Typically deep- or pan-fried in oil, the option to air-fry orange chicken instead saves a ton of calories and fat. Remove hens from pan and deglaze the pan juices with a few tablespoons of white wine or dry sherry. You really need a meat thermometer to be able to tell when it’s done (they’re inexpensive, don’t worry).

  • When the occasion calls for a special dinner for two, this recipe fills the bill.
  • He has impressed many of his teammates with his willingness to play hurt and still play well.
  • While all use up tomato sauce to create that orange color, only Kaldereta utilizes liver spread .

Yes, you can substitute bone-in chicken thighs or breasts for the Cornish game hens. Follow the recipe the same, cooking until it is fully cooked and falls off the bone. Place the hens on the rack of a roasting pan lined with aluminum foil. Place the hens as far apart from each other as possible to enable the skins to get browned and crispy .

Dad’s Roasted Cornish Hens

Pat the chicken legs dry with paper towels, which will help them get crispy. This chicken drumstick recipe is flavorful enough on its own, but feel free to serve it with BBQ sauce or other sauces you like with chicken. If you like, you can brush with butter and season the chicken legs before freezing. That way there is virtually no prep before baking later.

Then, take a pair of kitchen shears or a sharp knife and cut through each hen’s breast. Flip the hens over and cut along the backbones so you can remove them. If you’d like to use fresh herbs, loosen the skin near the hens’ breasts and push about 6 fresh sage leaves the skin of each hen. You can easily cut this recipe in half or a third if you only want to make 2 or 3 hens. Keep in mind that the cooking time won’t change.

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I suggest using a digital thermometer to test for doneness. A few of my favorites are roasted brussels sprouts, Scalloped Potatoes, Gluten-Free Cornbread Stuffing, wild rice, roasted sweet potatoes, or Sous Vide Asparagus. In a small bowl, combine butter, orange zest, minced herbs, garlic, salt, and pepper. Arrange orange slices in a pan and place butterflied Cornish hens on top.

“My secret is caraway seeds, making my final product taste like it’s on rye bread,” she says. If chicken breasts are thick, she says to use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound the chicken into an even thickness before cooking. I can’t say that I always have leftovers as I have a hungry teenage boy living in my house who loves cornish hen cooked in the air fryer. But he is about Cooking Games – Pizza Games to go away to college and sometimes I cook dinner for just my husband and me. But I still cook 2 hens as I like to make an extra. Leftover cornish hens can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and reheated in the air fryer or oven.