Golden Roasted Cornish Hen
A whole roasted Cornish game hen inspired by Spirited Away, marinated in soy, oyster sauce, honey and Chinese five-spice for a glistening dark-brown glaze.
Ingredients
| 1 | small Cornish game hen (about 1¾ pounds, or 794 g) | |
| ½ teaspoon | 2.5 ml | salt |
| ¼ teaspoon | 1.3 ml | black pepper |
| 4 | cloves garlic, 2 whole and 2 minced, divided | |
| 2 | scallions, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise | |
| 1 tablespoon | 15 ml | light soy sauce |
| 1 tablespoon | 15 ml | dark soy sauce |
| 2 tablespoons | 30 ml | oyster sauce |
| 1 teaspoon | 5 ml | honey |
| ½ tablespoon | 7.5 ml | dark brown sugar |
| 1 teaspoon | 5 ml | Chinese five-spice powder |
| — | Oil, for greasing | |
| — | Cooked rice or steamed buns, for serving |
Instructions
Special tools: Kitchen twine.
- Dry the Cornish game hen by patting with paper towels. Rub salt and pepper on the skin and inside the cavity. Stuff the cavity with the 2 whole garlic cloves and the scallions.
- In a small bowl, combine the minced garlic, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, honey, brown sugar, and Chinese five-spice powder. Rub the marinade all over the outside and inside of the hen. Place the hen in a large resealable plastic bag and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight for full flavor.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C; gas mark 4). Remove the Cornish hen from the refrigerator and pat dry with paper towels. Cut the wing tips with kitchen shears and tie the legs together using kitchen twine. Place an oven-safe wire rack on a baking tray. Grease the rack with oil, then lay the hen, breast side up, on the rack.
- Cook for 30 minutes, then flip the hen back side up. Turn the hen over carefully so as not to tear the skin and continue to cook until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F (74°C), about 30 minutes more. Carefully turn the hen over once again so that the breast side is up and cook until the skin is dark brown and glistening, about 5 minutes more. Transfer to a serving platter and let rest for at least 5 minutes.
- Remove and discard the garlic cloves and scallions and break the Cornish hen into sections with kitchen shears. Serve with cooked rice or steamed buns.
Note: If you want to use a whole chicken, bake it for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F (71°C) on an instant-read thermometer, flipping it halfway through the baking time. When both sides are golden, 50 to 60 minutes into the baking time, cover it with aluminum foil to prevent further coloration, removing the foil for the last 5 minutes of baking. Remove the chicken from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes, covered with foil, allowing the residual heat to continue cooking the chicken until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C).