Roasted Cornish Hens with Olives and Herbs

Dec 21, 2022 · 4,652 Comments

These Roasted Cornish Hens are an impressive and elegant recipe that’s perfect for date night or special occasions. Serve them with buttery olives and lots of fresh herbs.

A spatchcocked, roasted Cornish hen on a serving platter, surrounded with fresh herbs, pickled red onions and olives.

I’m all about a classic roasted chicken, but sometimes you just need to kick things up a notch, ya know? This is one such bird for one such occasion. Inspired by Alison Roman’s skillet chicken with olives and herbs (from her first cookbook, Dining In), this Cornish hen recipe is a leveled-up version of your standard roast chicken, made ~fancier~ with a few fun additions.

Truly, this is my favorite style of cooking: Simple, with minimal ingredients, lots of herbs, and plenty of freshness and twang. For an entrée that looks intimidating, these little hens are shockingly easy to prepare with just a touch of technique.

Plus, this recipe is super modifiable — make it with bone-in chicken thighs for a weeknight dinner that feels special.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions and Variations
Expert Tips
Equipment Needed
Make-Ahead Tips
Storage
FAQs
Roasted Cornish Hens with Olives and Herbs

Ingredients

Cornish hens! Our star for the day. If you’ve never had a Cornish hen, they taste just like what you’d imagine, which is to say they taste like chicken.
Red onion. We’ll lightly pickle it in some lemon juice to create a tangy accompaniment for those savory hens.
Castelvetrano olives. These are, in my opinion, the sweetheart of the olive family, and a great gateway olive for those who think they hate olives. They’re mild, buttery and soft, and they provide a nice bit of brine and saltiness. If you can’t find them, green olives, Frescatranos or even kalamata olives will work too.
Fresh herbs, and lots of ’em. I used dill and parsley.
Lemon, both the juice and the zest.
Ground sumac. You might not have this in your spice cabinet yet, but once you taste its fruity, lemony zippiness, you won’t regret adding it to the collection.
Smoked paprika. This adds a savory smokiness that truly can’t be beat.
Olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper.

Instructions

Pickle the onions. To do this, just toss together thinly sliced onion with some lemon juice, salt and pepper. Set it aside while you do the rest and it’ll be pickled when you come back.
Spatchcock the birds. I know it sounds stressful, but you’ve got this. Follow the instructions laid out in the recipe below and you’ll be a spatchcocking pro in no time!
Season ’em up. Rub the hens down with a generous glug of olive oil, then season with salt, pepper, ground sumac, smoked paprika and lemon zest. Add the olives to the tray and roast it all together for about 30 minutes, or until the thickest part of the breast reaches 165°F.
Finish the dish. Scatter the onions and herbs all around the tray. I like to drizzle the juice from the pickled onions over the hens while they’re still hot for a bit of extra twang.
Serve!

Substitutions and Variations

Can’t find Cornish hens? No worries. You can recreate this recipe with a whole chicken (just increase the roasting time) or even with bone-in chicken thighs.
I firmly believe the olives make this dish, but if you really must, you can leave them out. But if you’re on the fence about olives (or even if you believe you hate them), I really suggest trying Castelvetranos! They’re mild and buttery, without the aggressively briny punch of some other varieties.
Not into dill or parsley? Any soft herb will do. Try cilantro, mint or tarragon if you want to switch it up.
Ground sumac can usually be found in the spice aisle at well-stocked supermarkets or Mediterranean grocery stores. If you can’t find it, though, try using a mix of dried tarragon and thyme in its place. It won’t taste the same, but it will still be delicious.

Expert Tips

Spatchcocking seems much harder than it really is. I was intimidated, too, but with a good pair of kitchen shears, you can do it! If you’re a visual learner, check out this quick demo to see how it’s done.

Equipment Needed

Make-Ahead Tips

Cornish hens are often sold frozen, and though they’re small, they take a while to thaw. Make sure to purchase your hens in plenty of time so you can thaw them for a few days in the refrigerator.

You can spatchcock the hens the night before and refrigerate them on a sheet tray covered with plastic wrap.

Storage

Store leftover Cornish hen in an airtight container in the refrigerator. For best results the next day, store the olives, herbs and onions in a separate container. To reheat, warm the Cornish hen in the oven and scatter with the olive-herb-onion mixture after heating.

FAQs

What is spatchcocking?

More than just a silly word, spatchcocking is a technique that involves removing the backbone of a bird and pressing it flat, breast-side-up. Not only does this speed up the cooking process, but it also helps it cook more evenly, resulting in a juicier, more tender final result.

I don’t like olives. Can I still make this?

I know there are a lot of people out there who don’t love olives, so this may not be the dish for everyone. Because there are so few ingredients in this recipe, I firmly believe the olives make this dish.

And if you’re open to convincing, this recipe calls for Castelvetrano olives, which I refer to as “the gateway olive.” They’re mild and buttery, perfect for those who say they don’t like olives but really just don’t like cheap olives.

If you really want to skip the olives, you can. But this dish really benefits from some salty, tangy brininess.

Can I make this with chicken instead?

Absolutely! The star of the show here is really the pickled-onion-olive-herb situation, and it would be welcome alongside any poultry or even other meat. Spatchcock a chicken or roast one whole, or use bone-in chicken thighs to make this an easy weeknight meal. The world is your oyster (or chicken, as it were).

What is sumac and what does it taste like?

Sumac is the darling of my spice cabinet, and I consider it my life’s work to convince you that you need to start using it too. It’s technically not a spice, but rather the fruit of the sumac flower. (And no, before you ask, it’s not the same as poison sumac, but they are related.)

Its taste is unlike anything else — it’s bright, tart and a little lemony, with a floral, fruity note that can’t really be replicated. It’s a staple in lots of Middle Eastern cuisines. I love to use it in salad dressings, in marinades for chicken or fish, sprinkled over hummus or even on popcorn. It’s really welcome everywhere. And once you start using it, you’ll want to put it on everything, too.

Serve these roasted Cornish hens with…
Potato Leek Gratin with Crispy Breadcrumbs
Hot Honey Brussels Sprouts
The Perfect Caesar Salad

Did you make this recipe? If you loved it, please leave a ⭐5-star rating⭐ and/or leave a comment below the recipe card! And don’t forget to share a photo and tag me on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok — I love seeing you recreate my recipes.