Spicy Sweet Cornish Hens
Delicious and juicy Cornish Hens, marinated and basted in a Teriyaki Curry Sauce in this Spicy Sweet Cornish Hens recipe.
When my daughter turned thirteen she didn’t ask me for makeup or a new phone; what she asked me for instead, was a puppy!
And of course, I said no! After all, we already had an older dog.
But, Murphy’s law or fate (depending on whose point of view you take), intervened and we crossed paths with an abandoned puppy at our local animal shelter.
When we took him to the vet’s the next day, the vet was overjoyed to tell us that he thought our puppy was a rare-to-be-found-in-this-area Newfoundland! He went on to tell us that they grew to be about 150-170 LBS! 😯 And I had to sit down as I couldn’t imagine walking a dog that big!
But, as time went by, our little Ollie didn’t seem to grow like the vet said he would. He seemed to eat 5 times his weight, but, at his one year check-up, he was only 53 lbs.
It was then that the vet said that maybe Ollie wasn’t a pure bread Newfoundland after all! Yes! He was a mix! A fusion – of a Newfoundland and a smaller dog!
Which meant he wouldn’t take up my whole kitchen when he was in it!
Even though I reluctantly let him into our lives, my daughter and I adore our little fusion dog! And, speaking of “fusion”, we also happen to love this fusion Spicy Sweet Teriyaki Curry sauce I’ve been making for awhile now.
It is a simple blend of Teriyaki Sauce, coconut milk, fresh garlic & onion, curry powder, cayenne and paprika. I cannot take full credit for it as I vaguely recall reading about a similar recipe somewhere. This sauce is incredible with just about every meat, fish or veggie around.
For today’s recipe, I grilled up some Cornish Hens as a special treat, which I had marinated in the Teriyaki Curry sauce for a couple of hours. These Cornish Hens are All Natural with no artificial ingredients or preservatives, and No added hormones or steroids. The Teriyaki Sauce acted as a brine and helped the Cornish Hens stay juicy!
Started off these Spicy Sweet Teriyaki Curry Cornish Hens by:
• First add a chopped onion and garlic to a pan with olive oil in it, and saute till onions are translucent
• Then I added a can of full-fat coconut milk to the pan, along with 1/2 a cup of teriyaki sauce
• Followed by adding 1 1/2 teaspoons of curry powder, cayenne, and paprika and letting the sauce simmer for 30 minutes over a low/medium flame – stirring occasionally. When done – I let it cool a little.
• I then placed two Cornish Hens in another pan and marinated them in half the sauce.
• The other half of the sauce, I returned to the stove and let it reduce down over a very low flame (for about 30-40 minutes)
• After a couple of hours, I grilled the Cornish Hens on foil for about 35-40 minutes, basting them with the thickened sauce during the last 10 minutes or so of grilling.
• Then, let the Cornish Hens cool down before enjoying with more of the reduced down, Spicy Sweet, Teriyaki Curry Sauce.
Here in Georgia, we tend to stay warm till early October; so, my daughter and I are trying our very best to soak up as much of summer as we can by grilling and staying outside as much as we can.
Ingredients
- 1 small red onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- 1/2 cup Teriyaki Sauce
- 11/2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 Cornish Hens
Instructions
- Saute onion and garlic in a pan with olive oil in it, till onions are translucent
- Add coconut milk to the pan
- Then add teriyaki sauce, curry powder, cayenne and paprika and let the sauce simmer for 30 minutes over a low/medium flame – stirring occasionally. When done – let cool a little.
- Place two Tyson® Cornish Hens in another pan and marinated them in half the sauce.
- Return the other half of the sauce to the stove top and let it reduce down over a very low flame (for about 30-40 minutes)
- After a couple of hours, grill the Cornish Hens on foil for about 35-40 minutes, basting them with the thickened sauce during the last 10 minutes or so of grilling.
- Let the Cornish Hens cool down before enjoying with more of the reduced down, Spicy Sweet, Teriyaki Curry Sauce.
Awww…..I’m so glad you couldn’t resist Ollie!! Now this is why I never go to the shelter. I wouldn’t be able to resist another puppy….
Adore what you’ve done with the chicken – coconut milk? FAB flavour combo!
Thanks Nagi – I was’t planning on going either, but my daughter overheard a friend tell me that the shelter just got 3 puppies who had been abandoned in a park and she wanted to go – she said “just to look, mom”…just to look indeed….
