Harvest Hens Delight

Harvest Cornish Hens Recipe

Preparation Time: 0 minutes (excluding refrigeration time for giblets and necks) 🕒
Cooking Time: 1 hour and 26 minutes 🕒
Total Time: 1 hour and 26 minutes 🕒
Servings: 8 🍽️

Ingredients:

• 4 Rock Cornish Hens
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive oil or salad oil
• Dried parsley flakes
• Dried thyme leaves
• Butter
• Margarine
• Carrots
• Brussels sprouts
• Mushrooms
• Milk
• All-purpose flour
• Chicken flavor instant bouillon
• Parsley (for garnish)

Nutritional Information (per serving):

• Calories: 1112.4
• Fat: 77.6g
• Saturated Fat: 21.5g
• Cholesterol: 524.2mg
• Sodium: 361.1mg
• Carbohydrates: 8.1g
• Fiber: 2.4g
• Sugar: 3.2g
• Protein: 91.2g

Instructions:

1. Preparation:

   • Remove giblets and necks from Rock Cornish Hens; refrigerate for future use in soup.
   • Rinse hens with cold water; pat them dry with paper towels.

2. Seasoning:

   • Sprinkle the inside body cavity of each hen with salt and pepper.
   • Fold the neck skin to the back; lift wings toward the neck and fold them under the back of each hen to secure them.
   • Tie the legs and tail of each hen together with string.

3. Roasting:

   • Place the hens, breast-side up, on a rack in a roasting pan.
   • In a cup, mix olive or salad oil, dried parsley flakes, dried thyme leaves, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper; brush the hens with the oil mixture.
   • Roast the hens in a 350-degree oven for about 1 1/4 hours, occasionally brushing them with drippings in the pan.
   • The hens are done when the legs can be moved easily, or when a fork inserted between the leg and body cavity releases non-pink juices.

4. Vegetable Medley:

   • Towards the end of roasting, in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, cook carrots, Brussels sprouts, and 1/2 tsp. salt in hot margarine until golden.
   • Add 1/2 cup water; heat to boiling over high heat, then reduce to medium-low, cover, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes until vegetables are tender-crisp, stirring occasionally. Keep warm.

5. Gravy Preparation:

   • For the gravy, remove the rack from the roasting pan and pour pan drippings into a 1-cup measure; let the drippings stand until fat separates from meat juice.
   • Skim 2 tbsp. fat from drippings into a 3-quart saucepan; skim and discard any remaining fat.
   • In the saucepan over high heat, cook mushrooms in hot fat until tender and golden, stirring occasionally.
   • Stir enough milk into meat juice to measure 1 cup; then stir in flour, chicken bouillon, and 1/2 tsp salt until blended.
   • Add 1/2 cup water to the roasting pan; stir to loosen brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour water and brown bits into the mushrooms in the saucepan.
   • Add the meat-juice mixture; cook over high heat, stirring constantly until the mixture boils and thickens slightly. Boil for 1 minute.

6. Final Touch:

   • Discard strings from the hens.
   • Place the hens on a warm large platter and keep them warm.
   • To serve, arrange the vegetables on the platter with the Cornish hens.
   • Garnish with parsley sprigs and serve with the prepared mushroom gravy.

Enjoy your Harvest Cornish Hens with a medley of vegetables and savory mushroom gravy! 🍗🥕🍄