Roast Cornish Hens with Panzanella Stuffing

Name: Roast Cornish Hens with Panzanella Stuffing
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Mediterranean, Italian, European
Ingredients: 680 grams sourdough or firm country bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 8 cups); 1 Tbsp butter, cut into small pieces; 473 milliliters drained diced canned tomatoes; 2 Cornish hens; 2 teaspoons dried rosemary, crumbled, or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary; 6 Tbsps chopped flat-leaf parsley; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 4 servings Fresh-ground black pepper; 3 Tbsps olive oil; 1 teaspoon salt

Roast Cornish Hens with Panzanella Stuffing might be just the main course you are searching for. This recipe serves 4. One portion of this dish contains roughly 58g of protein, 51g of fat, and a total of 1054 calories. Thanksgiving will be even more special with this recipe. This recipe is typical of Mediterranean cuisine. If you have country bread, butter, tomatoes, and a few other ingredients on hand, you can make it. To use up the bread you could follow this main course with the Coffee Cake Banana Bread as a dessert.

Instructions

Set the oven at 42

Equipment you will use

Oven

Put the bread cubes in the oven while it heats and toast them until golden brown, about 6 minutes.

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Bread Cubes

Toast

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Oven

Twist the wings of the Cornish hens behind their backs and tie the legs together.

Ingredients you will need

Cornish Hens

Chicken Wings

Put the hens, breast-side up, in a roasting pan. Coat the hens with 1 tablespoon of the oil; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Dot with the butter. Roast the hens until just done, about 40 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Butter

Pepper

Salt

Cooking Oil

Equipment you will use

Roasting Pan

Meanwhile, oil a deep 1-quart baking dish. In a large bowl, toss the tomatoes with the garlic, parsley, rosemary, the remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

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Rosemary

Tomato

Parsley

Garlic

Pepper

Salt

Cooking Oil

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Baking Pan

Bowl

Add the toasted bread cubes and the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and stir well to combine.

Ingredients you will need

Bread Cubes

Cooking Oil

Put the stuffing in the prepared baking dish and cover with a lid or with aluminum foil.

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Stuffing

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Aluminum Foil

Baking Pan

Bake for 20 minutes.

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Oven

Remove the cover; bake until the stuffing is crisp and golden brown, about 12 minutes longer.

Ingredients you will need

Stuffing

Equipment you will use

Oven

When the hens are done, transfer them to a plate and leave to rest in a warm spot for about 10 minutes.

Pour off the fat from the roasting pan and add any accumulated juices from the hens.

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Roasting Pan

Cut the hens in half and serve with the stuffing and the pan juices.

Ingredients you will need

Stuffing

Equipment you will use

Frying Pan

Menu Suggestion: Only a green vegetable, perhaps broccoli rabe, is needed to complete the meal.

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Broccoli Rabe

Vegetable

Wine Recommendation: This rustic, Italian-influenced recipe will go nicely with an Italian red such as a Chianti Classico. It combines fruit flavors with the acidity to stand up to the strong ingredients here.

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Wine