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Roasted Cornish hens are tender, juicy little birds that roast quickly, and our sweet, slightly smoky bourbon and honey glaze enhances the flavor and creates beautiful golden skin.
Notes From the MGC Kitchen
I started making roasted Cornish game hens back in the late 1970s as a special occasion dinner for two. My go-to method was to stuff them with wild rice pilaf and diced apple, then glaze them with currant jelly and they always turned out tender and delicious. I no longer stuff roasted poultry of any type and the glazes I make have evolved a bit, but one thing that hasn’t changed is how easy Cornish hens are to make and how nice they are to serve for a holiday dinner or special celebration of any type.
Key Ingredients
This is an overview of the key ingredients for this recipe. Please see the printable recipe card below for the complete listing, including quantities.
- CORNISH HENS: It’s not too often that we see fresh Cornish hens at the market, but most grocers carry them in the freezer case. They average 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 pounds each and we recommend choosing on the small side as this recipe calls for one hen per person.
- BOURBON: We like bourbon for this glaze, but you could use whiskey instead. Since whiskey isn’t quite as sweet as bourbon, you might want to up the quantity of honey a little.
- HONEY: Honey serves two purposes in this glaze, flavor and consistency. You can substitute maple syrup if you like, but because it’s thinner than honey, you’ll probably want to cook it a little longer to get the right consistency.
How to Make Roasted Cornish Hens with Bourbon Glaze
This is an overview of how this recipe is prepared. Please see the printable recipe card below for detailed step-by-step instructions.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Position racks in the bottom of 2 medium-sized roasting pans and coat them both with nonstick spray.
PREPARE THE HENS FOR ROASTING: Season the cavity of each hen with salt and pepper and rub a tablespoon of softened butter all over the skin. Season the exterior evenly with salt and pepper, then tie the legs together with kitchen twine.
ROAST THE CORNISH HENS: Arrange 3 hens, breast side up, in each prepared roasting pan. Be sure to leave a little space between them. Add a 1/2-inch of water to the bottom of each pan and place them in the oven. Roast the hens for 25 minutes, then baste them with the pan juices. Return to the oven, rotating the position of the roasting pans (top to bottom and front to back) to ensure even cooking. Continue roasting the hens for an additional 20 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast registers 160°F.
MAKE THE GLAZE: While the hens are roasting, heat butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook until soft and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes (do not brown). Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, then add the bourbon. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stir in the honey and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens to a syrupy consistency, 8 to 10 minutes. Cover and keep warm until ready to use.
GLAZE THE HENS: Remove the hens from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 450°F. Brush the hens liberally with the glaze and return them to the oven just long enough for the glaze to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Remove and brush with any remaining glaze. Let the hens rest for 10 minutes before serving (do not cover).
Notes and Tips
Tips for making perfectly roasted Cornish game hens:
HOW TO DEFROST CORNISH HENS: Since most Cornish hens come frozen, you’ll want to be sure to defrost them properly. Defrost them for 24 to 30 hours in the refrigerator, or if you’re in a hurry, they can be defrosted in a container of cool water for about 90 minutes. Leave the hens in their wrappers and change the water every 20 to 30 minutes. Note: Quick defrosting is best for fewer hens (2 to 4).
SCALING THIS RECIPE FOR TWO OR FOUR: You can easily scale this recipe for 2 to 4 servings. For two servings, cut the glaze recipe in half. For four servings, keep the glaze quantities as is. You may have a little leftover, but since it’s not used on raw poultry, you can serve it at the table for anyone who would like an extra drizzle. Depending on your oven, roasting times may be slightly (maybe 5 minutes) reduced due to extra heat circulation.
ROAST THE HENS WITH POTATOES: You may have noticed that our latest photos show the hens have been roasted on a bed of baby yellow potatoes instead of a roasting rack. If you want to do this, plan on 6 ounces of potatoes per hen (per person). Toss them in a little melted butter (you can melt the butter in the pan in the oven) and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Lay the hens on top and follow the recipe as written. The potatoes should turn out perfectly and have a ton of flavor.
ADD FRESH HERBS: For a subtle herb flavor you can put a sprig each of rosemary and thyme inside the cavity of each hen before roasting, and if you’re roasting potatoes too, you can toss one or two sprigs on top of them as well.
What To Serve With Roasted Cornish Hens
Just about anything that goes well with chicken will pair well with roasted Cornish hens, but factor in the bourbon glaze and we start thinking Southern-style sides. Here are a few options:
- Southern Style Green Beans (slow-cooked with smoky bacon and sweet onion)
- Cornbread Stuffing with Bacon (more bacon, yes please)
- Rustic Mashed Potatoes (creamy, buttery, and infused with fresh herbs)
- Creamed Spinach (a classic that never gets old)
- Sweet Potatoes and Apples (with lemon and fresh sage)
Roasted Cornish Hens With Bourbon Glaze
Ingredients
- 6 Cornish game hens, (approx 1-1/2 lbs each)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the glaze:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2/3 cup bourbon
- 1/4 cup honey
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Position racks in the bottom of 2 medium-sized roasting pans and coat them both with nonstick spray.
