Impress your guests and serve up these honey-glazed stuffed Cornish hens for all your special occasions! Stuffed with a flavorful wild rice blend sweetened with apples and dried cranberries and with some pecans thrown in for added crunch. These little birds make entertaining so easy!
Chicken is an easy main dish to prepare for weeknight family meals but when you’re looking for something extra special for Thanksgiving or Christmas, for example, these elegant roasted Cornish hens are the way to go!
Perfect for entertaining, these hens are so tender and juicy, and the herby wild rice stuffing is so delicious! I think this is one of the best Cornish hen recipes I’ve tried.
Cornish hens are a variety of young broiler chickens that usually come in around 1–2 pounds each. The meat is very delicate and soft, and its size makes them the perfect serving for one person.
If you’re serving them as part of a larger feast, you can also split them in half after cooking to divide among your guests.
What’s the Best Way to Cook Cornish Hens?
You can cook these hens in any way you would cook regular chicken. I love to cook them on the grill, and have also had great success in air frying cornish hens.
While this is a roasted Cornish hen recipe with stuffing, you can also roast the hens without stuffing them if you prefer.
The tangy sweet honey glaze gives these hens a lovely golden color and it also helps the skin to crisp up. The herby wild rice is studded with apples, dried cranberries, and pecans which is the perfect combination for a fall or winter main dish.
Because the rice is cooked along with the hens, all you have to do is blanch some green beans, or glaze some carrots and you have a full meal to be proud of!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Tender meat. Cornish hens are young, so typically the meat is tender and has a mild flavor which pairs perfectly with the wild rice stuffing.
- Great for entertaining. Your guests will be so impressed when you serve each of them their own individually stuffed hen!
- Less cooking time. The hens cook in about an hour, which is less time than bigger birds, so they make holiday entertaining easy and quick!
key ingredients
Here’s what you need to make stuffed Cornish hens:
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Whole Cornish Hens: These are a small variety of broiler chicken that weigh between 1–2 pounds each. They make the perfect serving for 1 person. You can find them in grocery stores or at your local butchers. They are sold both fresh and frozen.
- Wild Rice Stuffing: Use a wild rice blend of your choice which we’ll cook in some chicken stock instead of water. You’ll also need onions, celery, garlic, apples (Gala if you can find them or another crisp sweet apple), pecans, and dried cranberries. Fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme give the stuffing a nice savory flavor.
- Honey Glaze: Honey, apple cider, and more rosemary and thyme. The honey caramelizes as the hens roast giving the skin a lovely golden color.
How To Make Stuffed Cornish Hens
There are a few steps to this recipe as you’re making both the rice stuffing and a glaze before cooking the hens, but once your initial prep is done, it’s smooth sailing from there!
- Cook the Rice. Cook the rice on the stovetop in chicken broth instead of water for extra flavor. Be careful not to overcook it at this stage as it will continue to cook in the oven and you don’t want it mushy. Let it cool uncovered.
- Make Stuffing. Sauté onions, celery, and garlic in butter until they soften, and the garlic starts to give off its delicious aroma. Transfer them to a bowl and then sauté the apples, pecans, cranberries, and herbs in butter and apple cider. Add the onions, celery, and garlic back into the pan along with the rice, and give everything a good stir to combine.
- Make Glaze. The glaze is super easy to pull together. All you have to do is add all of the glaze ingredients to a bowl and give it a stir to combine. that’s it!
- Prepare the Hens. Pat the hens dry and place them in a baking dish fitted with a roasting rack. If you don’t have a rack, you can improvise by roughly chopping some onions and celery and setting the birds on top to roast.
- Stuff the Hens. Spoon the wild rice stuffing into the cavities of the Cornish hens. You should be able to fit about ½ cup into each one.
- Truss the Hens. Tuck in the wings and tie the legs closed with some kitchen twine.
- Roast. Brush the honey glaze all over the hens, then season with salt and pepper. Roast at 425°F/220°C for 20 minutes. Then, brush with the remaining glaze, lower the oven temperature to 350°F/180°C, and continue roasting for an additional 40–50 minutes.
- Serve. Let the hens rest for 15 minutes before carving and serving with any extra rice.
Tip!
Trussing the legs with twine is a bonus. If you don’t have any, don’t fret. If the birds were bigger I would recommend picking some up, but for smaller birds, tucking them in should work too. Just as long as they aren’t exposed to too much heat too quickly.
Recipe Tips
- Avoid overcooking the rice by cutting the cooking time by about 5 minutes and then removing it from the heat to cool uncovered.
- Use the pan juices to make a quick gravy or jus. Add a little bit of liquid to the juices and bring to a boil while scraping up the brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Melt a piece of butter, add 1-2 tablespoons of flour and cook it out. Then add chicken broth, whisk and let everything reduce and thicken.
