Brielle's Avalon

It’s Thanksgiving. There’s only 3 of us, I want something akin to turkey but I don’t want to spend ALL DAY cooking and then dealing with leftovers. I bought 4 because they come in pairs so I will have 1 left over. All the trimmings, of course, but they’re easy and (even though I’ll be taking up all the pans in the kitchen) the clean-up will be fairly simple (probably just putting leftovers in containers in the fridge).

4 Cornish Game Hens

Seasoning to taste

Stuffing of your choosing

Take the hens out of their packages and rinse. Pat dry if you like.

Season the hens inside and out, under the skin if you feel adventurous. Yes, it’s possible and really good, especially if you add a bit of butter under the skin, too. I wasn’t that ambitious this time.

Stuff with your favourite stuffing recipe (or not)

Rub with butter or your choice of oils (olive, grapeseed, bacon fat…)

Arrange in a roasting pan or 2, depending on the size of your pan and if you’re doing more hens. I arranged them in the pan before I started stuffing them to keep the mess to a minimum. I added some wine to the pan to help keep them moist.

Bake at 375 for about an hour to an hour and a half, until 160 degrees Fahrenheit internal temperature. I went nearly 2 hours because they were stuffed.

One per person is plenty, they can even be shared for people with smaller appetites or if there are lots of side dishes.

Serve with whatever sides are traditional for your meals. I started with green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, candied yams, a roll and home-made cranberry sauce. The ham and dressing would have to wait. I poured gravy over it all after I took the picture.

Several years ago it was just my daughter and her 2 kids with me for Thanksgiving, so we had Cornish game hens and we all prepped our own bird. It was fun for the kids to make their own mini-turkey and they now know how to do it themselves. When they’re bigger they will be able to handle a chicken & eventually a whole turkey, duck or goose.