**The Art of Roasting Cornish Hens**

When it comes to roasting Cornish hens, there are several techniques and tricks that can elevate this dish from ordinary to extraordinary. One such technique is building a "bird's nest" with aromatics, which adds depth and complexity to the final product. This method involves creating a layer of onions, carrots, and celery at the bottom of the baking dish, followed by a sprinkle of lemon juice and a few cloves of garlic. The fresh herbs add an herbaceous note that complements the richness of the hen.

Next, the Cornish hens are placed on top of this mixture, ensuring they are evenly coated with aromatics. To take it to the next level, a compound butter is applied to the birds, massaged into the meat to ensure maximum flavor absorption. This compound butter is seasoned with salt and other herbs, creating a aromatic and savory paste that adds depth to the dish.

To ensure crispy skin, a little oil is added to the baking dish, preventing the vegetables from scorching during roasting. Aluminum foil is used to wrap the wing tips and drums of each hen, protecting them from overcooking and preserving their natural flavor.

**The Roasting Process**

With the hens prepared, it's time to put them in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the birds. During this time, a basting process is performed three or four times to distribute the flavorful compound butter and pan drippings evenly throughout the dish.

**Gravy Masterclass**

To create a rich and indulgent gravy to accompany the roasted Cornish hens, a simple skillet recipe can be employed. Over medium heat, two tablespoons of butter are melted, followed by one to two tablespoons of all-purpose flour. The raw flour is cooked for about a minute, allowing it to develop a nutty flavor. Next, chicken stock and seasonings such as salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder are added, stirring continuously until the gravy thickens.

To finish the gravy, pan drippings from the roasting process are incorporated, adding an extra layer of depth and richness. A splash of heavy cream is added to thin out the gravy to a desired consistency. The seasoning can be adjusted to taste, allowing each individual to customize their gravy to their liking.

**Presentation**

Once the hens have cooled slightly, they're ready to be plated with the rich and savory gravy. A sprinkle of fresh parsley adds a pop of color and freshness to the dish, making it visually appealing. When presented together, the roasted Cornish hens are nothing short of breathtaking – a symphony of flavors and textures that will surely impress even the most discerning palates.

