Cornish Game Hens With Cranberry Glaze

Cornish game hens, either very well known or you’ve never heard of them depending on where you’re located. Cornish game hens are similar to chickens but they are slaughtered younger and produce a bit more white meat. Cornish game hens tend to be juicier, more flavorful, and more tender. Although, not rare or considered exotic anymore they carry a higher price tag. Cornish game hens are a great alternative for those who are tired of the same old turkey for the holidays.
The following recipe was created for two reasons. First, Cornish game hens are, as described above, juicy, flavorful, and tender. Second, cranberry glaze and cranberry sauces in general are the perfect compliment to poultry.
Unfortunately, most markets that sell poultry sell Cornish game hens frozen. If you are lucky enough to have access to fresh birds then you can skip the brining stage, although it does help to make them even better. Frozen poultry needs to be brined, freezing and thawing releases a lot of moisture from proteins and it needs to be added back or it at least needs to lose as little moisture as possible while being cooked. Brining helps to solve both of those needs.
Once game hens are thawed, which usually takes a few days in the refrigerator, rinse the hens under cool water.
Bring half of a gallon of water to a boil then add salt, brown sugar, bay leaves, orange halves, and peppercorns to the water. Continue to boil the brine for ten minutes.
Remove the brine from the heat and add ice or ice water. Continue to cool until the brine is below room temperature (preferably between 33-42 degrees Fahrenheit). Add the Cornish game hens to the brine and brine for at least 24 hours.
The next day remove the game hens from the brine and rinse them and pat their skin dry with paper towel.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Season the hens with salt and pepper then rub them with softened butter and olive oil. Do your best to get some of the butter underneath the skin of the breast meat.
Roast the hens for 30 minutes on a baking pan, or shallow roasting pan. If you have a grate to place over the pans it will help with the cooking process.
While the hens are in the oven, prepare your cranberry glaze by adding orange juice, cranberries, jalapeno, brown sugar, and cinnamon into a sauce pot. Cook over medium heat until the cranberries pop and the sauce thickens.
Remove the hens from the oven and raise the oven temperature to 425 degrees.
Coat each hen with the cranberry glaze using a spoon. The most important part to glaze is the breast, reserve some of the glaze to use with the other parts while eating.
Place the Cornish game hens with cranberry glaze back into the oven for another 20-30 minutes or until the thickest part of the breast and thighs temp to at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Let the game hens rest while tented with foil for at least 20 minutes to allow the muscle fibers to contract and allow the juices to redistribute throughout.
Carve the game hens, break them down into breast, thigh, and drums, or just cut in half and serve each person a half.
Enjoy and don’t forget to serve with the rest of the cranberry glaze!