Roasted Cornish Hens

This hands-off main dish uses minimal prep time and is flavored with a savory applesauce mixture.

Introduction by: Andrea Dehnke

Who says elevated eating has to be complicated? With Cornish hen, you just need to halve, season, and wait for them roast—with a quick break halfway through for basting to keep them moist and flavorful. To maximize the taste, we made our savory sauce from lemon juice, sage, black pepper, paprika, garlic, and unsweetened applesauce. Just baste, roast, and enjoy!

While the Cornish hens are in the oven, use the time to make one or several of the sides below to complete this decadent dinner:

This is a family-sized recipe that everyone can benefit from: protein-packed poultry is great for athletes to recover and build muscle, while leftovers can be shredded and added to salads, power bowls, soups, or grain-free tacos. Cornish hen is also easy to enjoy any time of the year—but make a great alternative for a holiday dinner if you’re looking to feed a smaller crowd for less work than a turkey or ham.

TIPS:

Use our recipe for homemade applesauce and reserve the leftovers to snack on throughout the week.
Many stores will have fresh Cornish hens in the meat and seafood section, but you may also have luck finding them in the frozen aisle.

Recipe adapted from The Paleo Diet for Athletes by Loren Cordain, Ph.D., and Joe Friel, M.S.

Cornish hens basted with applesauce mixture.

Roasted Cornish Hens

Recipe by: The Paleo Diet Team
Serves: 6
Meal: Dinner

Serves: 6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

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Ingredients

3 Cornish hens (1 ½ lbs. each)
Olive oil, for greasing
1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp rubbed sage
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder

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Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Remove the skins from hens and cut hens in half lengthwise. Place in a shallow glass roasting pan lightly coated with olive oil.
Combine applesauce, lemon juice, herbs and spices. Brush half over hens and set aside remaining mixture.
Bake for 30 minutes. Baste hens with reserved applesauce mixture and bake 15 to 30 minutes longer, until done.