Martha Stewart Cornish Hens Cranberry Sage Stuffing Gravy Recipe

If you are tired of wrestling a 20-pound turkey every fall, try these instead. Martha Stewart’s Cornish Hens with Cranberry-Sage Stuffing and Gravy dry-brines small game hens uncovered in the fridge for 12 hours, fills each cavity with cranberry-sage stuffing, roasts them at 450 degrees for 15 minutes then drops to 350 for another 25 to 30 minutes, and finishes the whole thing with a quick pan gravy made from the drippings.

I made these for Thanksgiving last year and nobody missed the turkey. This Martha Stewart roast chicken recipe is one of her best chicken recipes for the holidays because every person gets their own stuffed bird, which feels more special than carving slices off a big turkey. It is one of those Martha Stewart chicken dishes that looks like it took all day but really just needed 20 minutes of hands-on work and some patience while the fridge does the rest.

Try More Dinner Recipes:

• Roast Turkey
• Stuffed Turkey
• Roast Chicken

Why You Will Love These Cornish Hens With Stuffing:

• Everyone gets their own bird: You set a whole hen on each plate, stuffed and golden, and people lose their minds. Trust me, the presentation alone is worth making these. It feels like a restaurant but you did it in your kitchen.
• The dry brine changes everything: Salting the hens and leaving them uncovered in the fridge for 12 hours dries out the skin so it roasts up incredibly crispy, and the salt has time to work its way deep into the meat. You do the work the day before and the fridge handles the rest.
• Pan gravy from the drippings: After the hens roast on top of onion, celery, and thyme, you have a pan full of flavor. A quick slurry of flour and stock turns those drippings into a proper gravy in about 5 minutes. I have made gravy from scratch many times and this is one of the easiest methods I have used.

Cornish Hens Cranberry Sage Stuffing And Gravy Ingredients

• 4 to 6 game hens, room temperature
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 to 6 cups cranberry-sage stuffing
• 4 to 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 2 celery stalks, cut into 2-inch pieces
• Fresh thyme sprigs
• 2 1/4 cups turkey or chicken stock, preferably homemade, divided
• 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

How To Make Martha Stewart Cornish Hens Cranberry Sage Stuffing And Gravy

1. Dry brine the hens: Pat the skin and cavities of the hens dry with paper towels. Generously season the cavities with salt. Refrigerate uncovered for at least 12 hours and up to 2 days ahead.
2. Stuff and truss: Remove the hens from the refrigerator and let stand for 1 hour. Pat dry inside and out. Loosely fill the cavity of each hen with 1 cup of cranberry-sage stuffing. Tie the legs with twine to secure.
3. Season and arrange: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Rub 1 tablespoon of butter all over the skin of each hen. Season with salt and pepper. Scatter the onion, celery, and thyme in a roasting pan. Arrange the hens in the pan over the aromatics.
4. Roast: Roast for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and continue roasting, basting with pan drippings twice, until the hens register 165 degrees on a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thighs and into the center of the stuffed cavities, 25 to 30 minutes more depending on size. Transfer the hens to a board or platter and loosely cover to keep warm.
5. Make the gravy: Whisk together 1/4 cup of stock and the flour to create a slurry. Discard the vegetables and thyme from the pan. Add the remaining 2 cups of stock to the pan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, scraping to loosen any bits on the bottom. Whisk the slurry into the pan and cook, whisking occasionally, until the gravy thickens to the consistency you want. Season to taste and strain if desired for a smooth gravy. Serve with the hens and stuffing.

Recipe Tips

• Buy hens that are the same size: If one hen is 1 1/2 pounds and another is 2 pounds, they will not finish at the same time. I try to find hens within a couple ounces of each other so I can pull them all at once. Ask your butcher if you do not see uniform sizes on the shelf.
• Do not overstuff the cavities: The recipe says to loosely fill with 1 cup of stuffing per hen. If you pack it in tight, the stuffing will not reach 165 degrees in the center and the hen takes longer to cook. I leave a little room so heat can circulate inside.
• The two-temperature roast matters: Starting at 450 degrees crisps the skin fast. Dropping to 350 lets the inside cook through gently without burning the outside. Do not skip the temperature change or the skin will char before the stuffing is done.
• Baste twice during the low-heat roast: At about 10 and 20 minutes into the 350-degree phase, I open the oven and spoon the pan drippings over each hen. It adds another layer of golden color and keeps the breast from drying out.

What Goes Well With These Stuffed Cornish Hens

If you are making these for Thanksgiving, the hens already come with stuffing and gravy so half the meal is done. I add cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes because those are non-negotiable at my table.

A green bean casserole rounds out the spread. You have your bird, your stuffing, your gravy, your sides. That is a full Thanksgiving dinner without ever touching a turkey.

How To Store Leftovers

Pull the meat off the bones and store it with the stuffing and gravy in separate containers. The stuffing dries out if it sits without the gravy, so I pour a little gravy over it before refrigerating. Everything keeps 3 to 4 days.

I reheat the stuffing and gravy together in a saucepan and warm the hen meat in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Leftover Cornish hen on a sandwich with cranberry sauce and stuffing the day after Thanksgiving is one of the best meals of the year and you do not even have to cook.

FAQs

• What is the cranberry-sage stuffing? It is a separate recipe made with rye bread, cranberries, and fresh sage. You will need to make the stuffing before you assemble the hens. I make it the same day I start the dry brine so everything is ready to go the next morning.
• What is a game hen? A game hen, also called a Cornish hen or rock hen, is just a small young chicken, usually under 2 pounds. It is not game meat like quail. If you have roasted a chicken before, you already know how to handle these. They are the same bird, just smaller.
• Can I skip the dry brine? You can, but I would not. The 12 hours uncovered in the fridge is what gives the skin that crackling crispiness. If you just salt and roast immediately, the skin will be softer and the meat will not be as seasoned all the way through. Plan ahead for this one.
• How many hens do I need? The recipe makes 4 to 6 hens to serve 4 to 12 people. If your hens are on the larger side, closer to 2 pounds, half a hen per person is generous. For smaller hens around 1 1/2 pounds, plan on one per person. I always make one extra because someone always wants more.

More Dinner Recipes:

• Turkey Gravy
• Baked Chicken Thighs
• Chicken Pot Pie

Nutrition Facts

(1 serving, serves 8)

• Calories: 520
• Total Fat: 26g
• Saturated Fat: 10g
• Cholesterol: 200mg
• Sodium: 680mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 22g
• Protein: 46g