Cornish Game Hens with Miso Butter and Pomegranate Salsa

5 from 1 vote

Cornish Game Hens with Miso Butter and Pomegranate Salsa

This dish gets prepped the day ahead, making for a quick and easy holiday main the day of. Miso flavored butter is rubbed under the skin of butterflied Cornish game hens, resulting in a sweet, savory, umami-filled juicy bird. After a quick roast in the oven, the skin crisps up and the whole dish is topped with an almond and pomegranate salsa. I like to serve this with roasted kabocha squash and a side of green beans. It makes for a great Thanksgiving or Christmas meal and can be scaled to suit the number of people you need. This recipe is inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi’s quail dish.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Christmas, cornish game hen, dairy-free, egg-free, holiday, main, nightshade-free, nut-free, pomegranate, thanksgiving

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Drying Time 1

Total Time 1 1

Servings

Calories 597kcal

Author Jenny Ross

Ingredients

2 Cornish game hens 1 1/2 pounds each

Miso Butter

2 tablespoons miso paste
2 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce or coconut aminos
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons butter or butter flavored coconut oil, for dairy-free (you want to either chill it or heat it a bit, as needed to get it to a spreading consistency)

Pomegranate Salsa

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds 1/2 pomegranate
1 teaspoon good quality balsamic
1/4 cups sliced almonds toasted, omit for nut-free
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1/2 tablespoon avocado oil
1 tablespoon parsley minced
stevia glycerite or monk fruit, to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

Stir together miso butter ingredients until a smooth paste forms. Set aside.
Place hen breast side down. Use kitchen shears to cut through the bones on either side of the backbone. Remove the backbone and then flatten the birds and lay them breast side up. Tuck the wingtips under the hens and set the birds on a rimmed baking sheet. Using your fingers, carefully separate the skin from the flesh of the birds. Spread butter evenly under skin of birds. Place onto a rimmed baking sheet, breast side up and refrigerate, uncovered overnight.
Preheat your oven to 400ºF. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and grease with a bit of avocado oil to prevent sticking. Lay the hens breast side up and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until 165ºF. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.
Stir together all pomegranate salsa ingredients. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and sweetener, as desired. Serve over top of the hens.

Notes

If any part of the bird becomes too dark and looks like it might burn, simply cover that small area with foil and continue to bake. A very quick light broil (watch it carefully to prevent burning) can help to brown and crisp the skin at the end.

Nutrition