**The Verdict**

For those looking to elevate their Easter or special occasion dishes, this recipe is sure to be a showstopper. With its harmonious balance of flavors and effortless presentation, it's easy to see why roasted Cornish hens have become a staple in many high-end kitchens.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwhat's up guys welcome back today i'm going to show you something quick and easy that you can throw together for easter sunday this is my recipe for roasted cornish hens but before we do that please take a quick second to subscribe to the channel make sure you hit that bell to enable notifications as well alright guys meet me in the kitchen let's make it happen first things first we're gonna prep all of our veggies that are going along with this cornish hen here i have some onions celery and carrots first item on the prep list is the carrots i'm just gonna chop the ends off like you see right here break out the peeler and peel the skin off the carrots if you guys don't own one of these potato peelers you can use a paring knife but these definitely come in handy you can find them at target walmart really any grocery store and you can buy them on amazon as well there we go we got them nice and peeled now we're going to cut them down to about an inch or so in size that way they can roast along with our cornish hen we're gonna do the same thing with our celery make sure you clean your celery we'll cut the ends off of the celery and then cut that down to size as well set that aside and then we're gonna prep our onion which i'm gonna quarter and allow that to roast so basically this is gonna act as a bed or a nest for our hens to sit on top of that way they get elevated some air can circulate around them and the skin can get nice and crispy they're also gonna add some flavor and aromatics to the party speaking of aromatics we got some lemon we're gonna slice that up as well tons of flavor going into this recipe guys all the specific measurements and ingredients are provided for you in the description box below so don't forget to check that out here are our fresh herbs we got some rosemary thyme and parsley and here are our two beautiful cornish hands that we've already cleaned off after you clean them you want to go ahead and pat them dry when you clean them you want to make sure you get rid of any bone fragments or cartilage or anything like that also you want to get rid of the neck and all that stuff that's inside of the cavity of the bird and then just get that removed and we're going to dry it off the best we can with some paper towels and that step is super important guys it's important to dry the skin that way it can get nice and crispy for you in the oven we're also going to do a salt brine on this so we're going to season the outside and the inside of the cavity with some kosher salt and pop that in the refrigerator up to overnight so you can go anywhere from like 2 to 24 hours on that and that's going to allow the skin to get really dry and that salt to start to penetrate the meat which is important because you want that seasoning all the way down to the bone on your chicken or hens speaking of flavor though we're gonna go ahead and make our compound herb butter we're gonna go down with some rosemary some thyme some garlic a little lemon tons of flavors that just pair really well with poultry hell if we're being honest these flavors pair really well with just about everything great on steak garlic bread there's tons of ways to repurpose this butter i'm about to show you and it's super easy to make so we're just going to pluck the leaves off the rosemary and the thyme if you have some baby time and it's really tender like the stems you can go ahead and just dice them right up otherwise just pluck the leaves off there pile them up like you see right here take out a nice sharp knife and then want to dice these until they're nice and small that's what we're looking for this could be done in a food processor too if you want to save a little bit of time but who wants to clean that thing right so we're gonna dice this up nice and small like you see right here a nice fine dice and then we're gonna add them to our melted butter we're using one stick of kerrygold butter for this we're gonna throw that butter into a medium-sized mixing bowl to that we're gonna add our freshly diced rosemary and thyme we're also gonna crush two cloves of garlic you could also use minced garlic from the jar if that's what you got or the garlic paste you guys always see me use but today we're going with fresh there goes the herbs then you want to add a little lemon zest for a pop of freshness it's also going to add a little touch of acid it'll balance the flavor profile nicely another quick reminder guys that all the specific measurements and ingredients for this recipe can be found in the description box below so don't forget to check that out after the lemon zest comes the lemon juice about a teaspoon or two of that we're also going to add a pinch of chicken bouillon just to beef up the chicken flavor a little bit a little touch of smoked paprika followed by my ap seasoning which is my all-purpose blend it's a low-sodium all-purpose seasoning you can get that via the link in my description box otherwise just use a little salt and pepper oh man that's gonna be good that butter is gonna add so much flavor to these hens it's also gonna help that skin get nice and brown and crispy go ahead and set that aside for a few minutes break out your baking dish or casserole dish whatever you plan to cook these in this is a nine by eleven casserole dish that i'm using hit that with a little avocado oil at the bottom so those veggies don't scorch and then from there we're going to build our bird's nest going down with the onions our mirepoix basically which is onions carrots and celery next we're going to add the lemon on top and then finally we're going to go down with a little garlic and those fresh herbs we're going to place those cornish hens right on top of this mixture this is a great technique for roasting any kind of poultry i do this with my turkey wings obviously the cornish hens it's great for spatchcock chicken as well you really can't go wrong with this method guys so give it a try i do like to add a little oil to the veggies that way they don't scorch too bad in the oven and now we're going to take that compound butter and just massage that all over our bird that's gonna add tons of flavor remember we did the dry salt brine earlier and now we're gonna add this super flavorful compound butter that we seasoned beautifully don't be shy with that stuff guys it is absolutely money make sure you massage it in place that into the oven at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour depending on the size of your hens you want to check them every once in a while one thing that i like to do for presentation purposes is to break out a little aluminum foil and wrap the wing tips and the drums that way they don't get too crispy or scorched in the oven we want a real nice presentation on these birds so hit them with some aluminum foil shoes and pop them back in the oven but first we got to baste them in all that butter and flavor at the bottom of the dish you want to do this three or four times just to make sure that the skin gets nice and crispy and we don't lose any of that flavor that is accumulating in there oh man look at that doesn't get much better than that guys tons of flavor your house is gonna be smelling absolutely amazing it's easter and i can't wait to dig into these cornish hens and that my friends is how we're looking when we're done you want your internal temperature of the white meat to be around 165 and the dark meat to be 175 preferably next it's important to let the meat rest a little bit before we carve into it so what we're gonna do now is make a quick gravy for that we're gonna need a skillet over medium heat we're gonna add one to two tablespoons of butter followed by one to two tablespoons of all purpose flour you wanna cook the raw flour taste off for a minute or two again working over medium heat once you start to see it foaming up like that you know you've done your job now we're going to add some seasoning a little salt pepper garlic onion powder things like that really you can season it with whatever you want you can season with some cajun seasoning you make it kind of like a cajun style gravy now we're gonna add some of those pan drippings to the party because no flavor left behind this stuff is gonna be absolutely gold going on top of these hens guys trust me on this this gravy recipe is fantastic we're gonna mix in those pan drippings we're also gonna add a little chicken stock here in a second to thin things out a bit all the specific measurements and ingredients are down below so make sure you check that out super easy gravy comes together real quick just in time for those hens to cool off enough to carve into them and it helps with the presentation it's gonna look absolutely beautiful there we go we got a nice thick gravy like consistency now we're gonna add a splash of heavy cream give that a mix and season to taste and then we're gonna set that aside and now my friends it's time to plate this up that is a beautifully cooked bird brace yourself for a trademark money shot say it with me guys looking good going down with the gravy pour because why the hell not oh man look at that that is a cornish hen my friends perfect for the holidays going down with some fresh chopped parsley for a pop of color answer the thumbnail looks beautiful one more little fly over and then i gotta get in there for a taste test the moment of truth has come i'm going down with a leg a little extra gravy oh man doesn't get much better than that my friends let me know what you think in the comments give your boy a thumbs up hit that subscribe button and the bell to enable notifications and as always thank you for your support\n"