Stun your guests with this easy, delicious, and flavorful recipe for Sage Rubbed Cornish Hens with Blood Orange. This herby, garlicky, buttery, citrusy chicken will melt in your mouth and keep you coming back for more.

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Sage Rubbed Cornish Hens with Blood Orange on a white serving platter. — Sage Rubbed Cornish Hens with Blood Orange

Peace, family.

This chicken dish is a certified stunner and deserves a spot on your holiday menu. Heck, it deserves a spot on your dinnertime menu if you’ve got a little extra time for effort. When I say “effort,” I’m not talking anything difficult or complex. It’s just that these tender hens taste so much better when you go the extra (half) mile and dry brine them for a day or two; at the very minimum overnight. But, we’ll get into that.

Let’s talk flavor profile. Garlicky. Citrusy. Herby. Savory. Have you skipped to the recipe card yet? Hopefully not, because we’re going to get into some important details. No “life stories” this time.

Sage Rubbed Cornish Hens with Blood Orange

What Tools Do I Need?

These are the tools I recommend to make the most of this meal:

Instant Read Thermometer – for measuring the internal temperature of the chicken. This will ensure it does not get overdone, dry, or tough.
Sharp Knife – for chopping the sage, mincing the garlic, and slicing the blood oranges.
Cutting Board
Gloves – If you’re not used to handling raw chicken with your bare hands, you may opt to utilize a paid of food prep gloves.
Roasting Pan – for roasting the hens
Baster – for collecting the drippings from the bottom of the roasting pan and adding them back to the chicken
Cooking Twine – for trussing the hens.

What Are Cornish Hens?

Raw Cornish hens seasoned with salt and pepper

Okay, first thing first: cornish game hen is chicken. Now, half of you are saying “um…duh” and the other half are breathing a sigh of relief. The term “Cornish hen” refers to young, tender, chickens that can actually be male or female. They typically weigh no more than 2 pounds each. They are very easy to find in most supermarkets. I find that they’re usually sold in packs of two.

How to Thaw Cornish Hens

Cornish hens are typically sold frozen, in airtight packaging. You’ll want to make sure your chicken is thawed prior to preparing. To do so, place the hens in your refrigerator at least 24 hours before beginning prep.

Serving Size for Cornish Hens

This part is up to you and how well you know your family and guests. I usually figure one bird per two people. However, you may opt for the more generous serving of one bird per person. If you’re serving a lot of heavy side dishes or other proteins, then a half bird per person will probably be fine. If it’s a lighter dinner, or your family members tend to have heftier appetites, then figure one whole bird each.

What Ingredients Do I Need?

Cornish Hens (giblets removed)
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Butter, unsalted
Fresh Sage
Garlic
Blood Oranges

What Do Blood Oranges Taste Like?

From the outside, blood oranges resemble other varieties of oranges. Once peeled or sliced you’ll uncover a beautiful, deep, reddish hue. They taste very tart, sweet, and floral. Almost berry-like.

Substitutes for Blood Orange

Blood oranges are only in season from December through April. They can be a little difficult to locate. Some national grocers that I typically search are Sprouts, Natural Grocers, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s. Locally, (I live in Texas, what up?!) I can usually count on Central Market, a subsidiary of H-E-B.

How to Make Sage Rubbed Cornish Hens with Blood Orange

Note: For the most flavorful results, it’s best to salt/dry brine the hens 24-48 hours in advance and allow them to sit, uncovered, in the refrigerator. This will allow the salt to penetrate the birds for internal flavor.

Prep

Use kitchen twine to truss the legs of each hen (tie them together).
Use paper towel to pat the surface of the skin dry.
Use your fingers to gently separate the skin of hens, taking care not to pull or tug aggressively or rip the skin. You’re not removing the skin, just loosening it so that you can season underneath it, and allow it to better crisp.
With the salt and pepper, generously season each hen, taking care to get beneath the skin as well.
Allow to the hens to sit, uncovered, in the refrigetator at least overnight. For best results brine for 24-48 hours.

Compound Butter

To create the garlic and sage compound butter, start with half a stick of softened, unsalted butter. Add the butter to a small bowl.

To the butter, add the fresh chopped sage and minced garlic. Mix well, using a spoon or hand mixer.

Cooking the Hens

Remove the hens from the refrigerator about an hour before cooking to allow them to come to room temperature before going into the oven.
Preheat oven to 400° F
Rub each hen with a portion of the compound butter; be sure to get under the skin. Place the hens into a roasting pan if you have not already.
To the roasting pan, also add blood orange slices (1 orange). You can also squeeze the juice of the orange onto the skin of the hens

Raw Cornish hens rubbed with sage compound butter

Place the hens into the oven and cook for 1 hour or until the deepest part of the breast measure 165° F, using an instant read thermometer. Baste the hens every 15 minutes or so for even browning.
To make the skin extra crisp, I broil the hens on “high” for the last 3-4 minutes, monitoring their color closely to ensure that the skin does not burn.
Remove the hens from the oven, and allow to rest at least 10 minutes prior to serving.
Optional: “finish” the hens with additional coarse salt, orange zest, and/or another squeeze of orange juice.

Serving Suggestions and Sides

With Dressing and Cranberry Sauce
Side of My Garlic Parmesan Mashed Cauliflower
Hasselback Baby Red Potatoes
Southern Style Collard Greens

Try it out and let me know what you think! When you make it, be sure to snap a pic and tag me on Instagram or Facebook!

Peace,

Adri

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Sage Rubbed Cornish Hens with Blood Orange

Ingredients

4 Cornish Hens (giblets removed)
2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
1.5 teaspoons Black Pepper
1/2 stick Butter, unsalted
2 tablespoons Fresh Chopped Sage
2 teaspoons Minced Garlic
2 Blood Oranges

Instructions

Note: For the most flavorful results, it's best to salt/dry brine the hens 24-48 hours in advance and allow them to sit, uncovered, in the refrigerator. This will allow the salt to penetrate the birds for internal flavor.

Prep

Use kitchen twine to truss the legs of each hen (tie them together).

Use paper towel to pat the surface of the skin dry.

Use your fingers to gently separate the skin of hens, taking care not to pull or tug aggressively or rip the skin. You're not removing the skin, just loosening it so that you can season underneath it, and allow it to better crisp.

With the salt and pepper, generously season each hen, taking care to get beneath the skin as well.

Allow to the hens to sit, uncovered, in the refrigetator at least overnight. For best results brine for 24-48 hours.