Air Fried Cornish Hens: a simple and easy air fryer recipe that creates crispy and juicy Cornish game hens with a cooking time of 30 minutes. They make a great, healthy protein for Paleo, Keto, and Whole30 diets.
The words Cornish game hen might bring to mind images of lavish banquets set in a sprawling English country estates.
The hunting dogs, tired from the day’s chase, would be eagerly awaiting any leftovers from their post at the hearth beside a roaring fire.
The truth is a lot less romantic: Cornish hens are just small chickens. In fact, they are neither Cornish, hens, or even truly game.
But don’t let that deter you. Their tiny size means they cook up tender and–better yet– in almost half the time of a standard chicken.
This air fryer technique basically creates tiny rotisserie chickens with minimal effort; so called “hens” that don’t taste gamey at all.
Ingredients For this Cornish Hen Recipe
- Cornish Hens: Aim for hens that are between 1 to 1.25 pounds each
- Cooking Spray or Oil: This is just to lightly coat the air fryer basket for easier clean up. I’m a big fan of this pure olive oil spray from La Tourangelle
- Butcher’s twine: You’ll need about 24 inches of cotton twine per hen to truss them
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Spice it up! Feel free to add your favorite seasonings beyond salt and pepper to the mix. Dried herbs, lemon pepper, and smoked paprika are all great additions!
Trussing a Cornish Hen
Some might argue that it is a little overkill to truss Cornish hens, but I like to do it for two reasons:
- Trussing ensures even cooking. Because of their tiny size, it’s easy to dry out or burn some parts of the hen while waiting for it to completely cook through. Trussing ensures that all parts of the bird cooking evenly at the same time.
- It maximizes air fryer space. By tying up the hens into compact little packages, it’s possible to cook two hens at once with out them overlapping. With a little trussing, I can comfortably cook two Cornish hens at the same time in a 7-quart air fryer.
How to Truss a Cornish Hen
Start by cutting a piece of butcher’s twine about 24 inches long. Tuck the wings in underneath the bird.
Slide the twine underneath the hen and center it over the wings, making sure the length is even on both sides.
Cross the twine over the wings and underneath the tip of the breastbone. Tie a tight double knot here.
Loop the ends of the twine underneath the legs, then pull them together, crossing one leg over the other.
Tie another tight double knot on top of the legs, then trim the ends of the twine.
That’s what the truss is all about!
How to Make Air Fried Cornish Hens
Start by preheating the air fryer to 400°F.
Pat the hens as dry as possible with paper towels, then generously season the cavity with salt and pepper.
Using your fingers, carefully separate the skin from the breast and rub with more salt and pepper.
Finally, generously season the outside of skin all over.
Truss the hens if desired following the detailed instructions above.
Lightly coat the air fryer basket with cooking spray or oil, then place the Cornish hens inside.
Set the timer for 30 minutes, then check the hens for doneness. The juices should run completely clear and the internal temperature or the thickest part of the thigh should register at least 165°F on a meat thermometer.
If they’re not quite done, give them another 5 minutes in the air fryer, then allow the hens to rest for at least 5 minutes before carving.
Conventional Oven Method
No air fryer? No problem! You can still cook Cornish game hens in a conventional oven with great results.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F (or 425°F on convection setting).
- Line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack inside.
- Lightly spray or oil the grate, then place your seasoned and trussed Cornish hens on top.
- Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and roast the hens for about 45-50 minutes until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the thigh registers 165°F and the juices run clear.
What to Serve with Air Fried Cornish Hens
Pretty much anything that goes great with chicken, goes great with Cornish hens.
Just a few suggestions are:
- Fresh greens and avocado with a light vinaigrette
- Quick roasted veggies like this Roasted Broccolini
- A hearty side of Instant Pot Collard Greens
Hope you enjoy!
Air Fried Cornish Hens
Ingredients
- 2 (1.25 pound) Cornish hens
- Kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- olive oil cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F.
- Pat the Cornish hens extremely dry with paper towels.
- Season inside the both cavities with salt and pepper. Using your fingers, carefully separate the skin from the breast and rub with salt and pepper. Finally season the skin all over on each hen.
- Truss the hens using cotton butcher's twine.
- Lightly oil the air fryer basket with cooking spray, then nestle the hens inside.
- Cook the hens for 30 minutes or until their juices run clear and the thickest part of the thigh registers 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Allow the hens to rest for 5 minutes before carving.
Equipment
- air fryer
- butcher's twine
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