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A roast of four cornish hens covered in thyme, oregano, and citrus drizzle

Thyme, Oregano, and Citrus Roast with Cornish Hens


  • Author: Diana Henry
  • Yield: Serves 4

Description

An aromatic and delicious meal.


Ingredients

Scale

For the Roast

  • 4 Cornish hens
  • 4 oranges, skin left on, cut into large wedges
  • olive oil

 

For the marinade

  • Finely grated zest of 1 orange, plus the juice of 4
  • Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
  • ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 6 garlic cloves, crushed
  • Leaves from about 6 thyme sprigs
  • 3 tbsp dried Greek oregano (rigani)
  • Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Mix all the marinade ingredients together, seasoning with salt and pepper. Put the Cornish hens, breast side-down, into the marinade, cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours, or overnight. Move the Cornish hens around every so often so all the sides get a chance to soak in the marinade.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  3. Take the Cornish hens out of the marinade and put them into a roasting pan with the orange wedges. Drizzle a little extra oil over the oranges and season them. Roast in the oven for 50 minutes, spooning the marinade over everything as it cooks.
  4. When the Cornish hens are cooked, drain off the pan juices, skim off the fat, and slightly reduce the juices in a saucepan by boiling for a few minutes, until you have something with the consistency of light gravy.
  5. Serve the Cornish hens surrounded by the orange wedges, with the juices on the side.