This easy Slow Cooker Cornish Hens Recipe is delicious and simple to prepare. Serve it on a fluffy bed of rice smothered in the rich, creamy gravy flavored with sweet sun-dried tomatoes and herbs. The best part is this dinner can be cooked in your crockpot with minimal effort. Yum! Your loved one is sure to enjoy it.
These cornish hens have a rich delicious sauce that you will defiantly want to serve over your side dish. Try one of these great sides that are perfect to sop up all the gravy.
😊 Great Reasons To Make Cornish Hens
- This recipe is easy for a make-ahead main course. Perfect for an elegant meal or a holiday dinner party.
- The sauce makes this recipe a unique creamy sauce that goes well over potatoes and rice.
- Crockpot cornish hens always come out moist and tender. The slow cooking and sauce ensure this.
- Serving a whole hen that is enough meat for one serving will create a memorable meal for your guests.
🛒 Key Ingredient Notes
- Cornish hens: Cornish game hen, also sometimes called Rock Cornish game hen, is a variety of broiler chicken produced from a cross between the Cornish and White Plymouth Rock chicken breeds. They are served as young chickens weighing no more than two pounds. Perfect for an individual serving. They can be purchased at your local grocery store, usually individually wrapped and frozen.
- Sundried tomatoes: It is best to precut these into quarter-size pieces. They expand when cooking and are a bit chewy even after cooking in the sauce.
- Parmesan cheese: Be sure and buy a good quality parmesan, not the shaker kind in the green can. You want it to melt nicely into the sauce.
- Chicken stock: Again, quality counts. Be sure to use a rich chicken broth, not bullion granules.
- Crushed red peppers: The recipe calls for one teaspoon, which will not make your dish spicy. However, if you like a bit of spice, put two teaspoons in when preparing the sauce.
⭐️See the recipe card for a complete list and quantities.
Step-By-Step Slow Cooker Cornish Hens
- Remove the Cornish hens from the wrapper and rinse well with cold water inside and out. Pat dry with paper towels. Season chicken generously with salt and black pepper on all sides. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil.
2. Sear each side of the breasts and underside of the cornish hens until golden brown. Ensuring you have crispy skin will lock in the cornish chicken’s juices while cooking, yielding juicy meat when you serve. This is the secret to moist poultry. It should take about 4 minutes per side. When done browning, place the hens in a slow cooker.
3. Return skillet to medium heat and add garlic, thyme, basil, onion powder, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant, 1 minute.
Next, stir in broth, heavy cream, sun-dried tomatoes, and parmesan into the pan. Season to taste with more salt. Bring to a simmer for 2 minutes.
4. Then, pour the sauce over the hens in the slow cooker.
Set the slow cooker on high power or 3 hours or low for 5 hours. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. They are done cooking when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
🔀 Variations
Giving the visitor ideas on how they can change this recipe
- Substitute two cornish hens for one whole chicken. One regular chicken that is medium-size would equal about three game birds.
- If you enjoy poultry with cooked wine, substitute white wine for the chicken broth.
- You could switch out thyme springs for fresh rosemary sprigs.
💭 Tips For Handling Raw Chicken
I like using disposable surgical-type gloves when handling raw chicken. After done, pull them off inside out and dispose of them.
Tips and Questions About Cornish Hen
If you have not cooked a cornish hen before, you need to try it. They are just like mini chickens. Because of their small size, they are individual serving size. Perfect for a fun romantic dinner.
What is the difference between a chicken and a Cornish hen?
Cornish hens are a cross between a Cornish and White Plymouth Rock chicken and are butchered when they are 4 to 6 weeks old. Therefore they are leaner than regular chicken and have fewer calories.
Are Cornish hens healthier?
Cornish hens have less fat and fewer calories than regular chickens because they are butchered young and have not built up fat.
How do Cornish hens taste?
Cornish hen has tender meat with a subtle, more delicate flavor than that of a regular chicken with less fat flavor.
Do you wash Cornish hens before cooking?
It is always a good idea to wash off any excess fluids inside and outside of poultry, ensuring not to cross-contaminate your work surfaces.
Easy Slow Cooker Cornish Hens with Rich Creamy Sauce
Note: Be sure to read through the recipe’s post for tips and details about this recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 cornish hens, thaw over night in your refrigerator if you buy them frozen.
- salt , to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
- 1 teaspoon basil, dried
- 1 teaspoon thyme, I like to use one 3-inch fresh sprig of thyme. If you don't have fresh, use 1 teaspoon of dried.
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp red crushed pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes , sliced into cubes
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese , freshly grated
Instructions
- Remove the Cornish hens from the wrapper and rinse well with cold water inside and out. Pat dry with paper towels2 cornish hens
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil.3 tbsp olive oil
- Season chicken generously with salt and black pepper on all sides.salt, black pepper
- Sear each breast, sides, and underside of the cornish hens until golden brown. Ensuring you have crispy skin will lock in the cornish chicken’s juices while cooking, yielding juicy meat when you serve. This is the secret to moist poultry. It should take about 4 minutes per side. When done browning, place the hens in a slow cooker.
- Return skillet to medium heat and add garlic, thyme, basil, onion powder, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant, 1 minute.3 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon basil, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp red crushed pepper flakes
- Next, stir in chicken broth, heavy cream, sun-dried tomatoes, and parmesan into the pan. Season to taste with more salt. Bring to a simmer for 2 minutes. Then pour over hens in the slow cooker.1/2 cup chicken broth, 2 cups heavy cream, 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- Set the slow cooker on high power or 3 hours or low for 5 hours. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. They are done cooking when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
- Open the lid and allow cornish hens to cool slightly for 5 minutes. Then carefully lift them using a large metal spatula to a serving platter. Drizzle some of the sauce over the hens, about a 1/2 cup. Then place the rest of the sauce in a gravy boat to serve.
Equipment
Notes
Variations
- Substitute two cornish hens for one whole chicken. One regular chicken that is medium-sized would equal about three game birds.
- If you enjoy poultry with cooked wine, substitute white wine for the chicken broth.
- You could switch out thyme springs for fresh rosemary sprigs.
Visit the story: Marry Me Slow Cooker Cornish Hens
Leave a Comment & Rate this Recipe
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This was delicious. My niece asked for the recipe as well as my sister.
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it Alice! I like to use boneless skinless chicken breasts and thighs instead of cornish hens, also.
I made Marry Me Slow Cooker Cornish Hen for Valentine’s Day dinner, & it was so good. Served it with pierogies and put the extra sauce on top. So so good!!!
Thank you for the recipe!!
Thanks for letting me know, Rachel, I am so happy you enjoyed it. I sometimes use boneless chicken breasts instead of cornish hens too. I have never made perogies. I love dumplings when I eat out, so I really need to try making them at home. Send me your favorite recipe. gina@intentionalhospitality.com
Frustrating that for one, the butter in the list of ingredients is not included in the recipe instructions. And second, that the ingredient list is not in the order used…seriously, isn’t this rule one? Smells good in the kitchen, however, looking forward to eating it.
Daisy, I missed taking the butter out of the recipe card. When I first tested this recipe, I used butter, however, 2nd round, I used olive oil. The olive oil was a better choice because the butter burned on the pan. I removed it from the recipe card. I also put all ingredients in order of use and, if you take a peek, I implemented a new feature. Ingredients are now under the steps they are used in. I hope this helps.
If I use chicken breast, do I sear the breast in a pan before putting into the slow cooker as well?
Aarika, Chicken or small turkey breasts would be great for this recipe. Yes, sear them both, to lock in the juices.