Grilled Cornish Hens

5 from 4 votes

Grilled Cornish hens is one of those easy recipes I make when I want to make an amazing main dish without a lot of effort.

Prep Time6

Cook Time45

Total Time6 45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Christie Vanover

Ingredients

2 Cornish hens thawed

Cumin Lime Vinaigrette

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
4 tsp sugar
4 cloves garlic minced
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp ground cumin
2 limes

Instructions

Make Vinaigrette: In a small bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, sugar, garlic, salt, Worcestershire sauce, cumin and juice of 2 limes.
Marinate: Remove the hens from the packaging. Place in a zip-top bag. Add 3/4 cup of the vinaigrette. Seal the bag, removing as much air as possible. Massage the vinaigrette into the hens. Marinate in the refrigerator for 4-8 hours, flipping at least once.
Grill: Heat grill to 375-400F degrees with an indirect heat zone (see above). Remove the hens from the marinade. Place on the grill over indirect heat and grill for 30 minutes, rotating (not flipping) occasionally.
Baste: After 30 minutes, baste with the marinade that you set aside and continue cooking for about 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature registers at 165F degrees.
Rest: Remove from the grill and rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

You can use any type of homemade or store bought vinaigrette for this recipe. You'll need 1 cup total - 3/4 cup for the marinade and 1/4 cup for basting.

To prevent illness, never baste the birds with the vinaigrette that was used as the marinade. Instead, use the 1/4 cup that wasn't cross contaminated with the raw poultry.

The nutritional values have been adjusted to account for the majority of vinaigrette that will be discarded after the hens are marinated. To reduce the grams of fat, enjoy the grilled cornish hens without eating the skin.

Nutrition