This Cornish Game Hen recipe, served with Mandarin Orange Rice, is simple to make and elegant to serve to your family and guests any time of year.

Despite the fact that these small birds are called “game hens” they are not game birks (wild) nor are they always female. (If you want to learn more go here >>)

Note: Usually found in the frozen foods section, rock cornish game hens generally come two to a pack, however in larger stores you may find them fresh. It’s best to cook fresh or thawed game hens within 24 hours and the cooked meat can be stored up to three days.

Cornish Game Hen Recipe Preparation and Cooking:

Clean the birds well and season to taste prior to placing in the oven. We use Lawrey’s Seasoning and course ground black pepper.

We place them in a roasting pan on a rack. Covering the bottom of the pan with aluminum foil makes it much easier to clean the pan afterwards.

Preheat your oven to 350° and roast for about an hour (more if stuffed). We don’t bother basting them during cooking because they are tender and juicy without it.

About half an hour prior to the game hens being ready, start the rice. This particular recipe is one I created.

For the two of us I make 1-1/2 cups of rice. Since we are lovers of white rice but know that the nutritional value is not present, we mix about 50/50 white rice and brown rice to supplement the value. Another good nutritional rice is basmati, which is closer to a soft white rice.

First, open a can of mandarin oranges and drain into a measuring cup, add water until you have 1-1/2 cup of combined liquid. (Note for a more pungent orange flavor, you can top off the first cup of mandarin juice with orange juice, and then add a half cup of water)

Just when this liquid comes to a soft boil, add 3/4 cup of rice, lower the heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes, covered. Rice has a tendency to boil over, so make sure you have the cooktop set to the lowest temperature.  Set your timer for 20 minutes and check to make sure the liquid is fully absorbed, if not continue cooking another 5 minutes or so. Don’t lift the lid for the first 20 minutes.

This rice is ready to add the mandarin oranges…

Mix gently to keep as many of the oranges in tact as possible…

And here is dinner complete with corn (carrots go well with this meal also) and whole grain nut bread… Enjoy!

Tips about this Cornish Game Hen recipe…

• Rock cornish games hens are low in Sodium and a good source of Vitamin B6 Phosphorus, Protein, Niacin and Selenium. However they are very high in Cholesterol.
• Game hens are about 300 calories each with about 76-77 calories from fat.
• One whole bird is a perfect size for each person unless you are serving it with a lot of other foods, in which case 1/2 of a bird is a good size – split it before cooking.
• You can stuff a game hen just like chicken and, in fact, you can use it in place of chicken in recipes.

 I hope you enjoy this Cornish Game Hen Recipe and Mandarine Orange Rice!