Many years ago my Aunt Mary made cornish game hens for a holiday dinner- I am pretty sure it was Christmas.  I was probably in early high school at the time. They were so good! I’ve wanted to make some ever since but I was also intimidated to try.  Well, tonight I finally did!  On a whim, I bought some at the store last night.  I came home and consulted a cooking board that I regularly frequent for advice on how to make them and recipe recommendations.  In the end, I didn’t follow an actual recipe or measure anything out.

I brushed the hens with olive oil and seasoned them with kosher salt, pepper, minced garlic, oregano, thyme, basil, and paprika.  I put water at the bottom of the roasting pan and added two teaspoons of onion soup because I didn’t have any chicken broth but wanted to add a little more flavor.  I cooked them at 375 degrees until they reached a temperature of 180 degrees.

They came out very well! My family enjoyed them and said I did a good job. (Although I am not sure if they were as good as I remember Aunt Mary’s being.) The paprika helped them brown nicely. They were very moist and tender.  I put off making them for so long because most of the recipes I’d seen were kind of complicated. This was a very easy way to prepare them for the first time. I will try one of the recipes next time!