Rock Cornish Game Hens with Apricot Brandy Glaze
Marketing hyperbole all the way, a Rock Cornish Game Hen is not from Cornwall, isn't a game bird at all, and may or may not actually be a hen. But it is fun to make and delicious to eat.
A Rock Cornish Game Hen is not from Cornwall, and neither did it originate there. It is not a game bird, but domestically raised. And it may or may not in fact be a hen; there’s a 50:50 chance that it will be a male bird. So what exactly is it?
It's a small chicken. That’s really it. The rest is all marketing imagery. The USDA defines a Rock Cornish Game Hen as a young, immature chicken weighing not more than two pounds ready-to-cook weight. It came into production in the 1950s, the result of a Connecticut couple cross breeding a Malayan Fighting Cock with a White Plymouth Rock Hen.
The Rock Cornish Game Hen name was made up and popularized by the Perdue company and others in the poultry industry to describe young, small chickens that were sold as individual servings. These birds were marketed as a fancy, elegant option for meals, much like game birds are often seen as a delicacy. The name was a result of marketing tactics to make the bird sound more appealing, and it helped establish its identity in the marketplace. Although popular on restaurant menus of the 1960s and ‘70s, the only way you'll enjoy this bird these days is to make it at home. You'll find them generally only frozen and usually sold two to a package, and they are more plentiful around the holidays between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.
Many recipes call for stuffing the bird, but I personally think that is a lot of work for little return, especially given the size of the bird's cavity. So, I recommend one of two recipes presented in Kitchen Tapestry’s Wild Rice Casserole Two Ways. The Rock Cornish Game Hen is just the right size for a single meal and works perfectly along side either of these easily prepared casseroles.
I crafted a spice rub for this recipe as well as the Kitchen Tapestry recipes for Easy Breezy Roast Chicken with Brown Rice, called Chicken Scratch Spice Rub, but have included it below for convenience.
Rock Cornish Game Hen with Apricot Brandy Glaze
Ingredients
- 2 Rock Cornish Game Hens
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 handfuls of the Kitchen Tapestry recipe for Chicken Scratch Spice Rub
- 1 naval orange, peeled and sectioned
- non-stick cooking spray (like, Pam)
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 small shallot, finely minced
- 1 jar no-added sugar apricot preserves (like, Polaner All Fruit)
- 1/2 cup quality brandy
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 8-10 grinds freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Thaw the birds for 2-3 days in your refrigerator.
- Pre-heat the oven to 425°F degrees.
- Wash the birds under cold running water, inside and out. Be sure to drain the cavity well, then pat the birds dry with paper towels inside and out.
- Coat the inside of a shallow roasting dish with the non-stick cooking spray.
- Smear the butter all over the birds, then liberally dose them with the Kitchen Tapestry recipe for Chicken Scratch Spice Rub. Rub the butter and the spices into and all over the skin of the bird.
- Put the sections of oranges into the cavity of the birds.
- Put them into the oven, and roast for 30 minutes. While the bird are cooking, make the Apricot Brandy Glaze.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium high heat.
- Add the minced shallots and sauté for 5 minutes until they are limp, but not browning.
- Add the preserves and honey, and allow the preserves to liquefy.
- Add the mustard, ginger, salt and pepper and stir to combine.
- Removing the saucepan from the heat, add the brandy, and stir into the apricot mixture. Allow the pan to sit off the heat for 2 minutes while some of the alcohol evaporates, then return the pan to the heat, and allow it to simmer for 5 minutes.
- When the birds have cooked 30 minutes, ladle the apricot glaze over them liberally.
- Return the birds to the oven, and roast for another 30-45 minutes until the hens are done. A digital thermometer is the base way to determine this, or you can just poke the bird with a knife at the area where the thigh meets the body of the bird. If the juices run clear, the bird is done.
- Allow the hens to sit 15 minutes or so before serving. You can cut them in half down the spine to serve if you want, but I personally like serving the whole bird on a large plate.
Chicken Scratch Spice Rub
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp paprika
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp seasoned salt (like, Lawry's or Morton's Season-All)
- 1 tbsp poultry seasoning
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp powered mustard
- 1 tsp ground sage
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Blend all the ingredients in a mixing bowl with a wire whisk.
- Turn out the seasonings into an air-tight container.
- Keep with other seasonings in a cool, dark place.