- Season the cavity of each hen with salt and pepper and rub a tablespoon of softened butter all over the skin. Season the exterior evenly with salt and pepper and tie the legs together with kitchen twine.
- Arrange 3 hens, breast side up, in each roasting pan. Be sure to leave a little space between them. Add a 1/2-inch of water to the bottom of each pan and place them in the oven.
- Roast the hens for 25 minutes, then baste with the pan juices. Return them to the oven, rotating the position of the roasting pans (top to bottom and front to back) to ensure even cooking.
- Continue roasting the hens for an additional 20 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast registers 160°F.
- While the hens are roasting, heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until soft and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes (do not brown). Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, then add the bourbon.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer, stir in the honey and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until it thickens to a syrupy consistency, 8 to 10 minutes. Cover and keep warm until ready to use.
- Once the hens are cooked, remove them from the oven and increase the temperature to 450°F. Brush liberally with the glaze and return them to the oven just long enough for the glaze to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Remove and brush with any remaining glaze.
- Let the hens to rest for 10 minutes before serving (do not cover).
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is a great recipe & I look forward to trying it. Many thanks…
Thank you, Michael. I hope you enjoy the hens. Please let us know if you have any questions.
Dear Lynne and Erica!
HAPPIEST THANKS GIVING!
SO, IT WAS SO DELICIOUS I DECIDED TO HAVE THE
BOURBON HENS AGAIN, SINCE ITS THANKSGIVING. Perfect, the bourbon hens were, this time I’m putting stuffing in the hens and adding pineapple chunks to the glaze. Taste awesome!
THANKS!
Alessandri Kev
11/24/2022
Hi I’m making 8 of these for thanksgiving this year. How should I cook them? 4 on a rack each and put one rack on top one underneath it? Thanks for the help
Hi Cathy,
You are right, two roasting pans with four hens each so you have plenty of space between them is the way to go. The only other thing I would suggest is that when you rotate the pans from front to back, swap the top rack for the bottom and vice versa as well. You may also need a few extra minutes of roasting time.
I am making a Friendsgiving dinner party this year and want to do cornish hens instead of turkey. I would like more info on cornish hens for a dinner party of about 20. Should i cook them all at the same time? Space permitted. Do i elevate them on a rack so as not to sit in juices? Or should they sit in the jucies. Since there will be many hens roasting at the same time, does the roating time change? Should I cut the hens in half prior to baking? Or roast them whole then cut in half? Which way maintains juicyness? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Hi Sylvia,
I have never made that quantity of cornish hens for a party, but I’ll answer your questions to the best of my ability. First, I would want to cook them all at the same time because I fear they could dry out a little if reheated or kept warm for an extended amount of time.
Second, you definitely should leave the hens whole and set them on racks to allow the oven’s heat to circulate around them. Be sure to leave a little space between them for that purpose as well.
Regarding even cooking, I would rotate both the pans themselves and the position of the hens within them. In other words, you want to swap the hens in the center of the roasting pan with the ones on the outside about halfway through cooking.
Last, dealing with that many hens at once will inevitably involve keeping the oven door open a little longer at times and you’ll lose more heat. To compensate, you may need to cook them a little bit longer, but most importantly, make good use of your instant-read thermometer and check them for doneness at the times indicated in the recipe instructions.
Hope this helps. Enjoy!
My goodness! This was a fantastic recipe! I made this for Thanksgiving Dinner and it rocked! I love make chicken wings too and plan to use the glaze next time. Pair with roasted baby potatoes, stuffing, and peas for a lovely dinner! Super easy and great when made as a family!
Hi Somerset,
I’m so pleased that you tried the Cornish hens for Thanksgiving! I’ve always thought they were a great choice for entertaining. Thank you so much for taking the time to let us know you enjoyed them.
Cooked 4 birds and 400 didn’t do the job.. Raised to 450
Good that you turned up the heat a bit to get the right browning. While 375 to 400°F is the most common roasting temperature for Cornish hens, every oven is calibrated a bit differently and sometimes adjustments are necessary.
Would like info for 2 birds at a time.
Thanks!
Hi Sharon,
To cook just 2 hens, you still want to follow all the directions in the recipe, including roasting them at 400°F. I don’t think that the recommended roasting time will change too much, but since the oven won’t be so “full,” check the temperature with an instant-read thermometer after about 35 to 40 minutes. Regarding the glaze – I would just cut the recipe in half: 1 tablespoon butter, 1 clove minced garlic, 1/3 cup bourbon, 2 tablespoons honey and salt and pepper to taste.