Cornish Hens Stuffed With Butternut Squash

Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 4 cornish hens (cleaned, rinsed and patted dry)
• 1 1/2 cups butternut squash (1 pkg of frozen birds eye or similar)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 celery rib, diced
• 2 cups wild rice (or you can use of blend of and wild or even brown)
• 1/2 cup gorgonzola (crumbled)
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (1 teaspoon dried)
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary (1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 2 tablespoons butter (for for sauteing the vegetables)
• salt
• pepper
• 1 (6 ounce) jar currant jelly (found right with other jams and jellies)
• salt
• pepper
• 1 cup chicken broth, to cook in

Recipe

• 1 hens -- clean your hens, pat dry and set a side to take the chill off.
• 2 stuffing.
• 3 rice: cook the rice according to package directions and once it is done, set to the side.
• 4 vegetables: melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium saute pan and heat to medium heat. add the onion, pepper and celery and cook until soft. mix in the squash and heat until warm. mix in the seasoning, salt and pepper.
• 5 combine: add the vegetable mixture to the rice and add the cheese and mix well,.
• 6 hens -- simply stuff the hens and place in a large casserole dish which i think works best. add 1/2 cup chicken broth in the bottom of the dish. half the way through cooking, i usually add the other 1/2 cup of broth. this just gives the hens a little moisture as they cook. note: if you have extra stuffing, which you probably will - just bake in a small casserole dish. i always serve the extras on the side and there is never any leftovers.
• 7 glaze -- mix the jelly with the salt and pepper and heat for 1 minute in the microwave. brush on the hens. also, brush 1-2 more times as the hens cook.
• 8 bake -- heat the oven to 425 middle shelf and cook 15 minutes. brush additional glaze on the hens and reduce the oven to 350 and cook for another 20-30 minutes or so (it really depends on the size of the hens). right at the end, brush on the remaining glaze.
• 9 serve -- remove from the oven and let rest 5-10 minutes before carving. serve 1 hen per person, cut in half and just enjoy. i love serving this with sauteed kale or spinach with a little garlic, balsamic vinegar and butter; toasted bread, and nothing more.