Cornish Hen Recipe
This Cornish Game Hen Recipe is the perfect Thanksgiving alternative to a turkey this year. Tender, flavorful, and so easy, roasted on a bed of veggies for the perfect one-pan meal!

Why We Love This Cornish Hen Recipe
Preparing a lavish Thanksgiving dinner is complicated, but there are certain things that can make it even harder to handle. Sometimes, you just don’t want to make a full turkey! It is complicated to thaw and roast… Or you just might not want turkey this year. That is where this easy Cornish Game Hen recipe comes in!
I highly recommend making this recipe on Thanksgiving if:
- You don’t like turkey.
- Your family is not coming into town.
- You need an easy main dish for just a few people.
Cornish hens are similar to roast chicken, but smaller, so they are super easy to pop into the oven and make in no time! Especially if you are only cooking Thanksgiving dinner for a few people, these are an amazing and delicious option.

You can serve each person their own little bird, or have the butcher half them for you, like I did! That way, each person gets a wing, thigh, breast, and drumstick. Plus, I roasted these with a bunch of veggies for an easy built-in side dish!
This Cornish Hen Recipe will serve 2-4 people with a side of buttery herbed veggies in the bottom of the pan. Add a small portion of cranberry relish, 1 or 2 extra sides, and a dessert, and Thanksgiving dinner is served!

Ingredients You Need
- Baby Potatoes – or whole potatoes, diced into pieces.
- Carrots – roughly chopped.
- Olive Oil – to coat the veggies.
- Onion – for added flavor!
- Cornish Game Hens – whole or cut in half by the butcher.
- Butter – softened to room temperature.
- Lemon Zest – to add flavor to the skin of the hens.
- Thyme – fresh or dried.
- Rosemary – fresh or dried.
- Parsley – fresh is best here, but dried will also do.
- Garlic – freshly minced garlic.
- Salt & Pepper – to taste!

How to Make Roasted Cornish Game Hens
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and place a rack in the upper middle position.
In a 9×13-inch baking dish, add the potatoes, carrots, and onion. Toss with 1 tablespoon of oil and salt and pepper to taste.
In a small bowl, mix the butter, lemon zest, fresh herbs, and garlic together with a fork. Set aside.
Pat the game hens dry with a paper towel, then rub the herb butter over the game hens, coating on all sides. Salt and pepper liberally and lay all four pieces on top of the veggies.
Roast for 25 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and baste. Then continue to roast for another 20 minutes, until the juices run clear when pricked with a fork. Allow the hens to rest for at least 5 minutes before serving and enjoy!

Tips & Tricks
- Check the temperature of the hen after taking it out of the oven in the thickest part of the thigh. The internal temperature should be at least 165 F!
- After taking the vegetables from the roasting pan with a slotted spoon, use the pan drippings to make gravy!
- If you are cooking your cornish hens whole (instead of halved like mine), you can place fresh herbs like sprigs of fresh rosemary and lemon wedges into the cavity to make it more flavorful!

Serving Suggestions
To serve at Thanksgiving or any other special occasion, these Cornish hens can go with so many different sides to make an absolutely decadent meal! Pair it along with some of my personal favorites:
- Cornbread Stuffing Cups
- Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
- Roasted Butternut Squash
- Mushroom Rice Pilaf
- Yeast Rolls
- Holiday Gravy

Frequently Asked Questions
This is totally up to you! Since I pause the baking process in the middle to baste, I don’t think covering the hens is necessary. You don’t want the hens to dry out, but you do want to get a nice crispy skin on them! Start the baking process without covering them. Then, after about 25 minutes you can cover them with aluminum foil if they are getting too much color.
Like all poultry, Cornish hens need to be cooked to 165 degrees F! After baking, check the internal temperature of your hens with a meat thermometer in a few different spots to ensure that it is done throughout.
Store any leftovers in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave until heated through!

