Roast Cornish Hen with Vegetables

Here's the recipe for our Valentine's Dinner, if anyone wants it. It's easy, and so delicious!

1 Cornish game hen, thawed if frozen
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
1 medium dark-orange sweet potato, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces (2 cups)
2 small red potatoes, quartered
1 small green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces (1 cup)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 11x7-inch (2 quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Remove and discard neck and giblets from game hen. With kitchen scissors, cut hen in half; place halves, skin side up, in baking dish.

In medium bowl, mix garlic salt, chili powder, ginger, cumin, and oil. Brush hen halves with 1 tablespoon of the oil mixture. To remaining mixture in bowl, add sweet potato, red potatoes, and bell pepper; toss to coat. Arrange vegetables around hen halves in dish.

Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until hen halves are fork-tender and juices run clear, and vegetables are tender.


This particular spice combination is so unique and delicious. I'm not sure what it is about it, but it's absolutely great. To make this dish more budget-friendly, I'm sure that regular chicken pieces (thigh, breast, etc.) could be used in place of the cornish hen. That way it could be increased to feed a family if needed. I'm going to be making this or variations of it many times in the future - it tastes so good!