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Sheet Pan Spatchcocked Cornish Hens with Summer Vegetables

This sheet pan spatchcocked Cornish hens with summer vegetables is the perfect weeknight dinner. It all bakes up on one sheet pan and is packed with perfectly crisp Cornish hens, zucchini, baby potatoes and cherry tomatoes all tossed in olive oil, oregano, thyme mixture. You’ll love this sheet pan meal!

This sheet pan spatchcocked Cornish hens with summer vegetables is the perfect weeknight dinner. It all bakes up on one sheet pan and is packed with perfectly crisp Cornish hens, zucchini, baby potatoes and cherry tomatoes all tossed in an olive oil, oregano, thyme mixture. You'll love this sheet pan meal!

This post is sponsored by Kamikoto knives. All opinions are 100% my own.

Summer meals are the best meals!

And while I usually love all things grilling I’m a giant fan of sheet pan meals for their super easy prep and delicious outcome.

PLUS they give me my meat and veggies all in one delicious tray.

How freaking simple is that?

And I know spatchcocking might sound odd but I swear it’s super simple!

It’s really just a fancy word for taking out the backbone and laying your Cornish hen flat.

You can also do this technique with chickens or turkeys. 

This sheet pan spatchcocked Cornish hens with summer vegetables is the perfect weeknight dinner. It all bakes up on one sheet pan and is packed with perfectly crisp Cornish hens, zucchini, baby potatoes and cherry tomatoes all tossed in an olive oil, oregano, thyme mixture. You'll love this sheet pan meal!

A few months ago Kamikoto knives asked me to partner up to showcase their knives and I jumped at the opportunity.

Having a quality knife in your kitchen is your number one best tool.

I don’t know how many times I have almost sliced off my finger by using a dull knife.

Seriously people. Sharpen those knives!

This sheet pan spatchcocked Cornish hens with summer vegetables is the perfect weeknight dinner. It all bakes up on one sheet pan and is packed with perfectly crisp Cornish hens, zucchini, baby potatoes and cherry tomatoes all tossed in an olive oil, oregano, thyme mixture. You'll love this sheet pan meal!

How do you spatchcock a Cornish hen?

Now, as you can tell from the top two pictures spatchcocking just means you’re cutting out the backbone.

The easiest way to do this is by cutting up the backbone with a pair of kitchen shears but today we’re going to do with knife style!

The first thing you do is flip your Cornish hen upside down so the breast is face down and you’re looking at the back of the bird.

Run your fingers down the back of the bird and find its backbone.

Take your knife and cut down the sides of the backbone, pull out the back (like in the above picture) of the Cornish hen, and lay it flat.

On bigger birds, I usually pop out the breastplate BUT because these babies are so tiny they lay out flat nicely without going through that work.

This sheet pan spatchcocked Cornish hens with summer vegetables is the perfect weeknight dinner. It all bakes up on one sheet pan and is packed with perfectly crisp Cornish hens, zucchini, baby potatoes and cherry tomatoes all tossed in an olive oil, oregano, thyme mixture. You'll love this sheet pan meal!

Normally when I think of roasted poultry I think of pairing it with things like roasted carrots, mashed potatoes, and gravy. But that is just too winter and baby it’s summer!

This sheet pan spatchcocked Cornish hens with summer vegetables is the perfect weeknight dinner. It all bakes up on one sheet pan and is packed with perfectly crisp Cornish hens, zucchini, baby potatoes and cherry tomatoes all tossed in an olive oil, oregano, thyme mixture. You'll love this sheet pan meal!

That’s why I went with cute little baby potatoes, juicy cherry tomatoes, and zucchini. 

Anytime you throw zucchini in the mix it’s summer to me!

You do have to let the Cornish hens and potatoes cook for a bit before adding the zucchini and tomatoes but it’s well worth it!

Plus they are all seasoned up with fresh minced oregano and thyme.

This sheet pan spatchcocked Cornish hens with summer vegetables is the perfect weeknight dinner. It all bakes up on one sheet pan and is packed with perfectly crisp Cornish hens, zucchini, baby potatoes and cherry tomatoes all tossed in an olive oil, oregano, thyme mixture. You'll love this sheet pan meal!

Love these sheet pan spatchcocked Cornish hens?

Why not try a few of my other sheet pan meals!

This sheet pan spatchcocked Cornish hens with summer vegetables is the perfect weeknight dinner. It all bakes up on one sheet pan and is packed with perfectly crisp Cornish hens, zucchini, baby potatoes and cherry tomatoes all tossed in an olive oil, oregano, thyme mixture. You'll love this sheet pan meal!

Sheet Pan Spatchcocked Cornish Hens with Summer Vegetables

Author: Brandy O’Neill – Nutmeg Nanny
This sheet pan spatchcocked Cornish hens with summer vegetables is the perfect weeknight dinner. It all bakes up on one sheet pan and is packed with perfectly crisp Cornish hens, zucchini, baby potatoes and cherry tomatoes all tossed in olive oil, oregano, thyme mixture. You'll love this sheet pan meal!
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 2-1/2 pound Cornish hens, giblets removed
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Kosher salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon freshly minced oregano
  • 1 tablespoon thyme leaves
  • 1 pound baby yellow potatoes
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved if very large
  • 2 zucchini cut in half and then into spears

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Remove the giblets from the Cornish hens and place them on a cutting board, breast side down.
  • Using sharp kitchen shears cut down each side of the backbone, starting from the neck end down to the tail. Remove the backbone, pull open the hen, flip it over, and lay it flat.
  • Optional: Near the bottom of the breast near the legs there should be some loose skin. Cut a small slit on each slice of fat and put your legs through the hole. This helps hold the legs in place but it is completely optional.
  • Rub both birds with about 1 tablespoon olive oil, season the front and underside of the bird with kosher salt and pepper. Sprinkle with half of the oregano and thyme onto the bird and rub to coat the top and bottom.
  • Use the rest of the olive oil and herbs to toss with the vegetables. Season with the desired amount of kosher salt and pepper.
  • To a large rimmed sheet pan add the flattened Cornish hens and potatoes.
  • Cook for about 45 minutes, tossing the potatoes midway to keep them crispy and evenly cooked.
  • Remove from the oven and add on the tomatoes and zucchini.
  • Cook for about another 15 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked, internal temperature 160 degrees in the thigh.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 238kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 120mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g
Course Main Course
Keyword cornish hens, roasted cornish hens, sheet pan spatchcocked cornish hens with summer vegetables, spatchcock cornish hens, spatschcocked cornish hens
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Brandy

About Brandy!

I am a food lover and recipe developer bringing you delicious recipes that taste great and are easy to make! My food is inspired by travels around the world and my love of flavorful food. A list of things that make me happy: cats, Coke Zero, houseplants, and travel. Read more...

Recipe Rating




Cookin Canuck

Wednesday 28th of June 2017

What a gorgeous meal! I rarely cook with Cornish game hens, but am thinking that I need to step up my game.

Valerie | Valerie's Kitchen

Wednesday 28th of June 2017

Such a great idea to do this with cornish game hens! A gorgeous meal!

Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet

Tuesday 27th of June 2017

This is making my mouth water, YUM! Growing up, Cornish game hens were often a family tradition - these look fabulous!

Maryanne | the little epicurean

Tuesday 27th of June 2017

Big fan of sheet pan meals! I've never cooked Cornish hens but I'm excited to give it a try!

Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious

Tuesday 27th of June 2017

I can already imagine how wonderful this smells while it is cooking! CAN'T WAIT!!!

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