The original version of this recipe – by Mr. Aaron McCargo Jr. on foodnetwork.com – called for deep frying whole Cornish Hens before adding (jarred) sauce and finishing in the oven.
Well, I don’t really care for jarred hoisin sauce, and wasn’t in the mood to calculate displacement and wrangle the hens into and out of hot oil in my nifty little deep fryer – tho’ I do reserve the option to try that method sometime soon – so I went a slightly different way.
I spatchcocked the hens, made my own hoisin sauce (simple, fast and OH! so much better than store bought), and did it all in the oven. I also go to use my new mortar and pestle to muddle my Sichuan Pepper Corns.
INGREDIENTS
•2 Cornish hens
•1/2 cup hoisin sauce
•1/4 cup honey
•1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
•1/4 cup scallions, sliced
•1/4 cup carrots, diced
•Caribbean Calypso Seasoning
•Sichuan Pepper Corns
•Shichimi Togarashi
Hoisin Sauce:
•(1/4 cup) soy sauce
•1 tbsp peanut butter
•1 tbsp brown sugar
•2 tsp white vinegar
•1 tbsp maple syrup
•1/8 tsp garlic powder
•1/4 tsp dried onion
•2 tsp sesame oil
•1/4 tsp hot sauce (Earl’s)
•1/8 tsp black pepper
Make the hoisin by whisking all the ingredients together, then add the honey and the red pepper flakes.
Heat your oven to 350º.
Spatchcock the hens and arrange in a baking pan. Sprinkle with the white and light green parts of the scallion only (save the darker stems to scatter over the finished dish – the dark bits add a bitter taste if baked), the carrots, and the seasonings. If you don’t have access to The Spice House, you can always use regular black pepper, dried orange peel, a bit of granulated garlic, and some ginger.
Brush the the seasoned hens with the hoisin and honey mixture, then bake for 20 minutes, then cover with foil and bake until the juices run clear – another 30 to 40 minutes.
Perfect.
We had ours with yellow rice and a romaine salad topped with sautéed ramen noodles and a soy-sauce/rice vinegar dressing; you know, my Asian (sort of) salad.
Also quite yummy.