Here’s a great and often overlooked way to cook a Cornish hen.
Spatchcock Cornish Hen
Ingredients
1 Cornish Hen
Sage
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
1/4 cup Russian dressing
Procedure
First, you need to spatchcock the hen. This means to cut the backbone out. Using a pair of utility scissors, cut up one side of the hen’s backbone. Once you have made the full cut, repeat on the other side to completely remove the backbone.
Now place the hen cavity (bone) side down on a cutting board. Next, press down on the breast firmly. Your goal here is to snap the wishbone so that the hen lays perfectly flat.
Season the hen with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a touch of sage (but not too much). Once well dusted in the spices, it’s ready for the grill. You’ll want to grill the hen for about 35 minutes over medium coals, or until the thigh meat hits 165F.
Start by placing the hen on the grill bone side down. Cover and grill for 10 minutes. Flip the hen so that it is skin side down, cover and grill another 10 minutes. Flip the hen once more so that it is bone side down again; it will stay that way from here out. Cover and grill another 5 minutes. Now apply a liberal coating of Russian dressing, cover and grill until done. If you like, you can give it a second coat of the dressing after 5 minutes. Once done, remove the hen from the grill to a covered dish and allow it to rest for 5 – 10 minutes.
To serve, place the hen on a cutting board (bone side down) and use a sharp knife to cut the hen in half (through the breast bone). Plate each half along with your favorite sides.
Notes
Be careful as you are flipping the hen and removing it from the grill. The hen gets very tender, and the leg quarters are prone to fall off if you aren’t careful. No big deal really, but it does spoil the presentation a bit. The Russian dressing not only tastes great on this, but the bright red color looks really good on the plate.
Spatchcock Cornish Hen
Ingredients
1 Cornish Hen
Sage
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
1/4 cup Russian dressing
Procedure
First, you need to spatchcock the hen. This means to cut the backbone out. Using a pair of utility scissors, cut up one side of the hen’s backbone. Once you have made the full cut, repeat on the other side to completely remove the backbone.
Now place the hen cavity (bone) side down on a cutting board. Next, press down on the breast firmly. Your goal here is to snap the wishbone so that the hen lays perfectly flat.
Season the hen with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a touch of sage (but not too much). Once well dusted in the spices, it’s ready for the grill. You’ll want to grill the hen for about 35 minutes over medium coals, or until the thigh meat hits 165F.
Start by placing the hen on the grill bone side down. Cover and grill for 10 minutes. Flip the hen so that it is skin side down, cover and grill another 10 minutes. Flip the hen once more so that it is bone side down again; it will stay that way from here out. Cover and grill another 5 minutes. Now apply a liberal coating of Russian dressing, cover and grill until done. If you like, you can give it a second coat of the dressing after 5 minutes. Once done, remove the hen from the grill to a covered dish and allow it to rest for 5 – 10 minutes.
To serve, place the hen on a cutting board (bone side down) and use a sharp knife to cut the hen in half (through the breast bone). Plate each half along with your favorite sides.
Notes
Be careful as you are flipping the hen and removing it from the grill. The hen gets very tender, and the leg quarters are prone to fall off if you aren’t careful. No big deal really, but it does spoil the presentation a bit. The Russian dressing not only tastes great on this, but the bright red color looks really good on the plate.
