Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 small leek, white part with 1 inch of green, finely chopped and rinsed
- 1 small apple (about 4 ounces), peeled, cored, and diced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh sage, plus sprigs for garnish
- 1 tablespoon minced flat-leaf parsley, plus sprigs for garnish
- 2 cups cubed day old cornbread
- 3/4 to 1 cup chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 Cornish hens, giblets discarded, patted dry
Directions
In a medium skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-low heat. Saute the leeks for 8 to 10 minutes, until softened. Add the apples and cook for 3 minutes more. In a medium bowl combine the leek mixture with the sage, parsley, cornbread and enough broth to moisten. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Stuff the birds with the cornbread mixture and tie the legs of each hen together with kitchen twine. Melt the remaining butter. Brush the birds all over with butter and season with salt and pepper. Put the hens on a rack in a large roasting pan, breast-side up. Roast until an instant read thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 170 degrees F., about 80 minutes. Set the birds aside at room temperature, loosely covered with foil, for 10 minutes before carving. Split the hens in half through the breast with a sharp knife or poultry shears, and keep the stuffing intact. Arrange birds skin-side up, on a platter, garnish with sprigs of herbs and serve.
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By YogiBeark9
on January 13, 2012
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Yum! I made this recipe for Christmas dinner and it was delicious and easy to do. I did increase the amount of stuffing, and made the extra in a separate dish.
By jasatt_8194132
West Jordan, UT
on October 16, 2011
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Ifound the apples and cornbread made the stuffing a bit too sweet, but still tasty. I cooked the 6 hens I made for the 80 minutes called for but they were a bit over done at 400 degrees. Leeks are really expensive where I live. I had to buy two very large ones for $4.00 a lb. And then I only used an inch and a half of one of them. I will need to research recipes using leeks here to use them up. Would onions work just as well?
By jordan.447
Columbus, OH
on September 30, 2011
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Maybe I did something wrong, but the stuffing was so wet. The birds cooked great though, the skin was nice and crunchy.
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