Roasted Cornish Hens with Saffron
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I always look for different ways in which I can serve chicken along with my rice dishes. I have posted a few great chicken recipes here: Braised Chicken Thighs with Bay Leaf, Mitra’s Sunshine Chicken, and Chicken with Sour Cherry Syrup. Cornish Hens, also known as Poussin are yet another option which I love. They are a great alternative to regular sized chicken.
I absolutely love roast chicken. I have several different homemade rubs that I use. One great tip that I learned a few years ago what to roast the chicken at high temperature. You would think that the chicken would dry up, but every time the skin is perfectly roasted and the meat is moist and tasty!
Today’s recipe is super ease to make and the smell of it while it cooks will take over your whole kitchen and slowly travel through your whole home. Once it’s ready every bite is packed with the taste and scent of saffron!
Ingredients
2 Cornish hens
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp saffron treads
1 onion
salt & pepper
Melt butter. Take the saffron treads and rub them between your fingers and drop them in the hot butter. Let rest.
In the mean time wash the birds and pat dry. Slice the onion in big chunks, peal and crush garlic.
Rub the inside of each bird with salt. Stuff with some of the onion and one crushed garlic in each.
Warm up the butter, which by now should have gone back to being firm. Layer the bottom of a oven safe dish with the remainder of the onion and garlic. Flip the birds over so that they are breast side down.
Brush the birds with butter infused with saffron. Season with salt and pepper.
Place the chickens on top of the onion breast side up. Brush with the rest of the butter all over. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in 400° oven for 40 minutes or until cooked all the way through.
And the end what you get is a gorgeous colored roast bird that taste delicious!
Ingredients
2 Cornish hens
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp saffron treads
1 onion
salt & pepper
Melt butter. Take the saffron treads and rub them between your fingers and drop them in the hot butter. Let rest.
In the mean time wash the birds and pat dry. Slice the onion in big chunks, peal and crush garlic. Rub the inside of each bird with salt. Stuff with some of the onion and one crushed garlic in each.
Warm up the butter, which by now should have gone back to being firm. Layer the bottom of a oven safe dish with the remainder of the onion and garlic. Flip the birds over so that they are breast side down.
Brush the birds with butter infused with saffron. Season with salt and pepper.
Place the chickens on top of the onion breast side up. Brush with the rest of the butter all over. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in 400° oven for 40 minutes or until cooked all the way through.
May 14, 2010
Thank you so much for these delicious recipes!
and I love roast chicken, I will make this soon.
You are helping me tremendously and I really appreciate that!
Shukren
May 14, 2010
Gorgeous and they look delicious! I love Cornish hens, too. In fact, I have my own Cornish hen recipe that I’ve been meaning to make and photograph. OH, and great tip about the high temperature 🙂
May 14, 2010
@ Zahraa, So glad to be of help!!! I am sure you will love this dish as much as I do!
@ Bria, looking forward to your recipe! 🙂
May 15, 2010
Love the detailed pictures and the simple delicious recipe, I adore saffron.
Because Italians do not like breast meat – they consider it dry and stringy and prefer meat close to the bone – I push butter or prosciutto under the skin and cook the bird breast side for part of the cooking time so the jucies run down into it.
I just thought you and your readers might like to consider this too.
May 16, 2010
Carmelita,
thanks for the tip! I push stuff under the skin too depending on what I am making the chicken with. I usually cook chicken breast down when I make chicken soup and it never fails. I have heard of people cooking their turkey breast down for added moisture.
May 17, 2010
These Cornish hens look beautiful color is perfect and prepared Persian style, what a treat!
September 8, 2010
Hi I have been searching for a spaghetti like recipe that I tasted from a long ago and loved. I know some of the ingredients were Cinammon, ground beef, vermicelli, tomato paste / sauce. I know there were a few more ingredients. If you are familiar with this dish please let me know. Thanks a bunch!
September 8, 2010
Patricia, was there rice in the dish or was it just spaghetti?
September 29, 2010
Hi great cornish hen recipe, just wondering how many it serves?
I’m hosting a dinner party of four, do you think it will suffice?
Thanks for your inspirations…. Mario
September 29, 2010
Mario, I would say half a bird per person…depending on what else you are serving of course.
October 20, 2010
It was just spaghetti. Thank you!