This super crispy cornish hen recipe is my favorite holiday main dish. The hens are slow smoked and then oven roasted to a golden crispiness.
A highly flavorful brine and tasty dry seasoning rub elevates this recipe from good to great.
MOOD MUSIC
CRISPY CORNISH HEN INGREDIENTS
- Cornish Hens
- Buttermilk - key brine ingredient
- Cumin
- Paprika
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
- Cilantro
- Thyme
- Lime Zest and Juice
- Garlic Cloves
- Duck Fat - adds depth of flavor, dark golden flavor and aids in crispiness.
HOW TO MAKE THIS CRISPY HEN RECIPE
Brine in buttermilk and seasonings
Smoke - for an hour
Roast - until desired internal temps reached
COOKING CONSIDERATIONS
Don’t skip the brining step. Brining adds amazing flavor and ensures a moist bird during crisping.
I went for a somewhat Cuban seasoning mix. Feel free to tweak or use your favorite dry seasoning mix. Just make sure the hen is well seasoned.
When seasoning the bird be sure to season underneath the skin as well as on the skin. The hen has loose skin in a few different locations that you can raise with a finger or spoon to add seasoning. Same holds true for the duck fat.
Duck is an amazing add! But it’s not accessible everywhere, but if you find it, buy it and use it. Otherwise butter is a fine substitute.
Desired temp is 165 degrees F. I tend to pull my hen out at about 160 ish as the hen will continue cooking some as it cools.
If you have stands to cook the hens upright use them.
Feel free to stuff the hens with your favorite stuffing recipe. You'll need to tie the legs prior to cooking.
Serve with a side of potato salad, collard greens, roasted leeks, and quick pickled beets.
MORE CORNISH HEN RECIPES
For other chicken based dishes try these buttermilk fried chicken wings or smoked fried chicken thighs.
MAKE THIS RECIPE
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Equipment
- Smoker
Ingredients
- 2 small Cornish Hens
- 1 pint Buttermilk
- 2 teaspoon Cumin
- 1 tablespoon Paprika
- 2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 2 teaspoon Black Pepper
- ¼ cup Cilantro roughly chopped
- 3 sprigs fresh Thyme
- ½ teaspoon Lime Zest
- 1 medium Lime Juiced
- 4 Garlic Cloves diced
- ¼ cup Duck Fat
Instructions
- Mix the dry spice ingredients together in a small ramekin.
- Mix the buttermilk, lime juice, zest, garlic, fresh herbs, and half the dry seasoning mix.
- Place the brine mix in a extra large ziplock bag. Add the Cornish hen to the brine and marinate overnight.
- Remove the hen from the refrigerator. Rub each hen with duck fat below and above the skin.
- Add the remaining dried spice mix all over the hens as well as under the skin.
- Pre-heat smoker between 225-275 degrees. Add the hens and smoke for about an hour.
- Remove from smoker and finish in the oven at 450 degrees. Remove and let rest about 5 minutes.
Michelle
Monday 25th of December 2023
This was wonderful! I took more of a French/Holiday twist with: spices were herbs d’Provences, garlic and onion powder, dried orange zest. And at the end, after smoking it to an internal temp of just over 100, I glazed with a combo of orange marmalade and cranberry sauce (and butter and some red wine) every ten minutes until it was at 165. It was a hit! Thanks for the guidance.