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Grilled Cornish Hens with Tomato-Orange Sauce

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Betty Crocker Kitchens
Updated Aug 25, 2017
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A sweet-savory sauce gives extra flavor to these elegant, basil-flavored game hens.

Grilled Cornish Hens with Tomato-Orange Sauce

  • Prep Time 20 min
  • Total 1 hr 45 min
  • Servings 8
  • Ingredients 11
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Ingredients

Cornish Hens

  • Vegetable oil
  • 4 Rock Cornish hens (about 1 1/2 lb each)
  • 2 tablespoons basil-flavored or regular olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Sauce

  • 1/2 cup orange marmalade spreadable fruit
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 cups Muir Glen™ organic diced tomatoes (from 28-oz can), drained
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh or 1 tablespoon dried basil leaves

Instructions

  • Step 
    1
    Brush grill rack with vegetable oil. Heat coals or gas grill for direct heat. With kitchen scissors, cut each hen in half along backbone from tail to neck.
  • Step 
    2
    Brush hen halves with basil-flavored oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Insert barbecue meat thermometer so tip is in thickest part of inside thigh muscle and does not touch bone.
  • Step 
    3
    Place hen halves, skin side down, on grill rack. Cover and grill over medium heat 30 to 40 minutes, brushing occasionally with basil-flavored oil and turning once, until juice of hens is clear when thickest pieces are cut to bone (at least 165°F). Let stand loosely covered about 15 minutes before serving.
  • Step 
    4
    While hens are grilling, make sauce. In 1-quart saucepan, heat all sauce ingredients except basil to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered about 25 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly. Stir in basil. Simmer 5 minutes. Serve warm with hens.

Nutrition

555 Calories
37 g Total Fat
41 g Protein
16 g Total Carbohydrate

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Serving
Calories
555
Calories from Fat
335
Total Fat
37 g
Saturated Fat
10 g
Cholesterol
240 mg
Sodium
400 mg
Potassium
570 mg
Total Carbohydrate
16 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Protein
41 g
% Daily Value*:
Vitamin A
8%
8%
Vitamin C
10%
10%
Calcium
4%
4%
Iron
12%
12%
Exchanges:
1 Fruit; 1 Fat;
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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