Enjoy grilled Cornish hens marinated in herbs and spices! Perfect for a summer barbecue or a special dinner. Follow our recipe for a delicious meal!
Even though I grill all year long, summertime is my favorite time to fire up the grill!
Besides the usual hot dogs and hamburgers, we love grilling chicken, fish, and steaks.
For something new, I thought it would be fun to try grilling Cornish hens. Once I tried it, I absolutely loved the results!
You must try this marinade; it’s absolutely delicious! Try it and impress your family or dinner guests with this mouthwatering recipe!
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Ingredients:
Some links may be to similar items when exact items couldn't be found online.
- 2 Cornish Hens
- ¼ cup Soy Sauce
- ¼ cup Vegetable Oil
- 3 tablespoons Honey
- 1 ½ teaspoons Ginger
- 2 tablespoons Vinegar
- 2 Green Onions, diced
- 1 ½ teaspoons Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
Cornish Hens are usually sold frozen. Keep that in mind when planning the cooking time.
Butterfly the Hen:
Remove any innards or giblets from the cornish game hens, wash them with running water, and pat dry with a paper towel.
Butterfly the hen, this makes them easier to grill. If you have never done this before, it is really quite easy.
Place the hen backside up, and cut along both sides of the backbone so the cornish hen can open up like a book. I like to use poultry shears to do this.
Next, place the hen breast side up and press down on the breastbone so it flattens.
Then cut out the breastbone with your kitchen shears.
Chicken Marinade:
Combine the rest of the ingredients above together in a small bowl.
Place the cornish hen halves in a gallon zip bag and add the marinade. Depending on the size of the hens you may need two bags.
Move the hens and marinade all around until everything is nicely coated.
Place in the fridge for 4 hours to marinate.
Grill:
Turn your barbecue on a low to medium temperature.
Place the hens skin-side up on the grill, and cook for about 5 minutes.
Turn the pieces over and grill for about another 5 minutes.
Move the cornish hens to the top rack, close the lid, and turn the heat to medium/high.
If the grill has a thermometer, keep the temperature at about 350 degrees.
Turn the pieces every 5 minutes until golden brown and the juices run clear.
The total grilling time is about 25 minutes.
When these come off the grill they smell amazing and look so good!!
These grilled cornish hens can be beautifully plated for a fancy meal, and are delicious enough for a backyard BBQ.
Storage:
Leftover chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Side Dishes:
These are my favorite dishes to serve with grilled cornish hens.
Printable Recipe - Grilled Cornish Hens
Equipment
- Outdoor Grill
- Poultry Shears
Ingredients
- 2 Cornish Hens
- ¼ cup Soy Sauce
- ¼ cup Vegetable Oil
- 3 tablespoons Honey
- 1 ½ teaspoons Ginger
- 2 tablespoons Vinegar
- 2 Green Onions diced
- 1 ½ teaspoons Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
Instructions
Butterfly the Hen:
- Remove any innards or giblets from the hens, wash them with running water, and pat dry with a paper towel.
- Butterfly the hen, this makes them easier to grill. If you have never done this before, it is really quite easy.
- Place the hen backside up, and cut along both sides of the backbone so the cornish hen can open up like a book. I like to use poultry shears to do this.
- Next, place the hen breast side up and press down on the breastbone so it flattens.
- Then cut out the breastbone with your poultry shears.
Chicken Marinade:
- Combine the rest of the ingredients above together in a bowl.
- Place the cornish hen halves in a gallon zip bag and add the marinade. Depending on the size of the hens you may need two bags.
- Move the hens and marinade all around until everything is nicely coated.
- Place in the fridge for 4 hours to marinate.
Grill:
- Turn your barbecue on a low to medium temperature.
- Place the hen pieces on the grill, skin side up, and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Turn the pieces over and grill for about another 5 minutes.
- Move the cornish hens to the top rack, close the lid, and turn the heat to medium/high.
- If the grill has a thermometer, keep the temperature at about 350 degrees.
- Turn the pieces every 5 minutes until they are done and the juices run clear.
- The total grilling time is about 25 minutes.
Nutrition
Our Baking Essential List
- We use Glass Baking Dishes for baking casseroles. I especially like the dishes with lids because leftovers can be transferred straight to the fridge.
- Silicone Kitchenware is my favorite because they don't scratch my cookware and is easy to clean!
- A Glass Cutting Board is a must to prepare all of those ingredients. We even keep ours on our counter at all times.
- This Knife Set will also become your favorite! The knives cut beautifully, and the hollow design prevents food from sticking to the blade.
amber.m
These look so yummy! Pinning this for later 🙂
Deb
Sounds delicious!!
Morgan - Modern Mommyhood
This looks delicious! I'm going to have to show my husband this recipe so that he can grill these!
Jamie Rippy (@MamaMommyMom)
I'm going to have to try this! I've never grilled a hen anyway other than the "beer can" chicken thing (which is pretty amazing!)
Kendra
Yummy! Summer pretty much means grilling for every dinner around my house. I'll have to add this to the list of recipes to try.
kristinethefoleyfamblog
Love us a good grill out! Can't wait to make these! Thanks!
Carly
This looks amazing!!!
Melissa @ This Girl's Life Blog
We like to cook these cornish hens a lot. I'm going to have to try this marinate, looks yummy.
Casey @ Beauty 101
I've actually never tried a Cornish Hen (weird, right?) but this recipe is making me think I need to change that!
Chrissa - PHysical Kitchness
This is SO helpful! I have never made cornish hens but can buy them locally, I've just been too afraid! This post is awesome. Thank you!