Herbed Cornish Hens with Easy Apple Stuffing

Thanksgiving is coming up in a few weeks and I wanted to share my favorite Cornish hen recipe. Perfect if you don’t want to roast a whole bird this year

Cornish Hen Ingredients (serves 2 - 4)
• 2 Cornish Game Hens, thawed and giblets removed
• 1 TBLS vomFASS Herbs de Provence Spice Blend
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 2 TBLS vomFASS Extra Virgin Olive Oil (i.e. Herbs de Provence)

Easy Apple Stuffing Ingredients
• 6 cups bread cubes**
• ½ cup vomFASS Sun Meadow (buttery) Oil
• 1 cup coarsely chopped celery
• ¾ cup yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 TBLS minced Garlic
• 1/2 TBLS chopped sage
• 1 TBLS chopped parsley
• 1 ½ cup chopped apples (Honey crisp)
• 1 cups low sodium chicken broth (more for moister stuffing)
• Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish, set aside
3. Prepare hens: Combine the Herbs de Provence Spice Blend, Salt and Pepper in a small bowl. Clean hens, pat dry. Brush the olive oil in the cavity and outside of hen. Rub the spice mix inside and out, getting underneath the skin whenever possible. Set hens aside.
4. Prepare Stuffing: In a large bowl combine bread cubes, apples and parsley—set aside
5. Heat Sun Meadow Oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add onions, celery, salt and pepper to taste. Cook 4-5 minutes until tender. Add garlic and sauté an additional 1-2 minutes.
6. Add chicken broth and sage. Bring to just a boil and remove from heat.
7. Add the onion/celery mixture to the bread cubes and apples. Mix thoroughly until evenly moist.
8. Fill each hen cavity loosely with stuffing and put the extra in the bottom of baking dish.
9. Place hens on top of stuffing
10. Bake for 50-60 minutes until internal juices run clear and temp reaches 180° F.

** Bread Cubes: I use Pepperidge Farm Hearty White. I let the bread slices dry out and then cut into ½ inch pieces including crust. Alternatively you can use pre-packaged bread cubes.

Submitted by

Julie Ginsler-vomFASS-Cary