Description
Air Fryer Cornish Hen is a date night dinner dream! Delicious, easy to prepare and inexpensive. It’s a simple and special meal, made in the air fryer, that you’ll make over and over, again. (See NOTES for conventional oven instructions.)
Ingredients
- 2 Cornish Hens (1.25 to 1.5 lbs. each)
- 1 large red onion, quartered
- 1 large lemon, quartered with rind still on
- 5 or 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 – 3 Tablespoons avocado oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer oven to 375°F.
- Use paper towels to thoroughly pat dry each Cornish hen.
- Generously sprinkle salt inside the cavity of each Cornish hen.
- Place 1 quarter of the red onion and 2 quarters of the lemon into the cavity of each hen. (Dice the last half of the onion to add to the potatoes and carrots.)
- Also add 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme inside each cavity.
- Massage avocado oil into the skin of each Cornish hen. Be sure to cover the entire surface area of each bird. Coat the back, breast, legs and wings over and under.
- Once the Cornish hens are covered in oil, turn them breast side up and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Turn the hens over and sprinkle the backs with salt and pepper.
- Place both hens on the preheated air fryer rack in your air fryer oven, breast side down.
- If not air frying vegetables under the hens, add a thin drip tray to catch the Cornish Hen drippings. To cook vegetables WITH the hens, follow the instructions in the NOTES section.
- Air fry for 20 minutes breast side down. Then using tongs, flip each Cornish hen so it is breast side up and air fry an additional 15 to 20 minutes until the skin is golden brown and crispy and the internal temperature is 160°F.
- Remove the Cornish hens from the air fryer and allow to rest on a platter or cooling board for at least five to 10 minutes, before serving. Don’t skip this step. It will allow the bird to come up to the safe serving temperature of 165°F and redistribute the juices so you have moist and tender chicken.
- Serve.
Notes
To Make the Roasted Vegetable Side Dish at the Same Time as Cornish Hens:
- 3/4 lb. baby yellow potatoes, quartered
- 1/2 lb. baby carrots
- 1-inch slice red onion, quartered and separated
- 2 Tablespoons avocado oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Place Cornish Hens on the air fryer rack with a second rack directly underneath. Slide the tray of vegetables onto the second rack and center it directly underneath the chickens.
Air fry according to recipe instructions, cooking the vegetables at the same time as the hens.
To Roast in a Conventional Oven instead of an Air Fryer
Follow the recipe instructions, as written, except preheat your conventional oven to 375°. (Use the convection setting if your oven has it.)
Place one rack in the center of your oven and rest the prepared Cornish Hens directly on the rack.
Place a second rack directly underneath and slide the tray of vegetables underneath the hens.
Roast according to the recipe instructions, keeping in mind that heating the larger space of your oven may require 5 to 15 minutes extra cooking time. Use a meat thermometer to check where you are when you flip the Cornish hen. And then begin checking the temp again fifteen minutes after that. And again, every 5 minutes until you reach the correct temperature.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 40 min
- Category: Meat, Chicken, Main Dish
- Method: Air Fry
- Cuisine: American