Best 8 Grilled Cornish Game Hens With Lemon Sumac And Date Relish Recipes

SPATCHCOCKED CORNISH GAME HENS WITH LEMON AND OLIVE RELISH

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine lemon zest, garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Divide mixture between 2 large resealable plastic bags. Place 2 hens in each bag and seal. Turn to coat hens with marinade. Let marinate, refrigerated, at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.
• Preheat a grill pan or a grill over high heat. Remove hens from marinade, wiping off any excess zest or garlic. Cut along each side of the backbone to remove it. Place hen, breast side up, on a cutting board. Flatten with the palm of your hand to break the breastbone and collapse the hen. Make a small incision between each leg and bottom end of the breastbone and pass the ends of the legs through the incisions to hold them in place. Repeat with remaining hens.
• Place hens, skin side down, on grill and immediately reduce heat to low. Place a brick or heavy cast iron pan on top of each hen and grill, rotating frequently, about 15 minutes. Turn hens over and grill until cooked through and the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately with lemon and olive relish.

HONEY-LEMON-THYME CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Rinse the hens well under cool running water. Pat them dry with paper towels.
• Melt the butter with the chopped fresh thyme in a small saucepan. In a small bowl, combine the juice of 4 lemons, honey, and soy sauce. Add the melted thyme butter and mix to combine. Reserve.
• Heat a large cast iron pan on medium heat. Coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil.
• Generously salt and pepper the hens and lay them skin-side down in the hot pan. Sear 4 minutes each side.
• Pour 1/3 of the glaze on the bottom of a 9 by 13 baking dish. Transfer the hens, and their pan drippings, to the baking dish. Pour the remaining glaze over the hens and place in the oven for 30 minutes or until a thermometer reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Remove the dish from the oven and let them rest for about 5 minutes. Garnish with the sliced lemon and fresh thyme sprigs, and serve.

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

DATE RELISH

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients except habanero chile in medium bowl; toss to blend. Add chile to taste. Season relish to taste with salt. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

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.

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.

CORNISH HENS WITH LEMON AND HERBS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place hens in a roasting pan, breast sides up. Place 2 thyme sprigs and 1 lemon half in cavity of each hen. Loosen skin from breast, and place remaining thyme and the parsley underneath. Squeeze remaining lemon halves over hens. Rub butter all over hens. Season generously with salt and pepper.
• Roast hens, rotating pan halfway through, until skin turns golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 180 degrees, 45 to 50 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut hens in half lengthwise. Garnish with thyme sprigs, and serve with lemon wedges.