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Stuffed Rock Cornish Game Hens with Rhubarb Sauce

This is a nice recipe for the spring and early summer, when rhubarb is in season. This recipe also can be used with a regular roasting chicken.
Based on a recipe from The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook, Zoe Coulson, Hearst Books, New York, 1980, p 271.
Cook Time1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 45 minutes
Course: Main Course - Chicken - Poultry
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Catherine Christiano

Ingredients

  • 4 Rock Cornish game hens about 1 pound each
  • canola oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 4 cups herb seasoned bread cubes for stuffing
  • 1/4 cup chicken broth

Rhubarb Sauce

  • 2 cups rhubarb 1 1/4 pound, 3/4" diced
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup sugar

Instructions

Hens

  • Place rack in center of oven; preheat to 375°F. Gather a roasting pan with rack. Line pan with foil.
  • Unwrap hens, remove giblets and necks, rinse and drain, then tuck neck skin under wings to secure it.
  • In 10-inch skillet over medium heat, heat 1/8 cup canola oil. Add onion and celery; cook until golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in dried bread cubes and chicken broth. Spoon mixture into hens. Tie legs and tail of each hen together. Place any remaining stuffing in baking dish and cover tightly with foil.
  • Brush hens generously with canola oil; sprinkle with salt. Place, breast side up, on rack in roasting pan. Roast 45 minutes, then baste hens with sauce. Place extra stuffing in oven. Roast hens an additional 30 minutes, basting about every 10 minutes with sauce. Hens are done when instant-read thermometer registers 180°F for hens and 165° for stuffing.

Rhubarb Sauce

  • Prepare sauce while hens are roasting. In 2-quart saucepan add rhubarb, water, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cover. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 - 8 minutes, until rhubarb is tender, stirring frequently. Stir in sugar.
  • Remove strings. Serve, passing remaining sauce.