Down for the Count

This morning, I woke with a nasty cold. I won’t show you what I look like now, but I promise I clean up nice! Needless to say, I’m staying home today. This is one of those days where I’m glad I work from home. For now.

So while I’ve been napping and nursing a cold, I pause only to share this recipe for Cornish hens with you, dear reader.

(As an aside, I’ve never liked the term “nursing a cold“. It reminds me of nursing chicks in my third grade classroom, only in a slightly more sinister way. What I want to think about is this:

Instead, what I think about is this:

That’s gonna haunt my dreams.)

Cornish hens have always been a favorite treat of mine. My dad would make my sisters and I each one for Thanksgiving, and I didn’t have to fight anyone for the drumsticks because I had TWO of my own.

I’ve been looking for a reason to use this pomegranate molasses for a while. Don’t let the name “molasses” fool you — this stuff is wicked tart! A touch of sugar makes it the perfect accompaniment to these Cornish hens.

(Yes, I realize the irony of cute cartoon baby chicks and a recipe for Cornish hens in the same post. Just in case you were planning to point it out. 🙂 )

Edited to add: For those of you who haven’t encountered Cornish hens before, they are NOT baby chickens, but are, in fact, a type of chicken.

Pomegranate Roasted Cornish Hens

  Prep Time: 10 minutes

  Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

  Keywords: bake roast entree soy-free nut-free gluten-free

Ingredients (2 Cornish hens)

  • 2 Cornish hens
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons thyme (dried or fresh)
  • 1/2 lemon (cut in half)
  • salt
  • fresh ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
  • 4 tablespoons chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 teaspoon sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Pat hens dry if needed. Rub olive oil over outside of hens. Put 1 tsp thyme and 1/4 lemon in each hen (you may need to made the lemon slice smaller if it doesn’t fit). Sprinkle salt and pepper on top. Place on roasting pan and roast in oven for 1-1/2 hours, or until hens are golden brown and thermometer in thigh measures at least 165 degrees F.

While hens roast, combine pomegranate molasses, broth, and sugar in a small saucepan, heat over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Serve with hens (I drizzled the sauce on top of each hen).

Powered by Recipage

Q: Any tips for getting rid of a cold? Up until this past year, I never got colds. Now, I catch everything that comes my way. Methinks I’ll be including more vitamin-riffic veggies in future meals!

18 Comments

  1. haha love the quote Chirp! I’m adorable! And so is Jessie!

    We don’t have the idea of cooking baby chickens in Greece, we normally have the regular chicken (and fight over drumsticks of course, it’s part of the ritual) but the recipe looks delicious, though I have no idea what pommegranate molasses would taste like. I know what pomegranate tastes like, is it any similar to that at all?

    Sorry to hear about your cold Jessie dear! My mum’s advice was to try and eat as much as I could (but that was her advice always, colds just gave her the opportunity to actually make me do it), but I’ve got to say getting your nutrients to fight (not nurse!) a cold makes sense, no?

    Get well soon!!

    1. Thanks, Christa! Pomegranate molasses tastes like a more concentrated pomegranate to me: very thick and syrupy.

      Definitely agree with you on the fighting vs. nursing! My appetite has been small today, but I’m still trying to get some fruits and veggies in 🙂

  2. Hope you feel better soon, Jessie!

    I just bought a lot of pomegranate juice on sale and it is soooo delicious! Pomegranate molasses sounds very appetizing 🙂

    Maybe you can catch up on some favourite movies/books/TV while you’re battling your cold 🙂 Gilmore Girls is always super comforting 🙂

  3. Unfortunately, I don’t think I can give you too many tips cause I feel like I am always getting sick too! I hope you get to feeling better soon!
    You mentioned you are working from home. That’s neat. What are you up to?
    These cornish hens look just amazing! Love the pomegranate molasses!

  4. I do menus and nutrient analysis for a children’s residential center — crazy with the new guidelines! It doesn’t take up a lot of time, so I’m looking to add something else in the area 🙂

  5. Oh hun, feel better. I’m glad you are getting to rest. And cornish hens are a family favorite. My mom makes them for Christmas each year. I’d love to make some at home. Thank you for sharing!

  6. Haha, that would seriously haunt my dreams too! Hope you’re feeling better today, my friend. I LOVE the idea of serving Cornish hens on Thanksgiving…I’m going to suggest it to my fam and see how it goes, fingers crossed! Great use of pom mol in this recipe!

  7. Feel better soon, Jessie! The best tips I can think of are to keep drinking plenty of fluids and get plenty of bedrest! Hot water with lemon and honey always feels soothing to me. Love the recipe for Cornish hens, and the new printer-friendly recipe cards!
    Take good care,
    Min

    1. Thanks so much, Min! 🙂

  8. I love pomegranate molasses. I just made a pomegranate roasted eggplant and sweet potato dish with the stuff. It was really good!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *