Mogambo! (Baked Chicken)

This is an elegant cornish game hen dish for two people. Mogambo is savory soul food. You won't find the recipe posted anywhere else on the planet because I am the inventor of this dish which is the end product of three years of meticulous trial and error and subsequent tweaking to achieve just the right balance of flavors. Where does the name come from? It's the name of my favorite classic movie, starring Clark Gable, Ava Gardner and Grace Kelly (color, 1953). And it is also an acronym for MOLASSES (MO), GAME HEN (GAM), and, BOUILLON (BO). Mogambo! The dish takes a little time and effort but the result is well-worth it.

• Ready In: 7 hrs
• Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 2  Cornish hens
• 1⁄4 cup sorghum molasses
• 1  teaspoon chicken bouillon, granulated
• 14  ounces canned chicken broth
• 3  tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 3  tablespoons olive oil
• 3  tablespoons water
• 2  tablespoons triple sec
• 2  tablespoons lemon juice
• 1  teaspoon  Italian spices
• 1  fresh garlic clove, crushed
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  Old Bay Seasoning
• 1  bay leaf
• 4  ounces pimientos (1 small jar with juice)
• 1  tablespoon butter
• 5  sprigs parsley (garnish)
• 1  orange, sliced thin, peeling on (garnish)

Directions

1. Rinse the hens and place in a large non-metallic bowl. You can also trim away any excess skin/fat that you wish but leave skin on the breast and legs.
2. Mix the marinade with a blender, (I use a kitchen aide on setting number 2), including the following ingredients: molasses, boullion, chicken broth, vinegar, olive oil, water, triple sec, lemon juice, italian spices, garlic clove and pimentos with juice. Allow the mix to blend for 20 minutes. If a film forms on top, don't worry about it -- this is normal.
3. Pour the marinade over the hens and cover with cling wrap. Allow the hens to marinate in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours.
4. At the end of marinatiting time, place the hens, breast up, into a dutch oven or large oven-proof casserole dish. Pour the marinade over the hens (it should come about halfway up on the hens, depending on your cooking dish -- discard any extra marinade) and toss in a bay leaf. Finally, sprinkle the Old Bay seasoning on top of the hens.
5. Place the covered dutch oven or casserole dish in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 1 hour.
6. At the end of an hour, lightly rub the breasts and legs with the butter and re-cover. Allow the hens to bake another 45 minutes at the same temperature.
7. Discard the bay leaf and serve hot with either egg noodles or plain rice. Garnish with parsley sprigs and orange slices.
8. NOTE: You could use a regular roasting chicken for this recipe -- just add 15 minutes to the baking time.
9. Also, you can substitute honey for the sorghum molasses if you wish and, either Paul Prudhomme's Poultry Magic or regular poultry seasoning can be substituted for the Old Bay seasoning. There are recipes for italian spices on Recipe*Zaar if you can't find them at the store.