Cornish Hen Recipe with Cranberry Orange Glaze

This Cranberry Orange Glazed Cornish Hen recipe is perfect for holiday family dinners. Learn how to cook Cornish hens so they turn out juicy and flavorful every single time.

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This Cornish hen recipe is a keeper. I’m going to show you how to cook Cornish hens with an orange cranberry glaze and serve them with oven roasted potatoes. Holiday season for me means warm sweaters, tea, lattes, cookies, cranberries, oranges and tons of delicious homemade food. My favorite protein to cook in the holiday season is chicken as it tends to be overlooked when beef and turkey end up in many holiday celebrations. We have so many tasty chicken recipes on the blog and some of our favorites are 30-minute honey sesame chicken, orange roasted chicken, zereshk polo morgh and one pan 5-ingredient chicken skillet.

Roasted Cornish Hen Recipe

This is an easy, quick recipe for juicy Cornish hens that comes together in no time. It’s very flavorful and delicious. You only require a few ingredients and it’s packed with orange cranberry flavor – perfect for this holiday season. These gorgeous orange glazed Cornish hens are so simple to make yet taste and look as if you have spent half of the day in the kitchen preparing them.

How to cook Cornish hens in the oven

This Cornish hen recipe, also called Cornish game hen recipe is quite simple to follow. Start with pat drying the Cornish hens, this will absorb any extra moisture. Then make the glaze using soy sauce, orange juice and cranberries.

To make the glaze I used Kikkoman® Soy Sauce. Kikkoman’s® Traditionally Brewed Soy Sauce enhances the flavor and brings out the “umami” taste. It makes a simple orange cranberry sauce so much more delicious and balances the flavors.

Brush the glaze all over the Cornish hens and roast them in the oven until done and beautiful, glaze them halfway so they’re very flavorful.

What to serve with roasted Cornish hen

I served these cranberry orange glazed Cornish hens with Panko crusted roasted potatoes. These potatoes are very simple and easy to make. All you need to do is to cut up some russet potatoes and mix them with salt, olive oil and Kikkoman® Panko Bread Crumbs.

These potatoes also need to be roasted at 400F oven so if you have enough space in the oven, you can pop these in 20 minutes before the Cornish hens are ready.

How many people will a Cornish hen serve?

Cornish hens are small enough that one can be served for each person. However, if you’re serving two types of food or having appetizers and side dishes such as potatoes and rice, half of a Cornish hen would perfectly do for one person.

Read more about Cornish game hen vs regular chicken on chowhound. 

These glazed Cornish hens are perfect for the holidays because of their festive flavors. Cranberry and orange combine so well together and once mixed with soy sauce, the flavors shine more which will result in a delicious dish that your family will love!

How do I know my Cornish hen is fully cooked?

After almost forty minutes of cooking, insert a meat thermometer in the thigh of the Cornish hen if it registers at 165F, the chicken is ready. The Cornish hen breast would also register at 170F.

How long does it take to cook a Cornish hen

It usually takes forty five to fifty five minutes to cook one Cornish hen. It would take just as long if you decide to multiply this Cornish hen recipe.

How to make stuffed Cornish hen

It’s so simple to make stuffed Cornish hen. You can stuff the birds with cooked rice or quinoa, onions, celery, garlic, bell peppers (capsicum) and even beans. Once you stuff the Cornish hens, proceed with the Cornish chicken recipe as mentioned in the instructions.

Notes and tips on how to make Cornish hens:

• It’s very important to have your Cornish hens washed and completely pat dried. The dryness would result in a very crispy skin at the end of cooking.
• The Cornish hen recipe calls for brushing the birds twice with the glaze. You can do this up to 4 times if you would like a darker color on the Cornish hens.
• The onions at the bottom of the baking dish will be caramelized and flavored with the glaze. They’re going to be very delicious so don’t leave them out.
• If Cornish hens are not available where you live, simply use a whole chicken and follow the exact same steps of this recipe. Make sure the chicken is fully cooked by inserting a meat thermometer into the thighs. It should register at 165F. Then insert the thermometer into the breast. It should register at 170F.
• For the Panko crusted roasted potatoes, I used russet potatoes but red potatoes or Yukon gold would work perfectly, too.

5 from 3 votes

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Cranberry Orange Glazed Cornish Hens

These Cranberry Orange Glazed Cornish Hens are perfect for holiday family dinners. The flavors of cranberries and oranges make this festive dinner a winner!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Asian

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 572 kcal

Author Shadi HasanzadeNemati

Ingredients

Orange Glazed Cornish Hens:

• 2 Cornish Hens
• 1/3 cup Kikkoman® Soy Sauce
• 1/2 cup Orange Juice
• 1/3 cup Water
• 1 tbsp Corn Starch
• 2 tbsp Brown Sugar
• 1 cup Fresh Cranberries
• 1 White Onion

Panko Crusted Roasted Potatoes:

• 3 Russet Potatoes washed and dried
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 3/4 cup Kikkoman® Panko Bread Crumbs
• 1 tsp Salt

Instructions

Orange Glazed Cornish Hens:

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Pat dry the cornish hens, clean the inside and generously sprinkle some salt inside and on them. Set aside. 

2. In a sauce pan, pour Kikkoman® soy sauce and orange juice. Mix the water and corn starch together and pour into the sauce pan. 

3. Add brown sugar and cranberries. Bring to simmer and let cook until the cranberries start popping and the glaze thickens. 

4. Slice the onion into thin rings and place them at the bottom of an oven safe dish. Place the cornish hens on the onions and brush with the cranberry orange glaze. 

5. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes at 400F. Brush again with the glaze and roast for another 25 minutes. If the cornish hens are browned and beautiful, cover them with aluminum foil and roast so they don't burn. 

6. Check the cornish hens using a thermometer. The thighs should register at 165F and the breast should register at 170F. 

7. If you have oven space, you can make the panko crusted roasted potatoes at the same time. 

Panko Crusted Roasted Potatoes:

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with non stick spray. 

   Cut the russet potatoes into chunks and place them in a bowl. 

2. Add in olive oil and stir until the potatoes are coated. 

3. Add in Kikkoman® Panko bread crumbs and toss to cover the potatoes. Transfer the potatoes to the baking sheet and roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes until soft on the inside and golden brown. 

4. Serve with cranberry orange glazed cornish hens. 

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