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Smoked Cornish Hens Recipe

Smoked Cornish Hens Recipe

All you need is some chicken broth, Italian bread, pepper, salt, celery (finely diced), and butter. Serve the smoked cornish hens with your favorite dipping sauce or sides.They make a great meal on their own or as part of a larger barbecue menu. 
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 Servings

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cornish hens
  • 3 Tablespoons Hey Grill Hey Chicken Rub (recipe in the notes section)
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil

STUFFING

  • 1 loaf of Italian bread (sliced into 1/2 inch thick strips that are no longer than 2 inches)
  • 1 pound sage sausage (casing removed)
  • ¼ cup dried cranberries
  • ¼ cup granny smith apples (peeled, cored, and diced)
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 ¼ cups chicken broth
  • 4 stalks of celery (finely diced)
  • 1 small white onion (finely diced)
  • 2 Tablespoons sage (chiffonade)
  • 1 Tablespoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons pepper

Instructions
 

  • Ensure your grill is preheated to 325 degrees F and set it up for indirect cooking (meaning there are no direct flames underneath the grates). You can cook with light hardwoods such as alder, maple, pecans, or apples in a smoker.
  • Add sage sausage to a Dutch oven and brown over medium-high heat. 
  • Adding the diced onion and celery to the butter and cooking for about 3-4 minutes will turn the onion and celery translucent. Add sage, salt, pepper, apples, cranberries, bread, chicken broth, and eggs to the pan and remove it from the heat.
  • In the cavities of the Cornish hens, stuff the bread mixture. Cast iron skillets or small ramekins can be used for any additional stuffing.
  • Add the Chicken rub to the mayonnaise in a small bowl. To evenly distribute the seasoning paste, use a rubber spatula or the backside of a spoon to pat the outside of the hens dry.
  • Cook the Cornish hens on the grill, breast side up, with the stuffing pan on top. You need to cook it for 45-60 minutes. In both the thickest parts of the breasts and the stuffing, you want an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Place the Cornish hens on your serving platter and let them rest for five minutes (without covering them).
Keyword Smoked Cornish Hens Recipe
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