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Deep Fried Cornish Game Hens

10/23/16

These deep fried cornish game hens are cooked up southern style. Crispy Southern Style Deep Fried Cornish Game Hens!

During the holidays,  I usually make a huge feast. I’m talking greens, yams, potato salad, turkey, ham.. The WORKS! I don’t hold anything back! Many of my family members love to come by, and grab a plate or two, so I make sure to have plenty of food available. This year, I’m taking it easy( well, almost…). Instead of making a huge turkey, and gigantic ham. Instead I’ll be making cornish hens!

These deep fried cornish game hens are crisp to perfection and pair well with any side dish.

Now don’t get all bent out of shape y’all! I won’t be making your every day seasoned and baked cornish game hens. I will be making my southern style deep fried cornish hens recipe this holiday season!

To get started, I simply brine the hens in a simple salt & sugar water mixture.. You know, just like I use for my crispy old fashioned chicken wings. The sugar & salt water brine works like a buttermilk brine, however it’s cheaper, and in my opinion- BETTER! For best results, DO NOT skip the brining step!

These deep fried cornish game hens are perfect for your holiday menu this season.

Once the hens are brined, I rub them down with ground freshly ground herbs & garlic. I then season the cornish game hens with kosher salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. FYI, the cayenne pepper can be omitted.

My fried cornish hens recipe is super easy. If anything, it’s time consuming ( because of the brining..)

Check out how I make  these cornish game hens y’all!


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Deep Fried Cornish Hens

Take your holiday meal to the next level with these Southern-Style Deep-Fried Cornish Game Hens. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, they are heavenly! 
Course Main Course
Cuisine Southern
Keyword Deep Fried Cornish Hens
Prep Time 4 hours 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 5 hours 20 minutes
Servings 2
Author I Heart Recipes

Ingredients

  • Brine
  • 4 cups cold water
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • Hens
  • 2 cornish game hens cleaned & cavity emptied
  • 1 package of poultry herbs blend includes: rosemary, thyme, and sage
  • 2 spriggs of marjoram
  • 5 cloves of fresh garlic
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 cup self rising flour
  • 5 cups peanut oil or vegetable oil for deep frying

Instructions

  • Clean the cornish hens thoroughly.
  • Combine the ingredients for the brine, and stir until the sugar and salt dissolve.
  • Place the cornish hens in a large bowl, and pour in the brine.
  • Brine for 4 hour, or overnight.
  • Remove the hens from the brine, pat dry, then cut the backbone off of the hens.
  • Grab all of the herbs & garlic, and grind them down into a paste.
  • Rub the hens down with the paste, then season the hens with the salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
  • Coat the hens with self rising flour, then let them sit for 10 minutes.
  • Next, pour the oil into a deep fryer or large frying pan.
  • Heat the oil to 360 F.
  • Fry the hens until there's no blood, and they're golden brown.
  • Carefully remove the cornish hens from the oil, then place on a cooling rack .
  • Serve & enjoy!

Video

Notes

Poultry herb blends can be found in the produce isle!

Check these recipes out as well!

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Traditional Southern Fried Chicken


This waffle fried chicken is golden brown and delicious.

Waffle Fried Chicken


This southern style smothered chicken recipe is moist and full of wonderful herbs. Southern Smothered Chicken


These oven baked barbecue pork chops have a crispy crust and delicious sauce.

Baked BBQ Pork Chops

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Filed Under: All Posts, Christmas, Dinner, Holiday Recipes, Mains, Thanksgiving Recipes Tagged With: chicken, christmas, cornish game hens, easter, fried, poultry, recipe, soul food, southern, southern fried, Thanksgiving

Comments

  1. Mary says

    October 24, 2016 at 5:18 am

    I haven’t cooked Cornish Hens in years, and only in the oven. This recipe is so darn awesome! Definitely will be making this one. Pinned. Thanks for a new way to cook a Cornish Hen. Have a great week!

    Reply
    • Rosie says

      October 24, 2016 at 12:53 pm

      Hi Mary! Let me know when you try the recipe! XOXO

      Reply
  2. Sherri says

    November 29, 2016 at 7:47 pm

    I cooked this over the weekend and it tasted amazing. I always used to bake my Cornish hens, but this is definitely the way to go. I never even considered deep frying a Cornish hen until seeing this recipe, and after tasting this, I’m not sure I can ever go back to the old way.

    Reply
  3. Pat Grace says

    January 29, 2017 at 5:03 pm

    What is a brine and will 2 hours work as well instead of 4 hours? Im trying your recipe tonight. How long should i fry? What do i look for. The last time I fried chicken was 40 years ago and it looked cooked but the inside was pink. My dad wasn’t not amused. Thank to KFC I never fired chicken again but tonight you’ve inspired me because this time its not chicken parts. Its a whole damn chicken. Im excited but worried the inside will be raw. Help me out if you get this message as to how long should I cook my 3 tiny hens. Also what do you mean by cut the backs out???? Please don’t forget to tell me approx how long to cook my 3 hens. Thank you for inspiring me. Wish me luck:-0
    Lu

    Reply
    • Rosie says

      January 29, 2017 at 5:22 pm

      Hi. The brine is the salt/ sugar water. Also,yes you need 4 hours. I can’t tell, how long to cook the hens. I don’t know what kind of pan you’re using, how much they weight, and etc. Please watch the video to see how I prepared the hens. Thanks 🙂

      Reply
  4. Lu says

    February 5, 2017 at 7:57 pm

    5 stars
    WOW! I fried 3 of those little birds and they were hit with my family. My son rarely, if ever, eats chicken but he ate that chicken. My husband never eats dark meat chicken but he ate the whole bird and I did too. He also ate half of my sons bird as well. lol. Im a southern gal so Im looking fwd to trying more of your recipes. I will never forget my first fired Cornish hen. All my pals on FB were holding their breath and rooting for me the entire time and wow! The hens turned out perfectly yummy. They were so crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. I was so proud of myself. I used my moms old pressure cooker pot sans the pressure. It worked great for cooking all 3 birds at the same time. I think it took about 2 hours (high altitude) all in peanut oil. Afterwards my stove was covered in oil so the next day I purchased a splatter screen in preps for my next fried Cornish hen adventure. You’ve opened my world. Thanks to you, Im going to try new recipes more often, especially your recipes. That cabbage and ham hocks recipe looks killer. If I can find the ham hocks up here in the Rockies, Im going to try that next. Maybe one day, with the aid of your wonderful recipes, I’ll be able to cook southern food as well as my mom. Until then, THANK YOU ROSIE!!!!

    Reply
    • Rosie says

      February 6, 2017 at 8:42 am

      Hi Lu!! So glad that you liked the recipe! XOXO

      Reply
  5. Talena says

    December 27, 2017 at 10:16 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you so much for posting this recipe. This was my first time making hens. I did everything except cut the back bone out. My family loved them. I will be adding them to my menu.

    Reply
    • Rosie says

      December 28, 2017 at 12:58 pm

      Thanks for giving my recipe a try!

      Reply
  6. Ripley Casdorph says

    September 14, 2018 at 8:36 pm

    5 stars
    We have done the recipe twice in an electric turkey fryer, 11 minutes and they were cooked perfectly. Both times they were crazy good! One time my wife cut out the backbone the other time she didn’t. I didn’t notice a difference in the one that still had his. What does removal of the backbone get us?

    Reply
    • Rosie says

      September 17, 2018 at 11:13 am

      It usually cooks faster, but if you’re not seeing a difference, go ahead and leave it. LOL! Happy cooking!

      Reply
  7. Sandra says

    October 13, 2018 at 7:21 am

    I love your recipes, especially the Smothered Turkey Wings!!!!

    Reply
  8. Julie says

    November 27, 2018 at 12:19 pm

    Can I used dried herbs instead of fresh?

    Reply
    • Rosie says

      November 27, 2018 at 3:07 pm

      Yes.

      Reply
  9. Linda Woods says

    February 8, 2020 at 2:54 pm

    Yummy recipes.

    Reply
  10. L’Vonne Pitts-Hicks says

    November 10, 2020 at 6:06 am

    Hi Rosie my grandmother always fried her Cornish Hen because she treated them as chicken . Because of their size. I love them fried, baked and Barbecued. You are terrific!

    Reply
  11. Dontae H. says

    November 17, 2021 at 3:02 pm

    These look so delicious! I’m definitely trying this recipe for Christmas this year.

    Reply

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