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[ad] Thai Barbecue Cornish Hens

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Thai Barbecue Cornish Hens – Simply yet very flavorful combination of lemongrass, soy sauce, cilantro, coconut milk and more as a marinade for Cornish hens and grilled will tantalize your tastebuds and satisfy your hunger.[ad] Thai Barbecue Cornish Hens ~ The Complete Savorist #JuicyGrilledCornishSummer is winding down but it is not time to put the grill away. Due to all my summer travels, I have only been grilling for about a month now. So I really feel like I have a lot to make up for, plus, I’ve been known to grill in both the snow and the rain.

I’ve had my fair share of burgers lately, so I decided to mix things up a bit. I took two childhood favorites and mixed them together. My grandpa used to roast Cornish hens on his grill’s spit, that’s the word my grandparents use, it’s the rotisserie accessory. My grandma would season the tiny birds and he’d slow cook them on the grill.  De-LISH-us.

That’s one childhood favorite. The other is a dish my Cambodian neighbors made simply called “Thai chicken.” It was chicken pieces that they marinated and then grilled.

When I was at Walmart, I saw a two-pack of Tyson® Cornish Hens and Kikkoman® Low-Sodium Soy Sauce already on my shopping list, I thought I should marry my two favorites of grilled Cornish hens and Thai chicken. Oh man, sometimes when genius hits, it hits with a brick. (Pun fully intended.)[ad] Thai Barbecue Cornish Hens ~ The Complete Savorist #JuicyGrilledCornish[ad] Thai Barbecue Cornish Hens ~ The Complete Savorist #JuicyGrilledCornishThe flavor…the flavor was not blow your mind intense, but was subtle and tasted in each bite. The lemongrass gave it a fresh and light taste and the coconut milk and honey sweetened it a bit, and the onion and cilantro pushes it all over the delicious top. The Tyson® Cornish Hens were super juicy, partially due to the fabulous marinade because the Kikkoman® Low-Sodium Soy sauce acts as a brining agent, and partially because I did not over cook them.

I love this recipe, it literally is delicious and worth making over and over again. But I confess, it is not exactly how I remember it tasting when my neighbors made it. They, like so many of us cooking at home, did not have a recipe. Back then, I only wrote down ingredients, no quantities, and then had to rely on my 25 year old memory of how they put it all together. I will continue to work out the ratios and quantities, but until then, I have a darn delicious recipe to eat in the meantime.[ad] Thai Barbecue Cornish Hens ~ The Complete Savorist #JuicyGrilledCornishWhen grilling, watch your flame, you do not want it too high and hot. I neglected one section of burners and well the poor wings got a bit charred. Luckily, I love a bit of char, but not everyone does. [ad] Thai Barbecue Cornish Hens ~ The Complete Savorist #JuicyGrilledCornish[ad] Thai Barbecue Cornish Hens ~ The Complete Savorist #JuicyGrilledCornish[ad] Thai Barbecue Cornish Hens ~ The Complete Savorist #JuicyGrilledCornish

[ad] Thai Barbecue Cornish Hens

Author: Michelle De La Cerda
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Ingredients

  • 4 Tyson Cornish Hens; butterflied (spatchcocking)

Marinade

  • 4 tbsp lemongrass paste
  • 6 garlic cloves; minced
  • 2 shallots; minced
  • 1/2 cup cilantro; chopped
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk
  • 2 tbsp Kikkoman low-sodium Soy Sauce
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 lime; juiced (about 2 tbsp)
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

Marinade

  1. Whisk all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl; set aside.

Preparing the Hens

  1. Remove hens from packing, rinse them off and pat dry using paper towels.
  2. Butterfly (spatchcock) the Tyson Cornish Hens, using kitchen shears cut out their backbones by cutting up one side of the bone and then other, from the end to the neck. (Bones can be reserved for making broth at a later date, freeze until ready to use.)
  3. Once the back bone is removed, open the hen up, use your hands to flatten the birds by breaking the breast bone, a little pressure is needed.
  4. Place the birds in either a large pan, bowl, dish, or zip-seal bag.
  5. Pour the marinade over the hens and make sure it is worked in to both sides and under the skin.
  6. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours to over night.

Grilling

  1. Pre-heat the grill, making sure the grates are clean and if needed, oiled.
  2. Allow the hens to come unto room temperature before grilling, about 15 minutes is needed.
  3. Place each hen on the grill, with the breasts facing upward. Make sure they stay flat. Use a foil covered brick to keep them flat if needed.
  4. Grill for 10 minutes and then flip, grilling an additional 10 minutes or until the hens have reached the desired doneness of at least 160° F.

[ad] Thai Barbecue Cornish Hens ~ The Complete Savorist #JuicyGrilledCornish[ad] Thai Barbecue Cornish Hens ~ The Complete Savorist #JuicyGrilledCornishIt’s been a couple of days since I made these and I am missing them already. I might need to pop back over to the store and pick up a few more hens. How might you combine Tyson’s Cornish Hens and your favorite Kikkoman Sauce[ad] Thai Barbecue Cornish Hens ~ Cornish hens marinaded in a combination of soy sauce, fish sauce, cilantro, coconut milk and more then grilled ~ The Complete Savorist #JuicyGrilledCornish

Thank you for sharing!

