Cranberry Crusted Cornish Hens

By Patricia C

Prep Time:

20m

Bake/Cook Time:

Yield:

2 servings

This elegant dish is as beautiful on the plate as it is delicious. Cranberry and orange infused, this cornish game hen recipe has a sweet, brown sugar glaze that makes any occasion a special one.

Rate it yourself

Products Used

1 lb. Dark Brown Sugar Box

Ingredients

2 Cornish hens, completely thawed
1 1/2 cups chopped cranberries
1 to 1 1/2 cups Dixie Crystals Dark Brown Sugar
1 to 2 oranges

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Completely thaw and pat dry two Cornish hens.
Coarsely chop enough raw, fresh cranberries to equal 1 and 1/2 cups. Drain well; they shouldn’t be very juicy. Mix cranberries with 1/2 cup of brown sugar.
Peel and slice oranges. Stuff orange slices into cavity of each hen until nearly full. Mix a couple of tablespoons of cranberry mix into orange slices.
Place both hens breast side up in a shallow baking pan so that they are not touching. A 9 x 13 works well.
Lightly stir remaining brown sugar into the cranberry mix. You do not want much of the sugar to dissolve. You want it to "crisp" on outside of your hen. Divide the mix evenly over each hen.
Bake, uncovered on center shelf, at 350°F for 1 hour, or until juices run clear or inside meat reaches 165 degrees. Remove from oven and discard orange slices. Enjoy your crusty-on-the-outside, juicy-in-the-middle little Cornish hens - a nice alternative to a big old turkey!

Rate & Review