Ingredients:
2 Cornish Game Hens (about 2 lb each)
2 shallots
2 bay leaves
4 springs of fresh thyme

dry rub:
1 tablespoon sea salt
1/2 tablespoon hot paprika
1/2 tablespoon ground cayenne
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons minced dried onion
1 1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon parsley

olive or canola oil

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325. Pat dry the hens. Stuff each with 1 shallot, a bay leaf and half of the thyme. Drizzle with oil. In a small bowl, whisk together the spices. Rub the spices thoroughly into the skin of the hens.

Roast for about 45 minutes or until fully cooked.

My thoughts:

I went to our local farm store the other day and spied these plump little hens and couldn’t resist. Cornish Game Hens are fun to serve because they are pretty much single proportioned (unless you get a freakishly large one) and a little different than the usual chicken. To keep them juicy, I always heavily coat them with some sort of spice coating. It seals in the juices which is important because CGH can easily over cook. Spice rubs also permeate their thin skins really well and since the amount of meat is rather small, it makes every bite flavorful. This time I mixed up some homemade Cajun spice rub and it was great! Spicy yet fresh and the hens themselves were so juicy, it looked like a river was flowing from the spot where I checked the internal temperature.