Looking for More Holiday Recipes to Try? Be Sure to Also Try:
- Air Fryer Green Beans
- Whole Chicken with Herbs
- Dutchess Potatoes
- Butternut Squash Casserole
- Homemade Mac & Cheese
Cornish Game Hen Recipe + VIDEO
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds baby potatoes halved if larger than 2 inches long
- 1 pound carrots cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 large onion cut into 8 wedges
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 Cornish Game Hens halved by your butcher
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 6 sprigs thyme leaves removed
- 2 sprigs rosemary leaves removed
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. and place a rack in the upper middle position.
- In a 9×13-inch baking dish, place the potatoes, carrots and onion. Toss with 1 tablespoon of oil and salt and pepper to taste.
- In a small bowl, mix the butter, lemon zest, fresh herbs, and garlic together with a fork. Set aside.
- Pat the game hens dry with a paper towel, then rub the herb butter over the game hens coating on all sides. Salt and pepper liberally and lay all four pieces on top of the veggies.
- Roast for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and baste. Then continue to roast for another 20 minutes, until the juices run clear when pricked with a fork. Allow the hens to rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
My family loved this!! With picky eaters- this is huge. Thank you!
This is my first time making this cornish game hen recipe and I am so glad it turned out to be tender, juicy and flavorful. I’ll be making this again!
I wasn’t sure how this was going to go, but we all actually loved it! Thank you so much for sharing.
Tender, flavorful, and a breeze to make. Roasted it on a veggie bed—so good and stress-free!
So good
Pingback: 🍗 Thanksgiving Meatloaf {With Cranberry Balsamic Glaze}
Pingback: 8 recipes you can make for you and your boo when it's just you two on Thanksgiving
You have what looks like stuffing muffins with the Cornish hens….do you have recipe for those? Couldn’t find on your site! Thx u!
Pingback: Consider New Twists on Classic Thanksgiving Recipes | Kennett Square Dish
Pingback: Thanksgiving Table Settings: 10 Awesome Thanksgiving Table Settings « Creative Life Antics
Made this tonight and it was yummy! Thank you for the recipe
Pingback: Vlog Challenge D16 – Thanksgiving Meal Alternatives | TiffineysBlog.com
Lovely! We have a smaller gathering for Thanksgiving this year, and I have inherited a home with a much smaller oven since we were moved. A turkey is unfathomable but these hens…..they will be perfect. Thanks for posting. Happy Thanksgiving.
Mmmm…That looks delish!!! I made the same recipe, but with Indian spices! Would be posting soon :)
This is what my mom is making this Thanksgiving :-) Such a good idea. Thank you for sharing your sweet ideas and words my friend. No better way to end my weekend. I hope you have a week full of family and feasting. Blessings from Austin!
Looks like the perfect fall/ Thanksgiving inspired dinner for a couple or small family to me;-)
Those hens are just beautiful. I adore turkey so I would serve turkey but I do know some people who don’t. A great solution to that problem.
We love Cornish hens, so easy to make. For a friend of ours whose son is allergic to turkey, it is a wonderful alternative.
Pingback: 101 Thanksgiving Recipes | How Sweet It Is
I agree! Pork does solve all problems! ;D even those that aren’t food related. Give em bacon – it fixes all.
Seriously, I’m loving your photography, Sommer! This recipe looks delicious!
Looks fantastic!
Hey Sommer – this looks fantastic! Great plan but wouldn’t you know – I have a hoard of heavy eaters to cook for this year and none of them cook! That’s ok – you know I love it. One question – have you ever tried using this butter / herb rub on a turkey? I was thinking about it :) Another great recipe -and great ideas. Thanks! Have a blessed Thanksgiving.
I’ve used THIS herb butter mix on a turkey and it was fabulous. Make a double batch and work some of it underneath the skin!
So this is what little game hens are supposed to look like. LOL. I recently had a fight with them in my kitchen. Definitely taking a few pointers from you for the next bout.
Yes, smaller birds would be a more practical alternatives for me. Muffins look great too.
Great idea for smaller celebrations! I will totally try this after the holidays with our family of 4.
Those game hens look delicious, Sommer. We are doing the full turkey thing, but I’d give those a shot at another time of year!
Beautiful!
great altenative and thanks for sharing the gluten free site!! yummy pics!!
Thanks for including some ideas for a gluten free Thanksgiving! I’m not gluten free, but this will be our first holiday season since my mom had to switch to a gluten free diet. I’m actually kind of excited to take on the challenge of developing an entirely gluten free menu! Trying cornbread stuffing for the first time…wish me luck! :)
Yes, Good Luck! I’ve heard GF cornbread can be moist and very bread-like. :) Let me know how it goes!
I LOVE game hens! Go you!
I’m not sure anyone in my family would forgive me for not putting a turkey on the table on Thanksgiving, but Christmas is a whole other story! Just gorgeous!
These are all great ideas, and I agree with Claire…your photos are awesome. Thanks for sharing!
I make turkey but not a huge fan of it instead i also make BBQ ribs that i roast in the over for 8 hours too. The ribs always go first :) Awesome pictures.
Your photos are FREAKING GORGEOUS. These look amazing, I have GOT to make these!!!
We get little chickens, poussins, – similar to the Cornish hens…. Those are gorgeous! I love all the herbs,
Love this for a smalller Thanksgiving feeding!!
These look amazing! I would honestly rather eat these over turkey any day (including Thanksgiving!)
I just made Cornish Hens and Stuffing Muffins the other day for dinner – love how pretty everything looks!
That looks so delicious Sommer! My biggest cooking failure was with Cornish game hens and sadly I’ve never attempted them again!
wonderful meal, I’ll be right over!!!
i love how beautiful and rustic this thanksgiving meal looks. i’m a huge fan of cornish game hens, and these look so delicious!
I just love your photos, I also can’t wait to try this for the holidays. So easy and not pricey.
Really great alternate Thanksgiving ideas!
I love the idea of cooking three small portions of food–the stuffing, the mini pies–in the oven together. That is genius! Having less cleanup will get me thrilled every time.
Wonderful (and thorough) post!
Cheers,
Alaiyo
Those hens are simply gorgeous! Great idea for feeding a smaller gathering plus, they are so yummy!
great idea for a change of pace on Thanksgiving
Wow, a gorgeous one-dish Thanksgiving meal without the huge turkey. I love this idea. The whole dinner looks amazing. I think you’re going to need more Cornish hens. I don’t even have to buy a plane ticket, you know.
Great ideas, especially for smaller get-togethers. I love stuffing muffins!
Just purchased my plane ticket. Hope you’re…uh…cool with that. ;)
I’m coming over to your house! This all looks awesome!
Wow! This looks amazingly tasty! You don’t happen to have free spots at Thanksgiving? ;)