This Roasted Cornish Hen with Vegetables dish is super easy and delicious. It’s an entire meal cooked in just one cast iron skillet.
Roasting Cornish Hens is impressive and only takes about one hour too bake in the oven.
Two Cornish Hens are covered in savory seasonings and garlic and baked until crispy with carrots, potatoes, and onions.
This recipe makes a great lunch, dinner, or romantic date night meal idea. Try it for Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day or Christmas.
As an Amazon Associate, I may make a small commission, at no additional cost, if you purchase through product affiliate links in this post.
Have you seen my Cookbook?
Easy Home Cooking For Two – by Zona Cooks features 60 main dish recipes giving you two months’ worth of simple homemade food that will impress any night of the week. NEW LOWER PRICE Check Cookbook Price
How to Roast Cornish Hens
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 C) with a 12-inch cast iron skillet inside. Click for a 12-inch cast iron skillet.
Cut the onion into quarters.
Place the potatoes, carrots, and onions in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Toss well to coat.
Rinse the hens and pat dry with paper towels.
In a small bowl, mix together the salt, thyme, oregano, and ground black pepper and set aside.
Rub 1 tablespoon of olive oil, divided evenly, over the top and bottom of each hen.
Next rub the jarred minced garlic, divided evenly, over the top and bottom of each hen.
Sprinkle half of the herb mixture (reserve the rest), divided evenly, all over the top and bottom of each hen.
Remove the cast iron skillet from the oven and brush with olive oil.
Place the hens into the center of the pan, breast side up. It will make a lovely sizzling sound. Be very careful not to touch the pan and get burned.
Add the potatoes, carrots, and onions to the pan around the hens.
Sprinkle the reserved seasoning over the veggies.
Bake for 55 – 60 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F (73.89 C).
Carefully transfer the hens and vegetables to serving plates and enjoy.
You may also enjoy
- Slow Cooker Cornish Game Hens and Veggies
- Grilled Beer Can Cornish Hens
- Roasted Chicken and Brussels Sprouts
- Juicy Roast Chicken
- 3 Ingredient Roasted Turkey Legs
Roasted Cornish Hen with Vegetables
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Game Hens (thawed)
- ½ lb baby fingerling potatoes
- ½ lb baby carrots
- 1 onion
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp oregano
- ⅛ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 2 Tbsp olive oil (divided, plus more for coating the pan)
Instructions
How to cook Cornish hens in the oven:
- Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 C) with a 12 inch cast iron skillet inside. Click for a 12 inch cast iron skillet.
- Cut the onion into quarters.
- Place the potatoes, carrots, and onions in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Toss well to coat.
- Rinse the hens and pat dry with paper towels.
- In a small bowl, mix together the salt, thyme, oregano, and ground black pepper and set aside.
- Rub 1 Tbsp of olive oil, divided evenly, over the top and bottom of each hen.
- Next rub the jarred minced garlic, divided evenly, over the top and bottom of each hen.
- Sprinkle half of the herb mixture (reserve the rest), divided evenly, all over the top and bottom of each hen.
- Remove the cast iron skillet from the oven and brush with olive oil.
- Place the hens into the center of the pan, breast side up. It will make a lovely sizzling sound. Be very careful not to touch the pan and get burned.
- Add the potatoes, carrots, and onions to the pan around the hens.
- Sprinkle the remainder of the seasonings over the veggies.
- Bake for 55 – 60 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F (73.89 C).
- Carefully transfer the hens and vegetables to serving plates and enjoy.
Video
Nutrition
Hi and welcome. I’m Zona and I have a passion for recipes. I share recipes, tips, tricks, and resources to help you cook for two. Eat, drink, and enjoy!
john turner
Sunday 13th of February 2022
can I use my Hexclad deep saute fryer pan?
Zona
Sunday 13th of February 2022
Hi John, if it is completely oven safe that should work fine.
Alex
Friday 20th of November 2020
If I use a dutch oven, should I cover the hens with the lid while they're in the oven?
Zona
Saturday 21st of November 2020
Hi Alex, no you do not cover the Dutch oven for this recipe. Thanks for your question :)
Vanessa
Monday 20th of July 2020
Can we replace the carrots with broccolinni and still have the same cooking time?
Zona
Monday 20th of July 2020
Hi Vanessa, I have not tried that but I think it should work just fine. :)
Tanya
Wednesday 15th of January 2020
Can I use a regular baking dish instead?
Zona
Wednesday 15th of January 2020
Hi Tanya, you should be fine using a similar sized oven safe baking dish. Enjoy :)