Stuffed Cornish Game Hens

By kawaibaby

Ingredients

• 2 Cornish hens, uncooked
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 dozen dressing balls (You will find a recipe for Dressing Balls in bettyskitchen. They should be made ahead of time, refrigerated, or frozen and thawed. You may use any type of stuffing or even a stuffing mix in the place of the dressing balls.)
• 1 tablespoon snipped fresh sage (You may substitute 1 teaspoon dried sage.)
• 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup chicken broth, or as needed, to make your stuffing soft and spoonable (You will need more chicken broth if you are using a dry stuffing mix.)
• 1 1/2 cups -- 1 3/4 cups chicken broth for the accompanying baked dressing
• melted butter for basting hens

Preparation

Step 1

Rinse Cornish hens and pat dry with paper towel. Salt and pepper the outsides and inner cavities, to taste. Place the hens in a baking pan that fits them fairly well. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, place 1 dozen dressing balls. Chop and stir, until the dressing is no longer in the form of balls. Add snipped fresh sage and chopped pecans, to taste. Add about ¼ cup chicken broth to make the dressing "stuffable." Using an ice tea spoon, stuff the inner cavities of the hens with stuffing, until stuffing comes out the top and also the bottom. Brush stuffed hens all over with melted butter. Place aluminum foil over the hens and bake at 350 degrees (F) for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 45 minutes, basting with butter occasionally. While the Cornish hens are baking, add about 1 ½ cups to 1 ¾ cups chicken broth to your leftover dressing mix. The mix will look soupy. Pour the dressing mix into a greased 9-inch by 9-inch by 2-inch Pyrex dish. When the Cornish hens have baked about 45 minutes, place the dish of dressing in the oven beside them, and let it bake until beginning to brown on the top and around the edges, about 25 to 30 minutes. When done, take the Cornish hens and side dish of dressing out of the oven and serve immediately! I hope you enjoy this traditional holiday entree! Love, Betty ♥♥♥♥♥