Ga Roti Vietnamese Roasted Hens

By MC042561

Key to this traditional recipe for Ga Roti is marinating the hens overnight -- worth the wait! But, it does make for easy meal prep on the night you are serving the hens - put them in the oven and enjoy your family while they roast.

Ingredients

• 2 Cornish hens (bone in, skin on and split in half, lengthwise)
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon of five spice powder
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1 teaspoon of white pepper
• 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
• 3 tbs diced green onions
• 2 tbs cooking oil
• Rice, tomatoes, cucumbers
• DIPPING SAUCE
• Juice from roasted hens
• Lime wedges
• Chili garlic sauce or thai red chilies
• Soy sauce

Preparation

Step 1

In a mixing bowl or large ziplock bag, combine soy sauce, five spice powder, honey, peppers, sesame oil and garlic along with the cornish hens and mix well. Marinate the Cornish hens preferably overnight, but 4 to 6 hours will work.

Preheat oven for 350 degrees. Place hens in a baking pan on the middle rack in the oven, with skin facing up. Bake for about a half an hour or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees (or pierce the chicken-juice should be clear, not bloody) . The baking pan will contain the juices and marinade. DO NOT throw this out!

In the meantime make the scallion oil. Heat the cooking oil over medium high until hot, add the green onions with a sprinkle of salt and remove from heat and set aside.

Make the dipping sauce: Take the juices and add a little soy sauce, squeeze of lime, and garlic chili sauce or Thai peppers for a great dipping sauce.

For extra crispiness, you can quickly sear the skin on high heat on a heavy skillet right before serving. Top ga roti with a bit of scallion green and serve with tomatoes, cucumber, and rice.