Goodness, Shashi, I’m eating a really awesome dinner right now and I stillll want to have one of these! *-* It looks so good! 😀 I’ve never been brave enough to try making cornish hen, but…I’m going to need to. :O!
Thanks so much Farrah!!! They are actually not that hard to make – easier than chicken…
Not sure I’ve ever had a cornish hen? Maybe at a restaurant? I’ve certainly never cooked them, but this recipe makes me want to try! Plus that sauce looks delish! Pinning!
Thanks so much Ashley!
I’ve never had or cooked Cornish hens!
Girl – you gotta try one sometime…soon!!!
Those are some beautiful cornish hens. It seems the ones I’ve tried in the past were so tiny there was hardly any meat. These look great and the way you’ve prepared them is spectacular!! Definitely mouthwatering!!
Awww shucks – thanks so much Chris!
SWEEEEET!! OMG.. I am so intrigued!! this looks so flavourful. I have never tried cornish hens before but I need to.. now.. Yumm! Pinning to try!! 🙂
Thanks so much Arpita!
It’s been years since I’ve made a Cornish hen! Need to again, and try this recipe — awesome flavors! Awesome story, too — thanks for telling us that.
Thanks so much KR!
I love the small size of cornish hens and there’s something about them that makes them seem so special. Your fusion sauce looks so good!
You are so right Christin – their size makes them seem elegant when cooked! Thanks BTW
Sounds great! I love cornish hens but haven’t cooked with them in years! I always forget!
Hey – maybe it’s time now? 🙂
BTW – Thanks Melanie
Now that’s the way to cook a cornish hen. Look how marvelously glazed it is. I bet it’s deliciously sticky too.
Well done my friend!
You bet right – it was sticky indeed!
Thanks so much my friend!
Oh my goodness. I have always, ALWAYS loved Newfies. There was a gorgeous black Newfoundland at the cottages we rented on Lake Winnipesaukee growing up. I loved seeing him every year. Ollie is just so adorable. And those are some amazing looking corns hens….Mmmm. I smell dinner!!!!
Allie, when our vet thought Ollie was a newfie, he went and got his laptop and spent the net hour showing me picture upon picture of newfies! They sure were adorable – but huge! Even though I’ve had big dogs growing up – these were like little bears!
Thanks so much BTW
That dog is a giant! Your cornish hens look absolutely marvelous. Do I add the teriyaki together with coconut milk?
Haha – he is big compared to the other little dogs in our neighborhood, but yet, he never barks at them even though they chase after him!
Yes – you do add the teriyaki with the coconut milk …I need to check the recipe and make sure I posted that part…thanks Angie
I am definitely not brave enough to make a cornish hen! It seems scary but looks amazing!!
Thanks Beth, actually, it’s not too scary at all..
October? Hah! I’m calling your bluff there, Shashi. I remember wearing shorts and sweating on Thanksgiving Day a few years back. (In fact, I think it might have been the last Thanksgiving before we moved…) But back to this post…I love the story about Ollie! Our little Ethel is a rescue mix (from Atlanta actually). While she might be smaller than Ollie, her personality more than makes up for it. Oh, and these cornish hens look amazing! I made some hens last summer, but I haven’t done it yet this year. I clearly need to get on that before the snows come next month. (hah…I kid…sortof). 🙂
Haha! David, I think we have different ideas of what constitutes “cold” weather – it hits 65 and I need my fleece and hot chocolate! Speaking of cold weather – I’ve been in NYC for Thanksgiving, and after walking around for a couple of hours, my ears almost fell off!
Every dog I’ve had has been a “fusion” dog – and like Ethel and Ollie – they have all been spunky!
You know what? I’ve actually NEVER had a cornish hen! I always see them and wonder if I should try them because they’re SO cute and little, but never do!
BUT with curry AND teriyaki?! I need to try! Pinned!
YES YES YES – you definitely need to try! They are super moist and I know for sure, you’d make a killing recipe! P.S Cannot wait to see what you come up with! 🙂
Mmm!! Fun Story – every year Joshua and I prepare something different for Christmas Dinner. I know it sounds crazy to some, but we really love changing it up. If only this recipe existed when we ate cornish hens a few years back. Guess it’s a good reason to eat some again, huh? 🙂
I love this idea of trying something new, Jessie! It’s not crazy at all! In fact, my daughter and I used to pcka dessert from a different country, find a recipe and try it out every Christmas – we skipped last year – but we need to bring it back this year for sure!