How to Prepare Cornish Game Hen

Series Summary

To put it quite simply, a Cornish game hen is a baby chicken. While sometimes they are referred to as game hen or Cornish rock, this type of chicken is crossbred between the Cornish chicken and another breed of chicken. The breed was discovered by a 1950 farmer who thought to make the most out of his variety of chickens. These chickens are usually harvested between four to six weeks. Even though the word “hen” is used to describe these chickens, Cornish game hens can be both male and female. Sure, some may be skeptical to eat a baby chicken. However, Cornish game hens are a delicious white meat. According to the USDA standards for poultry, game hens must be under two pounds.

If you are interested in making Cornish game hen, this video series is perfect for you. Our expert chef, Mark Alyn, shows you how make Cornish game hens with a blackberry sauce. Learn how to prepare and clean the hens. Also, Mark gives you tips for the perfect seasonings. Mark grills his hens, and then he places them in a homemade blackberry sauce. This recipe will sure to amaze. So, take some time, and learn how to cook Cornish game hens today!

Video Transcript

"I'm Mark Alyn for Expert Village. Today we are going to take a look at cornish game hens and I am going to show you how to make them with blackberry sauce. Uhm boy. What is a cornish game hen? A cornish game hen is basically a baby chicken. It is anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks old when it is slaughtered and they weigh less than 2 pounds. So one bird is usually enough for a person. In my house, we cut them in half because we are small eaters and that will serve 2 people. What I want you to do is cut them in half and clean them and rub them off. Everybody does them differently. My grandmother would scour these with a brillo pad. I am not that meticulous. I take a knife and run it over just a little bit just like this and that helps clean the chicken or the rock cornish game hen. "