Roasted Cornish Hen
Cornish hens are like personal pan chickens. This little guy was just under two pounds. Normally I'd recommend brining them beforehand, but if you're trying to make a quick dinner, you can stick with standard seasoning techniques. I cooked this over a bed of root vegetables which was inspired by Thomas Keller's roasted chicken recommendation. One thing that I've learned from years of setting off the smoke detector is that oil and fat splatters in the oven and starts to smoke. It may not make a difference when you're cooking a steak for 8 minutes, but when you're roasting a chicken for 60 minutes, there's a good chance you'll set that thing off a few times. Having vegetables on the bottom of the pan will stop the splattering from happening, and you can eat them once it's cooked.
Ingredients
- 1.5 - 2lbs Cornish Hen
- Chicken Brine
- 2 medium turnips
- 3-4 medium carrots
- 1 large or 2 medium Rutabagas
- Kosher Salt
- Fresh Cracked Black Peppers
- Canola oil
- King Trumpet Mushrooms
Prep
Chicken: If you're doing this ahead of time, you can brine the chicken. If you have the time, remove the chicken from the brine 12-24 hours before cooking and pat dry with paper towels. Put the chicken on a rack / sheet pan and refrigerate uncovered to dry out the skin. If you're doing the chicken without a brine, let it rest at room temp for at least an hour before cooking. Truss the chicken.
Veg: Peel your turnips, carrots and rutabagas. Slice into small cubes. Combine in a large mixing bowl and coat with a few squirts of olive oil. Season with kosher salt and onion powder, toss to combine.
Cooking Directions
- Preheat your oven to 450º. If using a cast iron pan, put it in the oven when it hits 200º and let it heat up the rest of the way with the oven.
- If you're not brining your chicken, then season the outside and cavity liberally with kosher salt and a little cracked pepper.
- When the oven comes to temperature, pull the pan out and place on your stove. No heat is necessary.
- Put 1 tbsp of canola oil in the bottom of the cast iron pan
- Add the veg. Form out a little circle in the middle big enough to fit the hen in.
- Fit the chicken into the center of the pan
- Place in the preheated oven with the legs facing the back of the oven.
- Roast for 45-50 minutes or until the thigh reaches 150º.
- Remove from oven and let rest for at least 10 minutes.
- Remove the vegetables from the pan and set aside.
- Break down or serve whole over the roasted vegetable.
