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–+ servings

Cornish Hens Marbella

Sue Lau
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 49 minutes
Marination 6 hours
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Spanish
Servings 4
Calories 776 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 22 ounces each Cornish game hens
  • salt and black pepper
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley

Marinade:

  • 3 bay leaves
  • 2 tablespoons garlic paste
  • 8 dried pitted prunes
  • 1/4 cup large caper berries
  • 1/4 cup pimento stuffed green olives
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup caper brine
  • 1/4 cup olive brine

Instructions
 

  • Rinse birds and pat dry.
  • Spatch-cock by using kitchen shears to cut out the backbone on either side of the spine. Remove the back and discard or save to make stock later.
  • Turn birds over and press flat, then use a chef's knife to cut the bird into halves.
  • Season them with salt and black pepper.
  • Combine the ingredients for the marinade and add to the hens and marinate for 6 hours or overnight.
  • Preheat oven to 350F.
  • Remove the hens from the marinade and place them skin side up in an oblong casserole dish.
  • Arrange the bits of olives and things around them.
  • Stir the remaining marinade with the wine and pour this around the hens into the bottom of the casserole.
  • Sprinkle birds with extra black pepper and also the brown sugar.
  • Bake uncovered for 45-55 minutes or until the internal temp at the thigh is 165F.
  • Allow the hens to rest out of the oven for 15 minutes to finish raising the temp.

Notes

From the kitchen of palatablepastime.com. The original recipe calls for serving them with pan juices, but I did not. I just plated with the olives, prunes and capers. Discard the bay leaves of course. That recipe also called for dried oregano which I forgot to add but did not miss. Make your own decision there. That recipe also did not include olive or caper brine in the marinade which I added and enjoyed.

Nutrition

Calories: 776kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 40gFat: 47gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 25gCholesterol: 227mgSodium: 1441mgPotassium: 785mgFiber: 2gSugar: 35gVitamin A: 621IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 86mgIron: 3mg
Keyword Silver Palate inspired recipe
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