Cornish hen is not just another chicken. It is tender, juicy and full of flavour.
This version has a little kick of “sambal oelek” – just enough to keep it interesting bite after bite.
Ingredients
- 1 Cornish hen
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 toothpicks
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 tablespoon sambal oelek
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Method
- Preheat the oven to 190°C.
- Rinse and pat dry the Cornish hen with paper towels. Make sure the cavity is dry.
- Put the garlic inside the cavity and close it with the toothpicks.
- In a small bowl, combine the olive oil (butter), honey, sambal oelek and salt and mix well. Evenly brush the mixture onto the skin.
- Place the Cornish hen in a roasting pan and bake for 30 minutes or until the skin becomes crisp and nicely browned. Cover it with a sheet of aluminium foil to prevent burning.
- Turn the hen over and bake the other side for another 30 minutes, basting occasionally with the drippings.
- Remove from the oven and serve immediately with lemon wedges.
Tips
- Cornish hens, also called rock Cornish hens, are young, immature chickens, a cross between the Cornish and White Plymouth Rock chicken, with an average weight of less than 1 kg.
- The meat is tender and juicy. They are sold in the frozen food section of the supermarket without giblets, so cooking them is quick and easy.
- Add 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder to the marinade for more colour.
- Cornish hen can also be fried in an air fryer for a crisp skin.
This recipe first appeared in Rasa Malaysia
Low Bee Yinn is a food blogger and cookbook author.
