Grilled Cornish Game Hens

Cornish game hens are first butterflied (spatchcocked), then grilled flattened, with the weight of a brick. Perfect for entertaining!

By
Hank Shaw
Hank Shaw
Hank Shaw
Hank has authored five cookbooks, the latest in 2021. His website Hunter Angler Gardener Cook won Best Food Blog by the James Beard Foundation in 2013.
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Updated August 11, 2021
Hank Shaw
Grilled Cornish Game Hens
Elise Bauer

Please welcome Hank Shaw as he shares his favorite way of preparing cornish game hens, grilled! Absolutely delicious. ~Elise

Cornish game hens. Almost everyone has seen them at some point, either sitting next to the chicken at the meat counter or hiding in the freezer section like little poultry-shaped hand grenades. They kinda-sorta look like chickens, but are they?

Despite their name, Cornish hens are not a game bird — although they are, more or less, the size of a partridge. No, they are merely young birds (about five weeks old) from a small breed of chicken.

Disappointed that they aren't actually something exotic? I was, too, until I began eating them, many years ago.

Think of Cornish hens as single-serving chickens, which is precisely the reason the breed was created back in the 1950s. And since they are so young and tender, Cornish hens are perfect for the grill.

They cook pretty quick as it is, but the birds will cook even faster if you spatchcock them.

Yes, I know. Spatchcocking sounds like some medieval torture, but it's really just a simple way to flatten a bird well enough so that it gets great contact with the grill so it cooks faster.

Once you've spatchcocked your hens (this method, by the way, works with any bird), you can grill them as-is, or grill them al mattone, which is Italian for "with a brick." And yes, that is exactly what you do.

Wrap bricks in foil and lay them on the hens and you will get even better contact with the heat, the birds will cook more evenly — and you'll be eating them faster.

I don't like to mess with birds grilled this way. Sure, you can marinate them in something, but I prefer my hens flavored by nothing more than fire, salt, pepper and maybe a squeeze of lemon.

Grilled Cornish Game Hens
Elise Bauer

Grilled Cornish Game Hens

Prep Time 40 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 65 mins
Servings 4 to 6 servings

It's handy to have a spray bottle with some water in it while you are grilling to douse any flare-ups on the grill.

Ingredients

  • 4 game hens
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and black pepper
  • Lemon wedges (optional)

Method

  1. Spatchcock the cornish game hens:

    To grill the hens evenly, you will want to flatten the birds in a method called spatchcocking. To do this, start by trimming off any excess fat and the wingtips from the game hens.

    Turn the birds over and use kitchen shears to cut out their backbones. Use your hands to flatten the birds.

    Elise Bauer
    Elise Bauer
    Elise Bauer
    Elise Bauer

    You can stop here, but I like to cut out the ribs and the saber bone — essentially the hen's shoulder blade — to make the hens easier to eat.

  2. Oil and salt the hens, let sit to come to room temp:

    Pat the hens dry with paper towels, then coat them with the olive oil.

    Salt well and set aside for 15-30 minutes; the hens will cook better if they are at room temperature.

  3. Prepare the grill:

    While the hens are coming to room temperature, get your grill hot. Make sure the grates are clean. Just before you put the birds on the grill, soak a paper towel in some oil and use tongs to wipe down the grill grates.

  4. Grill hens breast-side up, weighted if necessary:

    Place the hens down on the grill breast side up (open side down). Watch them: Chances are they will want to arc upward, which you don't want. You want the hens to have good, solid contact with the grill.

    Elise Bauer
    Elise Bauer

    If they arc, place a foil-wrapped brick on the hen. Grill this way for 10 minutes with the grill cover open. If you don't have bricks handy just squash the birds down on the grill with tongs or a spatula.

  5. Flip hens over and grill the other side:

    After 10 minutes, flip the birds and place the bricks on them again, if using. Grill for 5 minutes, or until the skin on the birds is nice and browned. Turn the birds back over and cook to your liking breast side up — you shouldn't need the bricks anymore.

    Elise Bauer
    Elise Bauer

    Depending on the heat of your grill, you may not need much more time, but on cool-ish grills this final step can take as much as another 10-15 minutes depending on how done you like your hens.

  6. Season and rest before serving:

    Move the hens off the grill and grind some black pepper over them. Let the birds rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve with lemon wedges on the side.

Links:

How to Spatchcock (Butterfly) Chicken, here on Simply Recipes

Smoked Soy-Honey-Rum Cornish Hens, from She Simmers

Game Hens with Caprese Salad, from Guilty Kitchen