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When I was growing up, we used to have Cornish hens for a special dinner. I’m guessing it’s when they were in season and inexpensive. But, at any rate, they were delicious and one of my absolute favorite things to eat. My parents used this amazing orange glaze on them that I still dream about from time to time.
Recently, I was wandering through Walmart and spotted some Tyson Cornish Hens in the freezer section. I thought the kids would find them fun to eat so I grabbed a couple of two packs and brought them home. Since it’s summer here in SoCal, I didn’t think I wanted to roast them the way my parents used to. Instead, I wanted to marinate them and toss ’em on the grill.
After a little thought, I decided on a teriyaki chicken marinade that my mom used to make using Kikkoman soy sauce as a base. And because, in my world, Cornish hens and orange go together, I tossed a few sliced oranges into the chicken marinade. That marinade, by the way, smells delicious.
To make sure the chicken marinade fully soaked into the game hens, we cut them all in half. Then we let them marinate for about 8 hours. Overnight would totally work, too. This marinade has such great flavor that it’s really not possible to over do it, in my opinion.
We put them on the grill, skin side down, for about 20 minutes. I’m not the most patient cook in the world so I took that time to draw a sidewalk chalk rendition of Las Vegas for Luke. And a rainbow. Meanwhile, Sal grilled some veggies we were planning to have as a side.
While the second sides grilled, I made a quick salad out of cucumber noodles, lemon infused olive oil and some rice wine vinegar. Light and easy – perfect amount of acid to offset the sweet of the chicken marinade.
Once the meat reached about 160 degrees, we pulled them off the grill and let them rest a bit. Had I been cooking these without the assistance of the chef, I would have used a thermometer to measure the temp so I didn’t have to cut them open. Since Sal was on the grill, he just used his super powers to determine done-ness.
The hens came out perfectly. Well-cooked with just the right amount of teriyaki and orange flavoring. They definitely aren’t the Cornish hens of my childhood, but they are definitely something we will make again.
- 4 Tyson Cornish hens, thawed and cut in half
- 2 cups soy sauce or tamari
- ½-1 cup sugar
- 1-2 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 oranges, sliced
- In a bowl, whisk sugar into soy sauce a little at a time until it becomes saturated.
- Add sesame oil to taste.
- Pour into a gallon Ziploc with orange slices and Cornish hens.
- Marinate overnight.
- Grill 20 minutes per side.
- Serve immediately.
Want to try this recipe or one of your own? Tyson and Kikkoman are teaming up to offer a fab deal. Grab one two-pack of Cornish hens and one 10 oz bottle of soy sauce and save $2 using the coupon found on specially marked bottles of Kikkoman (starting on June 1) and on coupons.com (starting on May 15). This deal is available through September 30 or while supplies last.
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That looks amazing! Love the recipe and photos.
Thank you!!
Those look so good … perfect for summer entertaining!
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What an awesome summer recipe Jessica!
This looks so moist and delicious! Grilled perfection.
Yummy recipe! I love Cornish hens ! These Tyson ones look delicious !