Roasted Cornish Hens with Vegetables

Easy Roasted Cornish Hen, the perfect one-pot meal for any weeknight or holiday dinner! This recipe made the Cornish hen tasty and juicy. It's the most flavourful, comforting, and crowd-pleasing dish that everyone will love. The game hens are perfectly seasoned with aromatic herbs and spices that you can find in your pantry. They have a nice crispy skin on the outside and juicy-tender meat on the inside. Additionally, the meat juices cook the veggies to perfection.

4 (1¼-1½ lbs) whole Cornish hens, at room temperature, rinsed well and patted dry

Dry Rub Seasoning Mixture:
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1¾ tsp. kosher salt
1½ tsp. ground paprika
black pepper, freshly cracked

Cavity:
2 lemon wedges
1 whole head garlic, halved
6 sprigs rosemary, divided
kosher or sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground

Roasted Vegetables:
1 lb small potatoes, washed, scrubbed and halved
3-4 carrots, peeled and chopped into large chunks, 2" lengths
1 large yellow onion, chopped into large chunks
1½ Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
kosher or sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
½ cup dry white wine, such as; Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc and unoaked Chardonnay

Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C/210°C fan, Gas Mark 8).

Pat the Cornish hen dry (including cavity) with paper towels.

In a small bowl, combine all dry rub seasoning mixture ingredients. Rub seasoning mixture over both sides and underneath the skin of the hen.

Season the cavity of the hen with salt and pepper then stuff with one lemon wedge, head of garlic halved, and 3 rosemary sprigs.

Tuck wing tips under the back of the hen; tie ends of legs together with twine.

Put the chopped vegetables in a large roasting pan, then drizzle with oil. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste then pour in the dry white wine.

Put the hens, breast side up, directly on top of vegetables. Make sure the hens are not touching the wine!

Brush the hens on both sides with oil.

Roast the hens and vegetables, uncovered, for about 50-60 minutes (depending on the size) or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F and the vegetables are tender.

Rotating the pan halfway through roasting.

Makes 4 servings.

Cook's Notes:

Cornish hens are hard to find fresh, most will be frozen. They can easily be thawed overnight in the refrigerator. Them them come to room temperature before cooking, about 30 minutes. Then be sure to pay dry.

To Roast Cornish Hen in an Air Fryer:

• Follow steps #2, #3, and #4
• Spray the air fryer basket with oil spray.
• Place Cornish hen, breast side up into a preheated Air fryer. Set the temperature at 390°F and cook for 25 minutes or until the internal temperature registers at 165°F. Flipping the hens halfway through.

To Cook Cornish Hen in an Instant Pot:

• Follow steps #2, #3, and #4
• Place a trivet in an instant pot, add a cup of broth and chopped yellow onion
• Place the hen in the trivet, put the lid on, seal, and cook on "Manual" for 20 minutes. When it's done cooking, quickly release the pressure.
• To crisp the skin, arrange the hens on the wire rack one above center position inside the broiler. Cook until crisp, about 4-6 minutes. Watch your food closely to prevent burning.
• Check the internal temperature! It should read at least 165°F, if not, put the hens back in the instant pot, cook on the manual for another 5 minutes.

A quick tip for the oven users:
If the Cornish hen skin is getting too dark just cover it with a small piece of tinfoil/baking paper.