Crispy Roasted Cornish Hen

This crispy roasted Cornish hen is super easy to make. Just marinade the birds and roast them. You can do it in the oven or air fryer. I included both of the methods in this video. These little chickens are juice, tender, and much quicker to cook, which is a different option to serve for Thanksgiving in case you don’t want to deal with a huge turkey.

This recipe is actually a simplified version of the Cantonese roasted pigeons. I wasn’t able to buy pigeons around where I live, but luckily, the Cornish hen is perfect because the size is similar. In fact, this is a single-serving size bird, maybe two if you have a small appetite. That makes it easy to times the number of people you gonna serve and decide how many cornish hens you want to cook.

INGREDIENTS

To Marinade the Cornish Hen

• 1 cornish hen, about 1.6 lb
• 2 pieces of fermented bean curd
• 1 tbsp of the juice
• 1 tbsp of soy sauce
• 1 tbsp of oyster sauce
• 1/2 tbsp of hoisin sauce
• 1/2 tsp of five-spice powder
• 1/2 tsp of white pepper
• 2 shallots, sliced thinly
• 1/2 inch of ginger, smashed and diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, smashed and diced
• 2 scallions, cut into stalks
• To Glaze the Cornish Hen
• 1/2 tbsp of sugar
• 1/2 tbsp of honey
• 1/4 cup of white vinegar
• 1/4 cup of water
• To Make the Gravy Sauce
• 1 tbsp of oil
• The leftover marinade
• 1/4 cup of water