Cornish Games Hens with Garlic Herb Butter Roasted on the Grill

Do you have chicken nightmares on the grill? Is it raw on the inside and burnt on the outside with no flavor? Then step up the chicken game with Cornish Games Hens with Garlic Herb Butter. Moist and delicious, with golden, crispy skin, these small chickens cooked on the grill will be the hit at your next celebration. Learn a new technique called spatchcocking which opens up the hen and lets it cook evenly on the grill. Plus it is the perfect portion control – each person can have their own hen.

4 Cornish Game Hens, thawed and patted dry
1 batch garlic & herb butter (see episode here: https://youtu.be/JS2Uni9GVwU )
Salt & Pepper
Metal Skewers (If using wood skewers, soak for 30 minutes before you use them)
Kitchen shears

On a cutting board, lay a hen breast side down. With sharp kitchen shears, cut all the way through on either side of the back bone. Reserve the back bone for stock. Turn the hen over, and press down to flatten. Using two skewers, skewer the hen diagonally through the thigh to the wing so the skewers form an X.

Once all hens are ready, loosen the skin on the breast with your finger. Place a slice of the garlic and herb butter under the skin. Season both sides of the hen with salt and pepper.

On a clean, preheated grill set to medium, start the hens bone side down. This will heat the bones and the skewers and help with even cooking. The butter will also melt and run into the meat. In about 10 minutes, flip the hens over so the skin side is down. Cook until the skin is golden and crispy which should take another 10 minutes. If needed, turn back to the bone side, and cook until they reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees.

Allow to rest for 10 minutes, and remove skewers before serving.