Ingredients
1 whole cornish hen (about 1 1/2 lb.)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro leaves, plus more for serving
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
3/4 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
Lime wedges, for serving
Preparation
Step 1Pat cornish hen dry with paper towels; season all over with salt and pepper.Step 2In a medium bowl, combine garlic, cilantro, oil, lime juice, soy sauce, and cumin. Add cornish hen and toss to coat. Let marinate at least 15 minutes at room temperature, or cover bowl and refrigerate up to 1 hour.Step 3Remove cornish hen from marinade. In an air-fryer basket, arrange cornish hen breast side down. Pour any marinade remaining in bowl over topof cornish hen. Cook at 350°, flipping halfway through, until skin is golden and crisp and cornish hen is just cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes.Step 4Transfer cornish hen to a platter. Pour any juices from bottom of air-fryer basket over top. Top with more cilantro. Serve with lime wedges alongside.
Is a Cornish hen just a small chicken? Indeed, Cornish hens are a type of chicken, but their breed hails from England. They’re much smaller than average supermarket chickens and cook up very tender. Also called “Cornish game hens,” they’re not actually a type of game bird. Small, young chickens are also known as poussin, so if you find those at your butchers, they’ll work, too. What temperature should Cornish hens be cooked at? In our air fryer recipe, we bake the Cornish hen at 350º, but in a standard oven, roasting at 425º is recommended. How long does it take to bake a Cornish hen? In the air fryer, it takes 25 to 30 minutes to bake a Cornish hen. When roasting in a normal oven, you should cook a Cornish hen for around 50 minutes.
