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Roasted Cornish Hens with Persimmon Cornbread Dressing

Here's how you make Roasted Cornish Hens with Persimmon Cornbread Dressing
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  • Servings: 3
  • Prep: 20-25m
  • Cook: 2h
    • The following recipe serves 3 people.

Ingredients

The ingredients are:
  • 2 Cornish hens (either spatchcocked or cut into split broilers)
  • 2 tablespoons soft butter
  • 1/4 teaspoon thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon sage (rubbed)
  • Salt and pepper
  • ROASTED PERSIMMONS
  • 3 persimmons, chopped (fuyu persimmons, peeled)
  • 1 teaspoon oil (olive oil)
  • Salt and pepper
  • STUFFING MIXTURE
  • 2 cups corn bread stuffing mix
  • 2 cups bread crumbs (stale bread crumbles, I pulse stale bread in the food processor a couple of times)
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
  • 1/2 teaspoon sage, rubbed
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 1 celery rib, diced
  • 2 tablespoons butter
We recommend you get your ingredients ready before you start cooking. Once you're ready, here are the steps to making this delicious recipe

How to Make

  • Step 1: Preheat oven to 350F.

  • Step 2: Toss chopped persimmon with the olive oil, salt and pepper.

  • Step 3: Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes or until the edges of the persimmon just start to brown and caramelize.

  • Step 4: Remove from oven.

  • Step 5: Saute onion and celery in butter until soft, and set aside.

  • Step 6: Mix roasted persimmon chunks with remaining dressing ingredients.

  • Step 7: Spread dressing in a greased casserole dish, cover with foil and bake 30 minutes.

  • Step 8: While dressing is baking, spatchcock or cut hens into split broilers by cutting out the spine of the hens on either side with kitchen shears, then either flattening the top (spatchcock) or cutting through the front into two pieces per hen.

  • Step 9: Butter skin of hens and sprinkle with seasonings, salt and pepper.

  • Step 10: Remove foil from dressing and place hens on top of dressing.

  • Step 11: Increase oven temperature to 400F and bake for 15 minutes.

  • Step 12: Then reduce heat to 325F and bake for another 45 minutes or so or until the inside temperature of the hens reads 165F in the thickest part.

  • Step 13: Allow hens to sit for 15 minutes or so before cutting and serving to stabilize juices and increase meat temperature another 5 degrees.

Tips & Variations

Don't forget the following tips and variations.
  • Foil
  • Kitchen shears

We hope you enjoy this recipe!

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