- Thaw frozen hens before roasting. It will take around 24 hours to defrost a 1.5-pound hen in the refrigerator.
- If the hens are browning too quickly, tent with some foil to prevent burning.
- Use this recipe for whole chickens. If you are just wanting a special occasion dinner but would rather use a regular chicken, have at it!
Storing Tips
Let the stuffed Cornish hens cool completely before storing them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Store leftover rice in a separate container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
What To Serve With
Either red or white wine would make a great pairing. In terms of white a Riesling, pinot grigio, or chardonnay would be great. Or try a red cabernet sauvignon.
Serve stuffed Cornish hens with traditional holiday sides like roasted root veggies, roasted sweet potato salad, garlic butter Instant Pot red potatoes, a sweet potato casserole, or these sausage stuffed mushrooms.
FAQs
Use a kitchen thermometer to check the internal temperature of the thickest part of the thigh. The internal temperature should reach 165°F/74°C and the juices should run clear.
Be careful not to overcook your hens. Remove them from the oven once they’ve reached an internal temperature of 165°F/74°C. Also, don’t skip the resting step!
Letting the hens rest for 15 minutes before carving allows all of those delicious bubbling juices to settle back down into the meat ensuring a juicy bird.
To reheat your hens, place them in a baking dish and add half a cup of water or chicken broth to cover the bottom of the dish. Heat in a 325°F/165°C oven for about 15 minutes until they are warmed through. Be sure to reheat the rice separately.
It will serve between 4–8 people depending on what else you’re serving as part of your meal.
More Cornish Hens Recipes
Make your next gathering special with these delicious stuffed Cornish hens! Save this recipe for the holidays. It’s always nice to try something new! Pin it for more people to enjoy too!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Stuffed Cornish Hens
Ingredients
For the wild rice stuffing:
- 2 cups wild rice
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 gala apples cored and chopped
- ¾ cup pecans roughly chopped
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 2 teaspoons fresh chopped rosemary
- 2 teaspoons fresh chopped thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the glaze:
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup apple cider
- 2 teaspoons fresh chopped rosemary
- 2 teaspoons fresh chopped thyme
Cornish hens:
- 4 cornish hens 1.50 lbs each
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, cook the rice according to package instructions with the chicken broth in place of the water. Do not overcook it as it will continue to cook when in the oven. When it is done, remove from heat and let it cool uncovered.
- Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat and saute the onions and celery until they soften, about 3 minutes. Then add the garlic and saute for another 2 minutes until fragrant, stirring often so it does not burn. Transfer all to a bowl and set aside.
- Add the remaining butter and 1 tablespoon apple cider to the skillet and add the apples, pecans, cranberries, and herbs then saute for 2 minutes. Mix in the cooked rice then add the onions, celery, and garlic back to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- In a small bowl, prepare the glaze by combining the ingredients and mixing until everything is incorporated. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C and lightly grease the rack of a roasting pan with butter or cooking spray. Pat hens dry with paper towels and place on rack.
- Using a spoon, stuff each cavity with the wild rice stuffing. You should be able to fit about ½ cup in each. Tuck in the wings and tie the legs closed with baking twine.
- Brush the honey glaze all over the hens, then season with salt and pepper. Roast at 425°F/220°C for 20 minutes.
- Then, brush with the remaining glaze, lower the oven temperature to 350°F/180°C, and continue roasting for an additional 40–50 minutes. Use a kitchen thermometer to check the internal temperature of the thickest part of the thigh. The internal temperature should reach 165°F/74°C and the juices should run clear. If the hens are browning too quickly, cover them with foil.
- Let rest for 15 minutes before carving. Serve with the extra rice.
Notes:
- Avoid overcooking the rice by cutting the cooking time by about 5 minutes and then removing it from the heat to cool uncovered.
- Use the pan juices to make a quick gravy or jus. Add a little bit of liquid to the juices and bring to a boil while scraping up the brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Melt a piece of butter, add 1-2 tablespoons of flour and cook it out. Then add chicken broth, whisk and let everything reduce and thicken.
- Thaw frozen hens before roasting. It will take around 24 hours to defrost a 1.5-pound hen in the refrigerator.
- If the hens are browning too quickly, tent with some foil to prevent burning.
- Storing: Let the stuffed Cornish hens cool completely before storing them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Store leftover rice in a separate container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Jan says
Can you stuff the hens the day before so you can just throw them in the oven the. Day you are serving them?
Little Sunny Kitchen says
I think you could do that. Let them sit out for a half hour or so before baking, to take the chill off, and be sure that the stuffing bakes to a safe temperature.