This bacon-wrapped maple baked cornish game hen recipe is an easy dinner that only has three ingredients! Easy and delicious, this cornish hen recipe is guaranteed to become a family favorite!
If you are looking for more delicious dinner recipes, check out all of my gluten free dinner recipes!
Are you still wondering what to make for your holiday dinner?
If you don’t need a large turkey, why not consider baking a cornish hen for your holiday dinner? I guarantee it will turn out just as moist and flavorful as a turkey! (And a bonus, you can easily cook two game hens in your oven at the same time!)
There are many recipes for Cornish game hens, but this one is wrapped in bacon, making it hard to resist.
What is a Cornish Game Hen?
A Cornish game hen is a hybrid of a chicken that is a lot smaller! These birds are sold whole, in most grocery stores.
Our family is enjoying our first experience with cornish game hens. Have you tried baking one of these hens yet? They look like teeny tiny little chickens and they have just enough meat to fill up one adult, or one very hungry growing teenager!
Three simple ingredients; bacon, maple syrup, and Cornish game hens. It won’t get much easier than this. If you are entertaining for the holidays or looking for an easy dinner recipe, this recipe is for you.
This easy Cornish hen recipe is paleo, gluten free, refined sugar-free, and is free of the top 8 allergens! (*If you are feeding more of a crowd, try one of these Gluten Free Chicken dinner recipes!!)
Usually, I hate when the house smells like what I cook, but I can forgive bacon the bacon smells. Bacon makes everything great, including my house :-). (I suspect our dog won’t agree…it probably made her very tempted to steal a game hen!)
There is an added bonus to the smell of bacon cooking. It is quite magical. Did you know bacon smells makes teenagers come out of their caves? (If you have teens, you know exactly what I mean!!)
My teens’ reactions were actually quite funny. I could hear their desk chairs move. Then doors opened…and sprinted downstairs. They were so excited to try a Cornish game hen.
Bummer for them they had to wait until I took a few pictures. #kidsoffoodbloggerproblems
My son, the die-hard carnivore ate a whole hen by himself! I hope that you love this recipe as much as my family did :-).
Ways to cook a Cornish Hen:
- Marinate the hen and cook it on the grill.
- Stuff the hen with fresh oranges and stuffing and bake it!
- Cook it in a slow cooker with fresh vegetables.
- If you have a smoker, try smoking your game hens. Smoking adds a rich flavor that penetrates the whole hen!
How to Oven Roast Cornish game hens:
What type of maple syrup is best to use in this game hen recipe?
Rub the game hens with natural maple syrup. You can use either Grade A or Grade B maple syrup. Next, is wrapping these hens in bacon!
Wrap the hens in bacon and bake.
How do you know when your Cornish game hens are done baking?
If your hens are completely thawed out, you can bake these for an hour.
Cornish game hen’s cook time is very similar to chicken. Make sure the internal temperature is 165F degrees when finished. Use a digital thermometer to verify the temperature.
Delicious Sides to Serve with Roasted Game Hens:
Check out all of the dinner recipes on this blog!
Things you need to make this recipe:
- A good pan to bake these Cornish game hens in.
- My very favorite meat thermometer.
How to bake Cornish game hens:
Bacon Wrapped Maple Cornish Game Hens
These bacon wrapped maple cornish game hens is a delicious dinner that is perfect for any occasion. Just three simple ingredients!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons Grade B Maple Syrup
- 2 cornish game hens, thawed
- 8 slices of raw bacon
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Remove cornish game hens from wrapping. Place in a pan.
- Drizzle maple syrup over the chicken.
- Wrap the raw bacon around the hens. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 30 minutes, or until the cornish game hens reach 165 degrees internal temperature.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 605 Total Fat: 46g Saturated Fat: 14g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 28g Cholesterol: 205mg Sodium: 529mg Carbohydrates: 11g Net Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 0g Sugar: 10g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 36g
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- Gluten Free Tomato Basil Flatbread
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- Zucchini Ricotta Stuffed Meatballs
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- One-Pan Blackberry Tarragon Chicken and Rice
Kara Mathys @Wellnessgrit
Mmm this bacon wrapped maple baked cornish game hen recipe looks awesome and so nourishing!
Sandi Gaertner
Thank you so much Kara, we are huge bacon fans too 🙂
Alice Malkowych
Can I substitute Manuka Honey, for the maple syrup?
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Alice, I have not used honey so I am not sure. Maple and bacon flavors impart in the recipe…and honey and maple are very different in their flavor profile. If you do try it, please do come back and let us know how it turned out.
Donna
I tried this recipe for Thanksgiving 2018 and it was absolutely fabulous! It was delicious and turned out beautiful! Thank you for the recipe!
Sandi Gaertner
I am SOOOO glad you liked this recipe Donna. It is one of our very favorites too. Thank you for coming back to let me know.
Jill Roberts @ WellnessGeeky
Gorgeous pictures Sandi! They looked soooo good, I had to try and make bacon wrapped maple cornish game hens. I used your suggestion and used 8 slices of raw bacon. Thx for sharing!
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you like this recipe Jill. Thank you so, so much 🙂
Jack Rokon
Hi Sandi,
Wow!! This looks incredibly delicious. And This looks AMAZING! I will have to try it. These sound fantastic, wrapping anything in bacon makes it better, well almost better… That snickers bar did not work out too well.Thanks for reminding us to think of the people in the New york.
Dannii
Anything bacon wrapped is a winner with me and even better when it has maple syrup.
Sandi Gaertner
Thank you so much Dannii 🙂
Annie @ Annie's Noms
Bacon definitely does make everything better! I love these little hens, they look so delicious and I love anything mini. I can’t describe why lol, I just like little things and think they’re cute! We’re definitely going to try these Cornish hens soon, my fiancé loves anything bacon wrapped!
Sandi Gaertner
They definitely are little, but fun to eat 🙂
Amy | The Cook Report
These look lovely, such a good dinner party dish 🙂
Sandi Gaertner
Thank you so much Amy 🙂
Sally - My Custard Pie
I’ve never tried a Cornish Hen and can’t buy them where I live. Love the idea of stuffing poultry with orange though – a fresh and unusual twist.
Sandi Gaertner
Thank you Sally 🙂
Brian Jones
These sound fantastic, wrapping anything in bacon makes it better, well almost better… That snickers bar did not work out too well 😮
Sandi Gaertner
I am in awe of you trying to wrap a Snickers in bacon :-0
Jen @ The Weary Chef
This looks amazingly delicious!
Sandi Gaertner
Thank you 🙂
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet
You had me at bacon wrapped! Love this!
Lauren
They look impressive!
Sandi Gaertner
Thanks Lauren 🙂
Katerina @ diethood .com
Wow!! This looks incredibly delicious!!!
Sandi Gaertner
Thank you Katerina 🙂
Des @ Life's Ambrosia
I haven’t made a game hen in forever! this looks like the perfect recipe to introduce them to my boys!
Sandi Gaertner
I hope they like these Des 🙂
Sabrina
My husband will eat anything that’s wrapped in bacon! This is a perfect dinner for him!
Sandi Gaertner
He and my husband think alike 🙂
Michelle | A Latte Food
Bacon wrapped anything is sure to be amazing! These look incredible! I’ve never had cornish game hen before, but these look so festive and pretty for Christmas!
Sandi Gaertner
I hope you like these Michelle 🙂