Easy Roasted Five-Spice Cornish Hen (Air-fryer or Oven Method)
Course: Entree
Cuisine: Asian
Prep Time: 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 50 minutesminutes
Marinate the cornish hens:: 3 hourshours
Total Time: 4 hourshours5 minutesminutes
Servings: 2cornish hens (about 3-4 lbs)
Calories: 1010kcal
Author: Marvellina
Learn how to make these easy five-spice roasted cornish hen. It's delicious and less intimidating if you don't care for roasting a large poultry. The recipe can be made using an air fryer or in the oven.
When you spatchcock it, it cooks more evenly and it also reduces cooking time a bit. It's fine too if you choose not to do it
Ensure the Cornish hen is thawed if it is frozen. Pat it dry with paper towels.
Put the Cornish hen on a cutting board with the breast side down. The backbone is located on the back side, so this is the side you'll be working on.
Starting from the tail end, use kitchen shears or a sharp knife to cut along one side of the backbone. Cut through the ribs and continue all the way up to the neck. Repeat the cutting process on the other side of the backbone. You should now be able to remove the entire backbone.
Once the backbone is removed, open the hen up and press down on the breastbone to flatten it. This will help the hen cook more evenly. Repeat with the second cornish hen
Marinate:
Combine all ingredients for marinade. Pat the cornish hens dry again before applying the marinade. Rub the marinade all over the cornish hen on both sides. I highly recommend marinating it for at least 4 hours, overnight is best if you plan ahead and have the time. Keep it in the fridge while you marinate it. I flip it halfway through so they marinate evenly
1 hour before you plan to cook, remove the cornish hen from the fridge to let it come to a room temperature. Preheat your oven to 450 F (230 C) for convectional oven, 430 F (215 C) for convection oven
Roasting in the oven:
Place the marinated cornish hens, breast side up, on a rimmed baking sheet lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil. If you want to include some potatoes or veggies, toss them with some oil and season with salt and pepper or with whatever you choose to season them with. You can place them surrounding the cornish hens
Place the baking sheet in the middle rack. Close the oven door and reduce the temperature to 425 F (215 C) for convectional oven, 400 F (200 C) for convection oven. Roast for about 30 minutes. If you didn't spatchcock/butterfly the cornish hen, roast for about 50 minutes or when you poke a skewer on the thick side of the meat, the juice should run clear with no blood. My favorite way is to use an instant-read thermometer and it should read at least 165 F (74 C). If not, cook in 5-minute increment and check again
Roasting in the air fryer:
Preheat the air fryer to 400 F (200 C) for 5 minutes. Oil the basket or use a non-stick sprayer. Depending on the size of your air-fryer, you may be able to cook only one at a time. Place the cornish hen, breast side up and lower the temperature to 375 F (190 C) for 20 minutes and then flip over and cook for another 5-10 minutes and then check the internal temperature. It should be 165 F. If not, cook for another 3-5 minutes longer and check again
To serve:
Loosely cover the cornish hen with foil and let them rest for 10 minutes before serving or cutting so the meat remains juicy.