The first time I ever heard of (or had) Cornish hens was when my mom made them for Valentine’s Day dinner when I was 8 or 9. I remember feeling so special that I got my own bird rather than having to share it! The second time I had it was about 23 years later when my friend and I attempted this recipe last spring … and it wasn’t nearly as magical. It took an insane amount of time (way more than the 40 minutes Ina recommended on the show) and the results were meh.
Turns out the cooking times are different in Barefoot Contessa at Home and the online recipe. I was determined to try this again and get it right!
This is definitely a recipe where store-bought cornbread is fine. I happened to have a box of Jiffy mix, so just made the cornbread the night before. The next morning I pulled together the stuffing by sauteing the onions in butter then add the cornbread, celery, chicken stock and parsley.
You then slice up an onion and place it in the bottom of the roasting pan (mine burnt so I’ll probably skip this in the future). Once you’ve dried the hens, you stuff them with the cornbread stuffing, place them on the bed of onions, and then salt, pepper and oil them.
The recipe in the book says they should bake for 50 to 60 minutes, but mine took an additional 10 to 15 minutes to reach the proper temperature.
This time was a success! The meat was juicy and the skin was perfectly salty and crisp. While the cornbread was delicious, I typically prefer my stuffing cooked outside of the bird — otherwise, it’s too soggy for my tastes.
I’m happy I gave this another shot!
Book: Barefoot Contessa at Home
Episode: Thanksgiving
Rating: 5/5
How Easy Is That: Easy
Store Bought Is Fine: Cornbread
Good Ingredients: Olive oil, chicken stock