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32 Comments

  • Reply
    Manila Spoon
    August 20, 2015 at 2:26 am

    Lemongrass, soy sauce, cilantro, coconut milk – with all these delicious flavorings in the marinade – I can just imagine how delicious and aromatic this cornish hens barbecue is! Looks delightfully good!

    • Reply
      Michelle
      August 20, 2015 at 9:55 am

      It was truly wonderful, thank you Abigail.

  • Reply
    Ali @ Home & Plate
    August 20, 2015 at 6:21 am

    I am a big fan of cornish hens. On the grill under a brick – sounds like it turns out fantastic. Pinning for later. Yum.

    • Reply
      Michelle
      August 20, 2015 at 9:57 am

      You will not be disappointed. If you love Asian flavors, you will love these little birds.

  • Reply
    Christie
    August 20, 2015 at 6:41 am

    Love that you used cornish hens. I don’t see enough recipes for them. They are a wonderful change from chicken. The lemongrass paste is going to make them taste so delish.

    • Reply
      Michelle
      August 20, 2015 at 10:06 am

      Thank you Christie, I agree, not enough recipes for these little guys, err, gals.

  • Reply
    allie @ Through Her Looking Glass
    August 20, 2015 at 6:58 am

    Dear Michelle, I have never grilled a cornish hen. But I’d love to. I’m also a novice in Thai cooking. This looks so delicious and I loved your step by step photos. Even I could make this!!!

    • Reply
      Michelle
      August 20, 2015 at 10:06 am

      Allie, I have seen your work, you will ROCK this. It’s super easy.

  • Reply
    lizzy
    August 20, 2015 at 9:11 am

    this recipe is seriously making me hungry – I will def. be making this once it cools down enough for me to grill outside!

    • Reply
      Michelle
      August 20, 2015 at 10:07 am

      Yes, you Texan lady are still super hot there, I am shivering here. Ready to start using the oven again.

  • Reply
    JanetGoingCrazy
    August 20, 2015 at 11:09 am

    I love grilling, but I’ve never tried a cornish hen before. This Thai hen looks amazingly delicious, though! [client]

    • Reply
      Michelle
      August 20, 2015 at 7:36 pm

      They are a lot of fun to work with.

  • Reply
    Melanie | Melanie Makes
    August 20, 2015 at 7:25 pm

    Love the thai spin you put on these cornish hens!

  • Reply
    Des @ Life's Ambrosia
    August 20, 2015 at 11:02 pm

    I love that you cooked these spatchcock style. I actually tried to do that with a chicken on the grill last weekend and ended up catching it on fire. Will need to work on that. Maybe I should try again with this recipe 🙂

    • Reply
      Michelle
      August 20, 2015 at 11:27 pm

      It’s a tricky method…the wings were a bit crispy! ????

  • Reply
    Jamie @ Coffee With Us 3
    August 22, 2015 at 4:02 pm

    These flavors together sound delicious! I’ve never actually had a cornish hen– isn’t that terrible to admit? I’ll have to remedy the situation by trying your recipe.

    • Reply
      Michelle
      August 23, 2015 at 1:33 am

      Hens are easy and kinda fun…give them a try.

  • Reply
    Sandi Gaertner (@sandigtweets)
    August 23, 2015 at 10:30 pm

    Believe it or not, I have never cooked a cornish game hen. This recipe gives me the inspiration to give it a try. They look delicious.

    • Reply
      Michelle
      August 24, 2015 at 10:02 am

      Give them a try, I bet your family will enjoy them.

  • Reply
    Ashleigh
    August 24, 2015 at 11:02 am

    This is the best recipe I have seen all day!!! I would love it if some of this chicken showed up on my doorstep later today 🙂

    • Reply
      Michelle
      August 24, 2015 at 11:43 am

      It’s super easy to make.

  • Reply
    Joy @ Joy Love Food
    August 24, 2015 at 1:21 pm

    I love Cornish hens but have never made them on the grill, this sounds wonderful especially with the Thai flavors!

    • Reply
      Michelle
      August 24, 2015 at 1:56 pm

      They cook really quickly on the grill.

  • Reply
    Betty
    August 24, 2015 at 2:34 pm

    Love Cornish hens and this reciepe looks so easy. Will have to thr this.

  • Reply
    Debra @ Bowl Me Over
    August 24, 2015 at 5:15 pm

    I love Cornish Game Hens – your recipe sounds so good, great flavor combo – pinning!

  • Reply
    christine
    August 24, 2015 at 8:07 pm

    I’ve never worked w/ Cornish hens before. I always see them but have never grabbed one. I really like the flavors you used here.

    • Reply
      Michelle
      August 24, 2015 at 11:48 pm

      They are really easy to work with. Give them a try.

  • Reply
    Michaela - An Affair from the Heart
    August 31, 2015 at 7:36 am

    I haven’t made cornish hens in ages!! This made me hungry!! Totally trying this recipe next time! Thanks!

    • Reply
      Michelle
      September 1, 2015 at 11:27 pm

      Hope you like it. Hens are fun to work with.

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