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The holidays mean so much to me and I truly love to have this time of year. It is a time where we make plans to see loved ones and friends that we may not get to see much of throughout the rest of the year. What I like to do to make the holiday meals that we share together more inviting is to make a family style serving of cornish hens with cherry sage cornbread. It is a comfort meal that will appeal to a lot of people and you can just sit, talk, eat, and share some beautiful moments together.
I was able to find a two pack of the Tyson® All Natural Premium Cornish Hens at Walmart. They do come frozen so plan ahead if you want to make them for dinner so that you have proper time to defrost them. I do like that they are individually packaged inside the larger one to help prevent freezer burn and there may be times where you don’t need to make both at once. The beauty as well is that it is faster cooking time versus a larger turkey or ham. Each person can have their own cornish hen or you can split them in half to share since I am sure there will be lots of sides!
Cornish Hens with Cherry Sage Cornbread Stuffing
Whenever I bake any type of whole bird what I like to do is to make a butter/herb combo that I push up under the skin. What this does is to help impart flavor, seasoning, and helps with browning of the skin. Typically I don’t eat the skin, so putting the butter mixture underneath will ensure that you are flavoring the meat directly. Sure it feels a little gross to shove it under the skin, but it is so worth it. The Tyson® All Natural Premium Cornish Hens are a little hard to do this with being that they are smaller, but just be gentle.
Now for the stuffing. My favorite part!!
- Bake off your favorite cornbread mix. I used a gluten free one, but you can use regular as well.
- While it is baking, saute some chopped onion and carrot in some olive oil until tender.
- When the cornbread has finished baking and cooled slightly( you can also do this the day before), chop the cornbread into small chunks.
- Place the cornbread, veggies, salt, pepper, dried cherries, and chopped sage into a bowl. Drizzle the chicken stock over the top, then mix the ingredients together.
- Put the cornbread stuffing into small 6 oz. ramekins then bake until heated through and browned on the top.
I would suggest starting the Tyson® All Natural Premium Cornish Hens in the oven, then work on the stuffing so they can finish cooking together. I was baking the hens at about 400 degrees for about 45 minutes. You will want them to be browned and cooked through. I suggest using a meat thermometer to ensure proper cooking temp and time since all ovens are a bit different.
I served the meal placed on our wood cutting board family style with some roasted whipped butternut squash. We were able to pick at the cornish hens, eat the cherry sage cornbread stuffing, and talk and talk. What I love is that they oven does most of the work so you can still enjoy your family and guests while dinner cooks.
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Save the recipe below for the cornish hens with cherry sage cornbread stuffing to enjoy with your family 🙂
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter softened
- Salt and Pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp Italian Herb blend
- Tyson® All Natural Premium Cornish Hens
- Small package cornbread, baked as directed on package
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup chopped carrots
- 1 T chopped sage
- 1/2 cup dried cherries
- 1/2-3/4 cup chicicken stock
Instructions
- Mix the butter with salt, pepper, and spices
- Separate the skin of the cornish hens, then push the butter mixture underneath the skin
- Bake on a baking sheet at 400 degrees for 45 minutes+. Use a meat thermometer to check internal temp as all ovens vary
- Bake the cornbread according to directions on the package(can be done the day before)
- Saute the chopped onions and carrots in olive oil until they are softened and slightly browned
- Chop the baked cornbread into small chunks
- Mix the cornbread chunks, veggies, sage, cherries, and salt and pepper in a largo bowl
- Drizzle the chicken stock over the mixture. You can use more or less stock depending upon how wet you like your cornbread to be
- Spoon the cornbread stuffing into small ramekins and bake until hot and slightly browned on top
- Serve the whole meal family style on a butcher block with some roasted whipped butternut squash or other sides
This sounds great ! Love the pics .