Only thinking about a chicken dinner can stimulate your salivary glands to release loads of saliva.
But the efforts required to make a chicken dinner, especially after a busy day with some fellows, could push you to eliminate the dream of having a chicken dinner.
However, you don’t need to compromise on this dream with this air fryer Cornish game hen recipe.
What is the Difference Between Cornish Game Hen and Normal Chicken?
The only difference is in their size as Cornish game hens are small breeds of poultry and their weight usually ranges between 1 to 2 pounds. The taste and texture of these Cornish game Hen are similar to regular chicken as both are just white chicken meat.
What is the Reason Behind Using Cornish Game Hen for this Recipe Instead of Casual Chicken?
Its weight and size make it perfect for two servings as two persons can have a delightful dinner with one Cornish game hen. Moreover, it requires very little time to get ready than regular chicken. The two halves will easily adjust in the air fryer’s basket, and they only spend 16 minutes in the air fryer to get fully cooked.
What Cutting of Chicken is Required to Make Air Fryer Cornish Game Hen?
You don’t need special cutting for the chicken to make an air fryer Cornish Game Hen. Instead, you don’t even need to cut it into pieces. Just wash it, remove the backbone and cut it into two halves from the center.
How to Season the Chicken Halves Before Introducing Them into the Air Fryer?
You can choose any of the spices to get the chicken seasoned. The most common and quick seasoning is to coat them with a mixture of olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary, sugar, and lemon zest. Some other spices like onion and garlic powder or minced ginger will also do a great job and double the flavors.
Air Fryer Cornish Game Hen
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary chopped
- 1 tsp fresh thyme chopped
- 1 tsp fresh lemon zest finely grated
- ¼ tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes crushed
- as required salt and ground black pepper
- 2 lb Cornish game hen backbone removed and halved
- Non-Stick Cooking Spray
Instructions
- In a baking dish, mix together oil, herbs, lemon zest, sugar, and spices.
- Add the hen portions and coat with the marinade generously.
- Cover and refrigerate for about 24 hours.
- Remove from the refrigerator and place the hen portions in a strainer to drain any liquid.
- Grease the Air Fryer Basket with cooking spray and then slide inside.
- Adjust the temperature of Air Fryer to 390 °F to preheat for 5 minutes.
- After preheating, arrange the hen portions into the greased Air Fryer Basket in a single layer.
- Slide the basket into Air Fryer and set the time for 14-16 minutes.
- After cooking time is finished, remove the hen portions from Air Fryer and place onto a cutting board.
- Cut each portion in 2 pieces and serve hot.
Nutrition
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