This garlic and sage Cornish game hen is stuffed with delicious, homemade Anjou pear and baby bella mushroom stuffing. The best recipe for an elegantly rustic dinner party with friends!
You’ll be surprised just how incredibly simple they are to make! The hens take only a few minutes to prepare, and 45 minutes to roast.
How to Make This Recipe – Step by Step
1. Make your bread stuffing with Anjou pear and mushroom first, set aside and preheat oven to 450 F (232 C). Chop 5-7 leaves of fresh sage and 6 cloves of garlic into pieces small enough to mix evenly in a food processor. You don’t have to mince.
2. In a food processor, add 4 tbsp. of softened unsalted butter, 2 tbsp. olive oil, juice from half a lemon and the chopped garlic and sage. Process till creamy with small flecks of sage and garlic. Set aside.
3. Pat 5 Cornish game hens with paper towel, and place them in a 4 quart baking pan or pyrex. Cut about 1½ feet of baking string and tie their legs close to their body by wrapping each leg first, then securing them together with a bow.
4. Fill each cavity with just a little stuffing. Don’t fully stuff. Leave most of the stuffing to serve as a side dish.
5. Lift the skin of each breast and spoon in some of the garlic-sage butter. Make sure it’s nicely distributed under the skin (It helps to use a spoon to separate it first).
6. Roll up your sleeves and give the hens a luxurious massage with the garlic-sage butter. Make sure to get every part of them, including between the legs and breast.
7. Sprinkle them with 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper, making sure to evenly distribute all over the hens. Bake for 45 minutes or until a meat thermometer shows 165 F (74 C) in the thickest parts, like the thigh and breast.
8. Remove from oven and allow the hens to sit for 15 minutes under tin foil before serving.
Common Questions
They’re a little tricky to come by in traditional grocery stores, but they can be easily found at either Whole Foods or specialty grocery stores. However, make sure to call ahead to be certain they have as many as you need in stock.
Since they’re not particularly common, your local store may not have as many as you need. The safest bet is to order them from a local butcher or find them on a delivery service like Fresh Direct.
If your oven is nicely preheated when they go in, they should only take about 45 minutes at 450 F (232 C). However, make sure to use a meat thermometer to ensure that the thigh, breast and any other thick parts have reached 165 F (74 C).
A Few Tips
1. Tie the legs together with baker’s string.
You don’t have to do a full truss where you wrap the string around the thighs. Simply cut 1½ feet of baker’s string. Bring the legs together so they’re as close to the body as you can get them (this ensures the meat will be tender underneath), then wrap the string around one leg, then the other, then join them together with a bow.
2. Do not wash the hens.
Don’t listen to your grandma. Raw poultry should never be washed, in general. It doesn’t clean away any bacteria, but it does spread it around the sink and counter tops when you wash them. Simply pat the hens dry with a paper towel before applying the butter, sage and garlic mixture. You want the skin as dry as possible so it gets nice and crispy.
3. Make the stuffing from scratch.
If you’re making such a fancy little hen, why spoil it with Stove Top. Make a simple bread stuffing that is perfectly tailored to this recipe. I made this homemade bread stuffing with Anjou pear and mushroom specifically for this recipe. It’s perfectly complementary to the sage and garlic herbs of the hens. It’s moist, crispy and full of heart warming flavors.
For More Cozy Dinner Inspiration
- Homemade French Onion Soup
- Sage Butter Scallops with Brie & Roasted Garlic Basmati
- Curry Butternut Squash with Turkey, Spinach & Hominy
- Delicious Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken
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Stuffed Cornish Game Hen with Garlic and Sage
Ingredients
- 5 Cornish game hens
- 7 fresh sage leaves
- 6 garlic cloves – large
- 4 tbsp. butter – unsalted
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- ½ lemon – juice
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
- 4 cups homemade bread stuffing
Instructions
- Make your bread stuffing with Anjou pear, baby bella mushroom and red onion first, set aside and preheat oven to 450.
- Chop 5-7 leaves of fresh sage and 6 cloves of garlic into pieces small enough to mix evenly in a food processor. you don’t have to mince.
- In a food processor, add 4 tbsp. of softened unsalted butter, 2 tbsp. olive oil, juice from half a lemon and the chopped garlic and sage. Process till creamy with small flecks of sage and garlic. Set aside.
- Pat 5 Cornish game hens with paper towel, and place them in a 4 quart baking pan or pyrex. Cut about 1½ feet of baking string and tie their legs close to their body by wrapping each leg first, then securing them together with a bow.
- Fill each cavity with stuffing, but don’t over-stuff. Leave most of the stuffing to serve as a side dish.
- Lift the skin of the breast and spoon in some of the garlic-sage butter. Make sure it’s nicely distributed under the skin (It helps to use a spoon to separate it first).
- Roll up your sleeves and give the hens a luxurious massage with the garlic-sage butter. Make sure to cover every part of them, including between the legs and breast.
- Sprinkle them with 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper, making sure to evenly distribute all over the hens. Bake for 45 minutes or until a meat thermometer shows 165 F (74 C) in the thickest parts, like the thigh and breast. Allow to sit for 15 minutes under tin foil before serving.
Notes
- 4 quart roasting pan
- Knife and cutting board
- Food processor
- Baker’s string
- Meat thermometer
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