of a nice Italian dried herb mix (basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, savory, sage), so used that instead. I know it's not really an equivalent to cilantro, but it smelled wonderful anyhow and it tasted great, too. I also add lots more green olives and dates, which the recipe reflects :)
• Note #2: if you want/need to serve more than two people, you can use the above marinade for up to 6 hens, then you'll need to begin adding more ingredients.

BARBECUED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Rub Cornish hens with butter; sprinkle salt and pepper inside cavity and over skin. Place on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes., Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Baste hens with sauce. Bake 45 minutes longer or until juices run clear and a thermometer reads 180°, basting frequently.

GRILLED CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the butter, onions, parsley, ginger, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. , Rub mixture under the skin and over the top of each game hen. Sprinkle remaining salt and pepper inside the hen cavities. , Using long-handled tongs, moisten a paper towel with cooking oil and lightly coat the grill rack. Prepare grill for indirect heat, using a drip pan. , Place hens breast side up over drip pan; grill, covered, over indirect medium heat for 45-60 minutes or until a thermometer reads 180° and the meat juices run clear.