Lemon Pepper Cornish Game Hens

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A deliciously simple summer chicken recipe, these lemon pepper cornish game hens are dry-brined in lemon pepper seasoning and then roasted with a pile of veggies for a quick and simple dinner recipe!

When I was little, H.E.B. rotisserie chickens were my dream dinner. So juicy and full of flavor …and probably injected full of fat and salt. But they were so. darn. good. 

My personal favorite was the lemon pepper rotisserie chicken, and for years I tried to recapture that flavor at home.

Got leftovers from this recipe? Try them in these adorable mini individual pot pies!

These little cornish hens roasted on a sheet pan are about as near as I’ve come: juicy, tender, full of lemony flavor, with a crispy skin!

Before we get started, it’s helpful to look at my guide to dry-brining poultry if you’ve never dry-brined anything before.

Love dry-brines? Try my Whole Roasted Chicken with Orange and Sage Brine!

TL;DR

• Zest your lemon. Combine with kosher salt, garlic powder, black pepper.
• Wash Cornish Hens and pat dry. Separate skin from flesh with your fingers.
• Using your hands, rub the dry-brine all over the chickens, including under their skin directly on their flesh.
• Place in a plastic bag and allow to rest in the fridge for 48-60 hours, turning every 12 hours.
• Let rest uncovered for 2 hours before cooking to dry out skin.
• Cover a sheetpan with parchment paper.
• Toss veggies in olive oil and spices.
• Place Cornish Hens and veggies on sheetpan.
• Cook at 400 for XXX minutes.

Jump to Recipe

What are Cornish Game Hens?

There are two answers here. Cornish Hens, the actual term, refers to females of the Cornish Chicken – a particular breed of chicken raised in England.

However, most “Cornish Hens,” you find in the grocery store are actually a cross between Cornish and Plymouth Rock chickens. These grow much faster, which makes them perfect for the meat market.

Why are they so small? The ones you buy in the store are young Cornish/Rock cross chickens that are butchered around 5 weeks old. So, unfortunately, yes, that means you’re eating baby chicken.

Why do they cross Cornish and Plymouth Rock chickens? Cornish chickens take a long time to mature, many years. This is not so great if you’re trying to get large amounts of meat to markets as often as possible. The Cornish/Rock cross decreases growth time.

If you’re curious about more chicken types, including capons and poussin, Pets on Mom has a good little article to help you learn the differences.

Dry-Brining Cornish Hens

This recipe uses a dry-brine seasoning method. Which means you need to season the birds in advance to give them time to cure.

The good news is, once you’ve prepped the birds, the actual cooking is pretty quick. Simply pop them out of the fridge and into the oven with your veggies! Dinner in 40 minutes! 

These are great to prep Saturday morning and then pop in the oven Monday night after work.

Rub the brine on your bird at least 48 hours but preferably 60 hours beforehand. The salt needs plenty of time to absorb into the muscles of the bird – giving you that juicy, tender, flavorful meat!

And don’t forget to leave your birds uncovered in the fridge for the last 24 hours. You want to dry out the skin before cooking, which is the key to getting crispy skin when you roast.

I have a more in-depth guide to dry brining poultry if you need expanded steps and troubleshooting!

Dry-Brining Steps

I’ve adjusted my normal dry brining recipe for slightly smaller birds. Really all you need to do is:

• Mix the garlic powder, pepper, lemon zest and salt together. 
• Rub the brine over the birds, including inside their skin directly on top of the meat. 
• Place them in a plastic bag and allow to sit in the fridge for 24 hours, breast-side up
• Flip them breast-side down.
• After 24 more hours, flip them breast-side up again, remove them from the bag, and set in the fridge uncovered for the last 12 hours.
• You can also rest your chicken on the counter 2 hours before cooking to allow its temperature to rise which encourages more even cooking. But this isn’t necessary.

If you’re interested in roast a whole chicken with this method, try my Orange and Sage Dry-Brined Roast Chicken! It’s the same method, just a larger bird and a fall seasoning! And that crispy skin is to die for.

NOTE: If some of the dry brine comes off the bird when you are removing it from the plastic bag, you can sprinkle on some additional lemon zest, pepper or garlic powder. This is mostly for aesthetic purposes. DO NOT add more salt!

The Salt

Because dry-brining is a form of salt curing your meat, salt is essential. There’s no point to dry-brining without it. So yes, you need the salt.

My last tip of the day: use Kosher Salt! Table salt is too small and will sink all the way into the muscles for an overly salty chicken. Kosher Salt dissolves bit by bit and won’t over-salt the muscles on the way in.

How to Store and Reheat Cornish Hens

Storing and reheating these little guys is super easy! I make these Monday night and then have leftovers the rest of the week for lunch.

It’s easiest if you store them in halves, assuming you even have a full half leftover! Place them in a tupperware and seal tightly. Keep them in the fridge for up to a week.

Of course, you can eat these Cornish Hens cold which makes a good lunch.

But if you want to reheat, wrap them in tinfoil with a small pat of butter and set in a baking dish. Place in a cold oven and set to 400°. Once the oven is hot, carefully unwrap your hens and let them sit in the oven uncovered for 7-10 minutes.

What to serve with Lemon Pepper Cornish Game Hens?

Sides:

I created this recipe as a sheetpan style dinner with veggies roasted right alongside the meat. 

Feel free to change up the various veggies to your tastes! It’s also a good idea to change them up according to the seasons.

But if you choose to roast these cornish hens in a roasting pan, serve some veggies on the side. Like chicken, cornish game hens can pair with nearly anything. They’re incredibly versatile.

My personal favorites are garlicky mushrooms with sautéed green beans or a simple watercress salad.
In the fall, nearly all roast veggies are a perfect side dish. You could go with the gorgeous classic roast veggie dish. Or go the traditional roast fall squash route!

Wine Pairing:

Chicken is so versatile it pairs with nearly everything. Think about your vegetables!

If you’re sticking with green veggies like asparagus, green beans, zucchini, or salad, go for a Sauvignon Blanc or Vinho Verde.

If you’re going for more hearty vegetables like root veggies: carrots, potatoes, parsnips, roasted squash or brussels sprouts try a more full-bodied white like Chablis, Savennières, or Vouvray.

Chicken can even pair with a lighter red like Gamay, Grenache, or even young Chianti.

This recipe has a 2-day prep time because it calls for Dry-Brining the birds. If you don’t have two days, skip the dry brining. Just season the birds as usual with some olive oil and skip ahead to the roasting!