Another whole chicken recipe that I like to make may not be a chicken at all. Well, I’m sure it is, but they’re certainly priced differently. A Cornish game fowl is a wonderful meal for a single serving. And if it’s prepared right, it can be much more flavorful than your average chicken. There is something about the young age and small size that makes the meat that much more flavorful. I’m sure it really is a chicken with a fancy name. I only know how to cook; I leave the naming to the grocery stores.
Whatever you want to call them, Cornbread Sausage Stuffed Cornish Hens are a meal for the ages. It’s like a super Thanksgiving in miniature. My favorite part of this meal is that a little goes a long way. Although game hens can be a bit pricey, it is an unspoken rule that there is only one per person. So you don’t have to buy a lot of ingredients to make the filling. Each bird is filled with about 1 cup of stuffing mix.
Game Hens Stuffed with Chorizo and Cornbread
If you can’t find game chickens, just pick up some small chickens. Well, you know what I mean. For game hens I make one per person, if you are going to buy regular chickens you might want ½ chicken per person. After grabbing the chickens, get a box of cornbread mix, a package of chorizo (1 pound), a red onion, some garlic and a jalapeno pepper, a can of chicken broth, a couple of lemons and a little olive oil. Salt and pepper are essential. Make sure to grab some if your closet is empty.
To make filling, prepare cornbread as directed. After it’s done, you can set it aside to cool. Next, brown the chorizo in a pan with 1 chopped onion and 4 minced garlic cloves. Be sure to keep the sausage pieces relatively small and don’t worry about draining off the fat. After the sausage is almost completely cooked, chop the jalapeño pepper and add it to the mixture. You’ll want to add a little salt and pepper at this point. While that’s winding down, crumble your cornbread into a bowl. When the sausage mixture is done, pour it into the stuffing mixture and stir. When cool enough to touch, add about ½ can of chicken broth. We want this mixture to be moist, like you are making meatballs.
Let it cool down and put it in the fridge for about an hour. When refilling anything, you want to make sure you don’t contaminate your food. Putting hot stuffing on a bird can cause bacteria to settle. Make sure the stuffing is cool before putting it on the birds. When you’re ready to stuff, simply roll into a ball, about the size of a baseball, and fill the inner cavity of the birds. I wouldn’t worry about this stuffing falling out, we’re not going to be twisting and turning the birds a lot. Rub your birds with salt, pepper, and a little olive oil.
Cut your grill to medium heat and get your birds out. Place them breast side down for about 10 minutes just to get a good color. When you turn them over, cut the grill to medium-low and close the lid. These should cook for about an hour continuously. If you think the grill is too hot, you can always check them. Otherwise, let them cook. To serve, simply squeeze some lemon juice on the birds and dig in!