Tonight’s dinner is adapted from this Epicurious/Bon Appetit recipe. I substituted Baby Bam for the mustard (Boy and Girl aren’t fans) and added green pepper, bay leaf and garlic and cut the amount of onion a bit.
The verdict: this was okay, but I think I’ve concluded that I just don’t like cornish hens: they’re a lot of trouble to prepare and to eat, with all of those bones and skin, and it’s hard to make them flavorful, since it’s hard to get seasoning deep into the meat. If I make this again, I would probably use boneless, skinless chicken breasts that have been marinated with something instead of hens.
As some commenters on epicurious said, the stuffing was a little sweet, because I used the Jiffy mix, which does have some sugar in it. It didn’t bother me enough, though, that I would make cornbread from scratch for a weeknight to make this stuffing (I only do that for Thanksgiving).
Cornish Hens with Cornbread-Ham Stuffing
1 box Jiffy cornbread mix, prepared into 7 muffins according to package directions
(you’ll need 1 egg and 1/3 cup milk)
2 Cornish game hens, halved lengthwise, with the backbone removed, rinsed well and patted dry
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped white onion (about 1/4 of a large onion or 1/2 of a small one)
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper (about 1/2 of a large one)
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1 large garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1 bay leaf, broken into 3 or 4 pieces
1 cup cubed smoked ham
1/3 to 1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp. fresh Italian parsley, chopped
3/4 tsp. dried rubbed sage
1 1/2 tsp. Baby Bam seasoning, divided
For stuffing:
Heat oil in a heavy, medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, celery, bell pepper and bay leaf; saute until onion is translucent and other veggies have softened, about 5 minutes. Mix in ham, sage, parsley and enough chicken broth to moisten the stuffing, but not make it soggy; stir until heated through. Remove skillet from heat. Season stuffing with 1 tsp. of the Baby Bam seasoning. Cool slightly.
For hens:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 13 X 9 X 2 baking dish and place the stuffing in the dish, in 4 separate “piles” or mounds (remove bay leaf pieces, if you can find them). Season hens with remaining Baby Bam seasoning and set one hen half on each stuffing pile. Roast hens until golden brown and juices run clear when thighs are pierced, about 45 or 50 minutes. Transfer hens to platter and serve.
