Super Simple Herb Roasted Cornish Hens

Sometimes I want to cook something that just looks...fancy. But really, on a Thursday night who has the time or energy for that? Well my friends, the answer is simple. This recipe for Cornish Game
Hens may look elegant and sophisticated, but it's easy enough for any Thursday night. There's not even any measuring!! And of course, it's delicious!

The Ingredients

2 Cornish Hens (or one per adult--kids might want to share one)

Salt

Pepper

Herbed Poultry Seasoning (this keeps it simple--when using dried herbs instead of fresh go with a quality brand here!!)

Butter (2 pads per bird)

Olive Oil

Lemon wedges (optional)

The Method

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Unwrap your hens and thoroughly dry them with a paper towel. Don't skip this step--wet poultry will not brown! Set them breast side up on a roasting pan with a rack on it. Cornish hens are so small they will cook evenly without trussing so put away the twine please. 

(My hens are breast down here...I forgot to take my picture before starting the next step...oops)

Liberally coat both sides of each hen in olive oil. Then, season both sides and the cavity of the birds with salt and pepper. If using lemon wedges, place one in each cavity. Lastly, place two pads of butter under the skin of the hens on the breasts. You should end up with something like this:

Lastly, insert a thermometer in the thigh of the hen and set the temp to 180 degrees. I always roast my poultry by temp, but if you don't have access to a thermometer, these take approximately one hour to roast. Check the hens to make sure they are not getting too brown--if this happens tent loosely with foil.

Once they have reached 180 degrees (or it's been an hour) remove from oven and cover in foil. They need to rest for 10-15 mins so the juices redistribute. 

Serve with your favorite veggies and a potato and dinner is done!