When it comes to cooking for two, you just can’t beat these Roasted Citrus Herb Game Hens with Vegetables. Easy to prepare, stunning to look at, and oh so aromatic and flavorful. Truly are a delight for the senses!
(This post contains affiliate links off which I may make a commission. Your price remains the same)
The Hens:
We love roasted chicken, but now that it’s just the two of us we opt for organic game hens, rubbed in herbed butter and roasted to perfection! Just the right portion size.
Our Favorite Olive Oil is on Sale! Don’t miss out. Read More here.
The Veggies:
Sweet shallots, brightly colored rainbow carrots, and potatoes round out this beautiful meal.
Roasting:
Couples, we definitely like to keep meals easy. This meal is popped in the oven with the hens and vegetables together, roasting in one pan for easy clean up. It cooks while you go do other things, like check your Instagram.
The Recipe: Roasted Citrus Herb Game Hens with Vegetables
Tips and what you need: make sure to allow time for hens to completely thaw and then remove from the oven an hour before cooking to allow to come to room temp before cooking. You will need a cast iron or oven safe pan.
A delicious one pan meal for two!
- 2 1 pound game hens
- 1/4 cup butter, room temp (can be subbed with ghee)
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, leaves stripped and chopped
- 3 sprigs rosemary, 1 sprig chopped, 2 left whole
- 3 cloves garlic (one minced, the other two left whole)
- zest of half a lemon, cut other half into wedges
- Sea salt and pepper to taste, be generous
- 6 rainbow carrots, peeled and sliced into 2" pieces
- 2 medium size rose potatoes, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
- 2 medium shallots, peeled and quartered
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
-
Be sure hens are completely thawed and remove them from fridge an hour before cooking so they can come to room temp. Rinse under warm water inside and out, pat dry with paper towels set aside.
-
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place rack in center position
-
Prep veggies and place in cast iron skillet or oven safe pan, drizzle with olive oil, generously sprinkle with sea salt and pepper, toss
-
Strip leaves from thyme sprig and chop, strip leaves from one sprig rosemary and chop (about 1 teaspoon), mince 1 clove garlic.
-
Use a fork to mash soft butter, minced garlic, thyme, chopped rosemary and generous pinches of sea salt and black pepper together
-
Place one whole rosemary sprig, one whole clove garlic and one lemon wedge into the cavity of each hen
-
Use hands to rub herb butter mixture onto chicken (it will be thick, no worries, that's how it should be)
-
Make two small wells by pushing the veggies to the side and set hens in each well. Place in the oven and cook for 1 hour, rotating pan a half turn 30 minutes into cooking (note: ovens are notoriously inconsistent and cooking time can vary depending on size of bird and altitude. Juices should run clear and internal temperature should be 165 degrees. You can use a meat thermometer if you want to take the guess work out of it)
-
When hens are done, remove from pan, tent with foil and allow to "rest" for 10 minutes. Put pan with veggies back into the oven while you wait.
-
To plate: place veggies and chicken onto plates and garnish with parsley if desired. Serve and enjoy!
MAY I PLEASE ASK A FAVOR?
We small bloggers need all the help we can get. Subscribing and sharing on social media is very appreciated!
STANDARD FTC DISCLOSURE and Privacy Policy: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Please note that I only endorse products that are in alignment with Cook with Me Darling’s ideals and that I believe would be of value to my readers. Cook With Me Darling is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. View the privacy policy of Cook with Me Darling
Citrus and herb sounds like a delicious way to enjoy chicken, what a perfect recipe for two 🙂
I love the traditional chicken & taters meal. Always a winner and such a comfort food.
Agreed!
This is JUST gorgeous and I love love love the rainbow carrots in there – my girls will adore this!
Thanks Renee! I hope they do:)
Game hens for 2 people makes so much sense! Loving all of the vegetables n there as well!
Thanks Joni!
I used to love game hens growing up…it has been so long since i have even seen one! I need to…this looks utterly delicious!
They aren’t too common!
What a delicious sounding meal! I don’t think I’ve ever paired citrus with meat before. Now I need to try it…
Oh, it’s the best!
This looks so elegant! I love the flavor combo.
I love citrus with chicken! This is such a gorgeous meal and so perfect for the holidays. Love that you can cook veggies with it!
Beautiful photos…what a delicious dinner!! My parents used to cook hens together when they were first married! 🙂
Such a beautiful dish! I love your cooking for two – romantic in flavour and style!
These are gorgeous and would make a perfect date-night dinner.
I love the one-pot cooking too, especially because I LOVE lemon with my potatoes!
The hens look so golden gorgeous and so moist delicious. I love how healthy this recipe is!
My husband loves game hens, they might be his favorite poultry. These are roasted to perfection with those yummy veggies. Such a fun meal to share with someone you love.
These game hens look so delicious… it must be all those fresh herbs in the herb butter. I would love to try and make this dish for a dinner party. Do you think there would be any problem in scaling up the recipe? It looks so impressive and delicious!
What a lovely meal! So beautifully browned and delicious!
I love the rosemary and thyme in this recipe. And I’m in with anything lemony. What a flavorful recipe!
What a special meal! Citrus + herb combination is delicious for sure! Beautiful presentation as always!!