Cornish Game Hens with Roasted Garlic Sauce

OMG! Don't ever make this again!

Well that's what the wife said when I made this chicken and sauce for the first time. I hung my head thinking that I had burned my fingers for nothing.  But then she clarified that the sauce was like crack. It is now called "Crack Sauce" around here.

So here's the deal.  This is a superior roasting technique for chicken but I apply it to the smaller game hens because it is cooler to serve everyone their own little bird.  Plus it reminds me of the "Tiny Chickens" skit from SNL.

The chicken trick is great on its own but the dipping sauce just takes it to the next level. You can cook these birds at 400F but the skin might not totally crisp up.  Try 425F if you want crispy skin.  Use 400F and convection if you can.


You'll need:

• 2 Cornish Game Hens (approx 1.5 lbs each)
• 1 lemon
• some fresh herbs (Rosemary and something else)
• 2 cloves of garlic (peeled and smashed)
• kosher salt
• 1 bulb of garlic
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 small shallot (chopped fine)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 dashes worcestershire

Preheat to 425F.  Set up a roasting pan with wire rack and spray the rack with cooking spray.  (My only dislike of this method is that the wire rack leaves indentations in the breast side.  Foil over the rack or one of those square hole racks might fix this.)

Prep: Cut the lemon in half.  Chop the shallot.  Lay out your herbs (I used rosemary and oregano this time but thyme is my usual).  Peel and smash the 2 cloves of garlic.  Take as much paper off the clove as you can and cut the top off.

Chicken: Thaw the game hens and remove any innards. Trim off as much of the neck as you can and I take off that tail flap. (Pope's Nose?)  Pat dry, salt the cavity and put your garlic clove, herbs and half a lemon in the cavity.  I use the lemon as a door across Jesus' tomb -- so to speak. 

Now salt all sides with kosher salt.  If your salt won't stick you could rub a tiny amount of olive oil on the skin.  You could also do some pepper and other herbs, but I don't.  I just use lots of salt.

Lay the garlic clove in a square of foil, drizzle in some olive oil and seal this up.  Put this package in a corner of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes.

Put the birds breast side down on the rack and bake for 30 minutes.  40 minutes if you are cooking full size birds.

Remove the garlic and let it cool.

Take out the birds and flip them over.  Re-salt a bit if you can't see any salt on the breast side.

Bake for 30 more minutes.  40 for the bigger boids. Since breast side is up at the end you could switch to broil for the last 10min.

Remove the birds and check that the breast got up to 160F to 165F.  Tilt them "legs up" (you may need to prop them somehow) and let them rest for 10 - 15 minutes.

Sweat the shallots in 1 Tbsp butter.

Squeeze the roasted garlic into the pan and smash with a fork if necessary.  It will burn your fingers if you aren't careful.

Add the thyme, Worcestershire and the cream and stir.

Simmer gently for 5 minutes and then add the 2 Tbsp of remaining butter.  Take off the heat. Season if needed.

If serving one bird per guest you are ready to plate.  I serve half a bird so I take my birds to a cutting board and cut 'em down the middle.

Serve with a ramekin of the garlic sauce and some potatoes or bread.  Some people use a knife and fork, but I just pick my meat off the bone, dip a corner in the sauce and enjoy!