Cornish Hens are a welcome change from the usual chicken dinner. I have made them a few times this past year, we even had them for a holiday [1]!
Ever since I got my air fryer [2] last Christmas, I’ve been trying out some of my favorite oven recipes. I especially love using the rotisserie! Cook time in the air fryer is less than in a traditional oven, so a recipe that would normally be relegated to a Sunday afternoon is now possible any day of the week!
But really, in the end it’s all about taste. Both Mr. Cucina and I agreed, this Air Fryer Cornish Hen was juicier and tastier than the oven version!
A possible drawback of most air fryers, you will only be able to cook one hen at a time. But for our household of two, this was not a problem. We each had half and it was more than enough for our small appetites.
2 servings, dinner for 2
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Ingredients:
- 1 Cornish Hen (mine weighed 2.3 lbs.)
- 2 tbsp. butter, softened
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. gluten free seasoning (I used Grill Mates Montreal Chicken [3])
- paprika
Preparation:
Soften (don’t melt) the butter by leaving it at room temperature or carefully microwaving 10-20 seconds. Combine it with the olive oil and seasoning.
Remove the neck and giblets from the hen and discard. Rinse and pat dry.
Next rub the butter mixture all over the hen, be sure to get under the legs and wings.
Insert the rotisserie spit and secure the ends with clips, then tie the legs and wings with twine. Sprinkle all over with paprika.
Place the hen in the air fryer for 45 minutes at 375º.
When finished, check with a meat thermometer [4]. The internal temperature should be between 165º-170º.
Remove to a plate and let it rest a few minutes, then carefully remove the twine and rotisserie spit.
Use a sharp knife and/or kitchen scissors [5] to cut through the backbone and divide the hen into 2 portions.
Notes ♪♫ Every air fryer is different, if yours doesn’t have a rotisserie then you will need to turn the hen every so often for even browning. Cook time for this recipe was based on a single Cornish hen weighing 2.3 lbs. Use this as a guide, but always check the internal temperature with a thermometer [4].