Roasted Cornish Hen and Balsamic Grapes

To be clear, I’m a huge fan of the small but mighty cornish hen. I prefer to roast them every Thanksgiving instead of making a large turkey because I like the idea of someone getting an individual bird (it looks super cute on a plate) and I don’t have to worry about carving and different part temperatures when I’m focusing on everything else in the kitchen that day.

This recipe is definitely a very Fall-inspired dish and honestly, my favorite part about it? The grapes! Roasted grapes get perfectly sweet and jammy when they’re cooked and they pair so well with the mild flavor of leeks and the tang of some balsamic vinegar. Ugh, they were so good. I snacked on them while I was shooting the photos and was worried about not having any leftover to serve, haha. This dish is also super low-maintenance since the fruit and veggies get a toss in a bowl and seasoned how you like, and then everyone hangs out in a preheated cast iron skillet. If you want to add fresh herbs or additional seasonings, go for it; whole garlic cloves would be a nice addition since they get sweet and tender when roasted (perfect for smearing on some crusty bread). Think of this as more of a guide, rather than an actual recipe. Also, if you don’t want to use a cornish hen, you can definitely use a regular whole chicken, just adjust the cooking time as needed. Let’s get roasting!

Roasted Cornish Hen and Grapes

Cook time: about an hour

Serves: 1-2

1 cornish hen, brought to room temperature

Kosher salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

2 large garlic cloves, kept whole

3 sprigs fresh thyme

1/2 large lemon, cut into chunks

1 small leek, cleaned and thinly cut into rings (see note)

1 1/2 cups red seedless grapes, rinsed and patted dry

Extra virgin olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Cooked wild rice, for serving

Note: make sure to fully clean your leeks! They grow in sandy soil and the last thing you want is to have some sand in your food because they weren’t cleaned well enough. To clean your leeks, cut the dark greens ends off (save them for stock!) and cut the rest of the leek according to the recipe. Place the cut leeks into a large bowl of cold water and using your fingers, open up some of the rings and move the leeks around. This will allow any trapped sand or dirt to fall to the bottom of the bowl. When it’s time to remove them from the water, don’t pour the water out, you’ll just get sand right back in your leeks. Simply lift them from the water bowl and into where they need to go to make sure they stay clean.

Preheat your oven to 400ºF with a 10” cast iron skillet inside.

In a large mixing bowl, toss the cleaned leek rings and grapes together. Drizzle them with some of the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add a large pinch of kosher salt and black pepper and toss well to make sure everything is dressed. Set aside.

Then, liberally season the cornish hen all over and inside the cavity with the kosher salt and black pepper. Stuff the inside of the cavity with the garlic cloves, fresh thyme, and lemon chunks. You can truss the legs together with some twine or you can just use the skin as its own truss. To do this, cut a small hole into one of the fat flaps on the side with a very sharp knife and tuck the legs into the hole by crossing them. Once the hen is roasted, the legs will stay in place when the skin cooks down. You can check out the photo below as a reference point.

Once the oven is preheated, carefully remove the cast iron skillet from the oven and place the leeks and grapes at the bottom of the pan, spreading them out into an even layer. They should be sizzling and happy! Place the seasoned cornish hen right in the center of the skillet and drizzle with some olive oil and additional salt on the breasts to crisp up the skin.

Roast for 30 minutes and then rotate the pan. Check the temperature and continue to roast if it’s not up to temperature yet. Keep in mind to remove the hen from the oven once the internal temp reaches 155ºF (carryover heat will continue to cook the meat through to the safe temp of 165ªF) without drying out. This particular bird took about 35-40 minutes. Since the sizes of the cornish hen may vary slightly, it’s good to rely on a meat thermometer for an accurate reading.

I served the cornish hen and grapes with some wild rice mix that I cooked according to package directions. This would also be good with grits, any other kind of rice, or a hearty vegetable like a sweet potato.

¡Buen provecho!