Glazed Cornish Hens with Rice and Mushroom Stuffing: Good things come in small packages

We all have our little bucket lists, even if they're informal lists that we don't acknowledge to others and only exist in our heads. My sous chef and I both confessed that we have always wanted to try making cornish hens.  Not sure why exactly. Maybe because they look cute, like miniature chickens (which is kind of what they are I guess.) Or maybe because they seem fancy and something that would be served in an upscale restaurant somewhere that we will never be able to afford to dine at. Who knows what our reasons are. We just know that we were game to try them out (pun intended.) There is a plethora of cornish hen recipes out there and most are very similar. We gravitated towards using a marmalade glaze for extra flavour. We also wanted a side dish that was in keeping with an earthy theme so we elected to make the standard rice stuffing with mushrooms and to top it with well roasted brussels sprouts.

The final verdict? Not much different than cooking a chicken honestly. And I can say that after having just recently mastered the art of cooking a chicken. Certainly just as tasty. The sous chef claims that it was much more flavourful than the aforementioned foul. Maybe his palate is more discerning than mine. Or maybe it's like tasting an expensive wine: you think it tastes better than the $8 bottle just because it cost you $30 and it had better be more impressive!  Not sure.  But it was juicy, tender, flavourful...and looked damn impressive on that plate. Kind of like if we were at one of those fancy restaurants. But at the fraction of the cost. And we could wear our sweatpants to.  Scratch that one off our unofficial bucket list. A good meal to impress any discerning dinner guest.  Go ahead and serve that cheap bottle of wine: with a cornish hen as a main they'll think you're serving them a $30 bottle.

Next item to scratch off the unofficial old bucket list: Poached eggs? Being able to flip an omelet? Non-lumpy/non-wallpaper-glue consistency mashed potatoes? Aim high I say. Yup, I used to watch the Food Network. I know stuff.  Cheers from Bistro 164.

 Glazed Cornish Hens with Brown and Wild Rice and Mushroom Stuffing

Skill Level: As easy as chicken
Serves: 2 people very very generously with leftovers (we found 1/2 a hen was plenty per person)
Impressiveness scale: over the top

Ingredients

2 Cornish hens (about 24 ounces)
3/4 cup brown and wild rice blend
2-3 tbsps butter
Spoonful of diced garlic
1-2 handfuls of cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 small onions, diced
1/2 cup of orange marmalade
salt and pepper to taste
a few fresh sprigs of thyme

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Take hens out of fridge and pat dry. Make sure there aren't any leftover bits remaining in the cavities of the birds.

Cook the brown and wild rice according to the package instructions.  For extra flavourful rice, substitute chicken broth for the water.

Heat a pan over medium heat and melt about 1-2 tbsp of butter.  Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions become soft and translucent. Add in the mushrooms, adding in extra butter if needed. Saute until mushrooms are cooked, remaining firm and not mushy, about 10 minutes or so.

Place the hens in a shallow baking dish. Rub butter into the skins of the hens (I left a few pats of butter on top for extra decadence.) Season with salt and pepper.

Add the rice and mushroom mixture together. Take scoopfuls of the mix and place into the cavity of the hens, adding a few sprigs of thyme as well.  Set aside the leftover rice mixture. Tie the legs of the hens together. Place in oven and bake for about 40 minutes.

Place the marmalade in a pot and warm until it's a liquid consistency.

Once the first 40 minutes of roasting are up, drizzle the marmalade over the hens. You may need to add some aluminum foil "mittens" to the wing tips to prevent over browning. Place back into the oven and continue cooking for another 40 minutes, or until the the internal temperature of the hens reaches 165F.

Serve with the extra rice and mushroom mixture, some roasted brussels sprouts, and some lovely warmed crusty bread that has been brushed with oil olive.