Roasted Cornish Game Hens with Orange-Pineapple Sauce
Prep: 45 minutes
Roast: 40 minutes • Serves: 8
8Cornish game hens (about 16 ounces each) or 3 fresh fryer chickens (about 2-1/2 pounds each), thawed if necessary
1-1/2teaspoons salt
1-1/2teaspoons ground black pepper
1teaspoon garlic powder
2-1/2tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves plus additional sprigs (optional)
2tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1medium orange, cut into wedges (optional)
1can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple in juice
1-1/2cups orange marmalade
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Prepare stuffing as label directs. Remove and discard giblets and livers from hens. Trim excess fat from hens.
2. Sprinkle inside cavities with half the salt, pepper and garlic powder. Evenly fill hen cavities with prepared stuffing. Sprinkle outside of hens with remaining salt, pepper, garlic powder, and rosemary. Place hens in single layer in two 9 x 14-inch roasting pans, making sure hens don’t touch each other. Brush hens with butter.
3. Roast 40 to 45 minutes (55 minutes to 1 hour for chickens) or until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh and center of stuffing reaches 165°. Add rosemary sprigs and orange wedges to roasting pan during last 15 minutes of roasting, if desired. Transfer hens to cutting board and loosely tent hens with foil; let stand 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in small saucepot, heat crushed pineapple with juice and orange marmalade to simmering over medium heat. Simmer 4 to 5 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly, stirring occasionally.
5. To serve, for chickens, with spoon, scoop stuffing from cavities and transfer to serving bowl; cut chickens lengthwise in half. Serve hens with Orange-Pineapple Sauce.
Approximate nutritional values per serving:
683 Calories, 29g Fat (9g Saturated), 121mg Cholesterol,
1268mg Sodium, 83g Carbohydrates, 4g Fiber, 24g Protein