Roasted Cornish Hens With Wild Rice

The Winter season is a great time to have friends over for a nice fancy dinner. It’s cold out, you want to stay in and warm up in the glow of friends and family… so I’ve got a recipe that’s perfect for you. Cornish game hens and wild rice.

Don’t be fooled. This roast is easier to cook than it looks. Make sure you plan accordingly though, serving one bird per portion, because they weigh less than a pound each. You can slather on a quick marinade and pop these little birds into the oven while you spruce up your dining room and lay out the plates. Get hold of an instant wild rice side dish, chill the drinks… and enjoy!

Roasted Cornish Hens with Wild Rice

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 Cornish hens (1 pound or less per bird)
2 Tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons Sea salt
2 teaspoons Black pepper
1 Tablespoon Dried rosemary
2 teaspoons Garlic powder
2 teaspoons Onion powder
1 Tablespoon Chopped parsley
1 whole onion, sliced
3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
½ cup sliced carrots
1 package instant Long Grain Wild Rice

Directions:

1. Make sure Cornish hens are thawed. Put extra virgin olive oil all over the birds. Then combine all the seasonings in a bowl and marinate the hens all over. Cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour or more.

2. Preheat oven at 375 F degrees. Place the pre-marinated Cornish hens in a roasting pan. Add the sliced onions, celery and carrots alongside the hens, and some inside the cavity. Cover with foil, seal edges and bake for 55 minutes.

3. Take off the foil and continue roasting the hens for 6 minutes more till they are nice and brown. 4. Serve with wild rice on the side.

Wild Rice Side Dish – Purchase an instant kit of Long Grain Wild Rice and follow cooking instructions. Allow for 25 to 30 minutes of cooking on the stove top, with occasional stirring to avoid sticking to bottom of pot. When the rice is cooked, add one tablespoon of melted butter to the cooked wild rice. Mix well and serve with the Cornish hens.

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Elizabeth Quirino believes that “food brings the world together.” She loves to cook, develop recipes, photograph & write about her culinary adventures on her 2 blogs Asian in America & The Queen’s Notebook. Outside the kitchen, Elizabeth paints watercolors, reads everything and ends every week with ballroom dancing. For great food stories find her on Facebook and follow Mango_Queen on Twitter.

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