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Cranberry BBQ Sauce Cornish Hens

These cranberry bbq sauce cornish hens are perfectly roasted and served with fingerling potatoes and Brussels sprouts. This is one skillet deliciousness!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cranberry bbq sauce, roasted cornish hens
Servings: 2 servings
Author: Brandy O'Neill

Ingredients

For Cornish hens:

  • 2 (1.5 pound) Cornish hens
  • 1.5 teaspoon kosher salt divided
  • 1 teaspoon Black pepper divided
  • ½ fresh lemon quartered
  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 5 sprigs fresh rosemary divided
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
  • ½ pound small fingerling potatoes
  • ½ pound Brussels sprouts trimmed and halved

For cranberry BBQ sauce:

  • 1 (12 ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • ¼ cup ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon dried mustard

Instructions

For Cornish hens:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and set out a seasoned 12-inch cast iron skillet. You can also do this in a 9x13 casserole dish if you don't have a cast iron pan.
  • Prep your Cornish hens by removing giblets and patting the hen dry so the seaosning will stick.
  • Season the outside of the Cornish hens with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Stuff the hens with 2 pieces of lemon, 3 pieces thyme and 2 pieces rosemary. It doesn't have to be perfect just stuff it into the cavity until it fits.
  • Place the hens in the skillet.
  • In a small bowl add fingerling potatoes and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Take the remaining sprig of rosemary and mince the leaves. Add to the potatoes and toss to evenly coat.
  • Add the potatoes to the pan with the Cornish hens. Make sure to place th eptoatoes around the hens.
  • Add to the oven and roast for 30 minutes.
  • While the hens are roasting add the Brussels sprouts to the bowl the potatoes were in.
  • Drizzle the sprouts with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, kosher salt, and black pepper. Toss to coat evenly.
  • After 30 minutes of roasted, remove the skillet from the oven, and add the Brussels sprouts to the pan surrounding the Cornish hen. Gently stir to incorpate the sprouts with the potatoes.
  • Glaze the Cornish hens with cranberry BBQ sauce.
  • Add back to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the Brussels sprouts are fully roasted, the potatoes are soft and the chicken has reached an internal temperature 160 degrees F.
  • Remove from the oven and serve with leftover BBQ sauce.
  • Note: If you buy larger cornish hens you will have to adjust the cooking time. You will want to roast your hens longer and then add in the brussels at the end so they do not overcook.

For cranberry BBQ sauce:

  • Add all ingredients to a blender and puree until smooth.
  • Add to a 10-inch skillet and simmer for 10 minutes over medium-high heat. This helps combine the flavors.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 333kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 2072mg | Potassium: 1092mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 1465IU | Vitamin C: 126mg | Calcium: 100mg | Iron: 4mg