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Cornish Game Hens With Cilantro Butter

game hens with cilantro butter, roasted, in the baking dish.

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Try this delicious recipe for Cornish game hens with cilantro butter. Roasted to perfection, they make the perfect main dish for a Sunday dinner or special occasion.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 Cornish game hens, about 1 3/4 pounds each
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon lime zest
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed and finely minced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 375 F.
  2. In a bowl, combine the softened butter with the lime zest, juice, minced garlic, and the fresh chopped cilantro. Mash and blend well with a fork.
  3. Gently separate the skin from the breast meat and tuck a few teaspoons of the cilantro butter mixture evenly under the skin of each hen.
  4. Arrange the game hens in a roasting pan.
  5. Put any remaining cilantro butter mixture in the cavity of the birds or rub some over the skin. Sprinkle the hens lightly with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  6. Roast the Cornish game hens for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the birds register at least 165 F on an instant read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh of a hen.