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How to Make Cranberry Stuffed Game Hens - A Step-by-Step Guide

Looking for a delicious and impressive dish to serve at your next dinner party or holiday gathering? Look no further than these Cranberry Stuffed Game Hens. This recipe takes the classic game hen and elevates it with a festive and flavorful cranberry stuffing that is sure to impress your guests. Not only is this dish visually stunning, but it's also incredibly tasty and a great alternative to traditional roasts or turkey for special occasions.

Game hens, also known as Cornish hens, ar...

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Ingredients

  • 2 cups 1/2-inch bread cubes (such as walnut bread)
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • ¼ cup minced shallots
  • 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • ¼ cup dried cranberries
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
  • ¼ teaspoon dried sage
  • 1 pinch cayenne pepper
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided, or as needed
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme, or to taste
  • 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, or to taste
  • 2 Cornish game hens
  • ⅔ cup chicken broth
  • ¼ cup fresh cranberries
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Information

  • Prep Time: 25 mins
  • Cook Time: 1 hr 40 mins
  • Additional Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 2 hrs 15 mins
  • Servings: 4
  • Yield: 4 servings

  • Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Spread bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet.
  • Toast bread in the preheated oven until golden, crispy, and completely dry, 20 to 40 minutes. Transfer bread to a large bowl.
  • Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir shallots and green onions with a pinch of salt in hot butter until shallots are translucent and soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add dried cranberries to shallots; cook and stir until cranberries are warmed through, 2 o 3 minutes.
  • Pour chicken broth into skillet; bring broth mixture to a simmer and pour mixture over dried bread cubes. Stir until liquid is absorbed. Season with chopped thyme, minced rosemary, sage, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Mix beaten egg into bread mixture, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let stuffing sit until liquid is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
  • Drizzle the bottom of a roasting pan with 2 tablespoons oil and lay thyme sprigs and rosemary sprigs on the bottom of the pan.
  • Generously season each hen cavity with salt. Stuff each hen with about 1/2 the bread-cranberry mixture. Tie legs together and set into prepared roasting pan on top of thyme and rosemary sprigs. Brush hens with remaining olive oil and season with salt and black pepper.
  • Bake hens in the preheated oven until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 1 hour. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Remove hens to a platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 10 minutes.
  • Place roasting pan over medium-high heat. Stir chicken broth, fresh cranberries, and maple syrup into the pan and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Cook and stir until sauce reduces and thickens, 1 to 3 minutes. Spoon sauce over stuffed hens.

    • Nutrition

    549 cal.

    • Total Fat: 38g
    • Saturated Fat: 12g
    • Cholesterol: 197mg
    • Sodium: 297mg
    • Total Carbohydrate: 26g
    • Dietary Fiber: 2g
    • Total Sugars: 12g
    • Protein: 26g
    • Vitamin C: 4mg
    • Calcium: 49mg
    • Iron: 2mg
    • Potassium: 359mg

    Categories

    Appetizer recipes
    Main recipes
    Poultry recipes
    Holiday recipes