Roasted Cornish Hens with Garlic, Herbs & Lemon

Directions

1. Remove Cornish hen from bag and place into large resalable plastic bag with olive oil.

2. Remove hen with tongs and place hen on rack, tucking the wings behind the breasts, season with salt and pepper. Place in oven and cook for 20 minutes.

3. Zest lemon and smash garlic cloves. Juice the lemon that was used for zest and set juice aside.

4. In sauté pan toast the lemon zest and garlic for about 3 minutes or until they are golden brown.

5. Place all ingredients into bag with Cornish hen, removing as much air as possible before sealing.

6. Marinate 8 hours or overnight.

7. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and prepare a roasting pan or place a rack over a deep baking dish lined with foil. Spray rack with non-stick spray.

8. Remove Cornish hen from bag, pouring liquid into the baking dish or roasting pan.

9. Place Cornish hen breast side down on cutting board and with kitchen shears carefully cut down both sides of the spine to remove it from the hen. Then carefully cut the bone directly behind the breast bone and below the neck.

10. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat until hot and coat with non-stick spray. Place hen in pan breast side down and cook 3-5 minutes until it reaches a golden sear.