Cornish Hens With Cornbread Stuffing

Shake up tradition a little and serve these for Thanksgiving or anytime! Everyone loves to have their own little bird stuffed with moist, delicious cornbread stuffing. This is an easy dinner to make for a party! You can make your own cornbread or use store-bought. Adapted from Barefoot Contessa At Home cookbook.

• Ready In: 1 hr 25 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• Stuffing

• 1⁄4 lb unsalted butter (1 stick)
• 1  cup yellow onion, chopped
• 1 1⁄2 cups celery, diced (about 3 stalks)
• 3  tablespoons  flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 5  cups  coarsely crumbled  cornbread
• 1⁄2 cup  chicken stock

• Hens

• 6  Cornish hens (1 1/4- 1 1/2 pounds)
• 2  cups  sliced yellow onions (about 2 onions)
•  kosher salt
•  fresh ground black pepper
• 2  tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400*F.
2. To make stuffing:.
3. Melt butter in a medium saute pan, add the onion, and cook over medium low heat for 8 minutes, until translucent. Remove from heat and add celery, parsley, cornbread, and chicken stock. Mix well, set aside.
4. For the hens:.
5. Rinse them inside and out, removing any pin feathers, and pat outsides dry. In a roasting pan that's just large enough to hold the hens loosely, toss in the onions and then place the hens on top, breast side up. Sprinkle the insides of the hens with salt and pepper and loosely fill the cavities with the stuffing. If there is any stuffing leftover, bake it in a separate pan until heated through.
6. Tie the legs of each hen together and tuck the wings under the bodies. Brush with melted butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 50-60 minutes, until skin is browned and the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh.
7. Remove from oven, cover with foil and allow to rest for about 15 minutes. Serve a whole hen per person. Enjoy!