Roasted Cornish Hens With Dried Cherry Stuffing

Submitted by senseicheryl

"This recipe was featured in an email today from the www.lifescript.com website."

 

• Ready In: 55mins
• Ingredients: 10
• Yields: 4 pieces of Hen
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1⁄2 cup onion, diced
• 1⁄2 cup celery, diced
• 1⁄2 cup dried sour cherries
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried sage
• 1⁄2 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 4 slices white bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 dash salt, to taste
• 1 dash fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 Cornish hens, split in half

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F
2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the dried cherries, sage and broth and cook for 2 more minutes. Stir in the cubed bread, salt and pepper and set aside.
3. Season the Cornish hen halves with salt and pepper.
4. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Form the stuffing into 4 mounds on the baking sheet. Place 1/2 of a Cornish hen on top of each mound of stuffing. Roast the hens for 45 minutes or until thoroughly cooked.
5. When the hens are finished, transfer them to a serving platter and let rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

Reviews

[morgankt]

This was a big hit with my husband and I - it turned out beautifully and he has already requested a repeat performance. I did make a few changes:<br/>- Increased the proportion of stuffing slightly <br/>- Substituted mixed dried berries (grocery store did not carry plain cherries)<br/>- Added a large sweet potato, cut into chunks and tossed in olive oil, salt, pepper, lavender, sage and a touch of ginger in the baking dish<br/>- Added three minced cloves of garlic with some marjoram and thyme to season the birds<br/>This recipe was easy, impressive, and fun to eat!!

 

[ncmysteryshopper]

I made these hens for Thanksgiving this year and we just loved this recipe. The stuffing was perfectly seasoned and balanced. The cherries were fabulous and the slightly tart flavor paired wonderfully with the sage. I did sprinkle sage on the hens as well. The only complaint was that there was not enough stuffing! I will make this again and double the stuffing part. Thank you for a great Thanksgiving Main Dish!