I love to serve Cornish Hens with Grand Marnier Stuffing during the holidays. Apricot-glazed Cornish hens, with a cornbread stuffing flavored with dried apricots, pine nuts, and orange-flavored Grand Marnier liqueur.

My mother-in-law made this dish for our family one Christmas, and I thought it was simply charming. The table presentation alone is quite splendid, with all those little birds on a platter. But the addition of the flavorful stuffing took the dinner to another level. Truly exquisite. 

Before that, the only other time I’d eaten a Cornish hen was at what was then called the Dixie Stampede in Branson, MO. Cowboy waiters served everyone these delightful little dinners of Cornish hens, corn on the cob, homemade biscuits, and I don’t even remember what else. But it was a fun evening of entertainment, and I recommend it, even now. 

Ingredients to Make Cornish Hens with Grand Marnier Stuffing

• dried apricots
• Grand Marnier liqueur
• cornbread stuffing mix
• butter
• celery
• yellow onion
• pine nuts
• dried thyme
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• Cornish Game Hens (4-6 of them)
• apricot jam

A Note About the Ingredients

If you don’t have Grand Marnier, you may substitute it with another orange-flavored liqueur, such as Cointreau, Curacao, or even Triple Sec. Possibly Apricot Brandy would also work well.

Use any cornbread stuffing mix that you like. During the holidays it’s easy to find name brands such as Stove Top, on sale for nearly the same price as a store brand.

You may substitute slivered almonds for the pine nuts, if you so desire.

When buying Cornish game hens, I’ve found they are usually marked down in price during the holidays and are more readily available. Aldi is a great place to shop for them.

Finally, in regard to the apricot jam, I’ve used name brand and store brands without a noticeable difference. You may spoon the jam into a microwavable bowl, or simply heat the jam in its jar, but please be careful not to heat it so much that it breaks.

Cornish Hens with Grand Marnier Stuffing

I love to serve Cornish hens during the holidays. Here's a delicious recipe to make for your Christmas Eve dinner. Apricot-glazed Cornish hens with a cornbread stuffing flavored with dried apricots, pine nuts, and orange-flavored Grand Marnier. So good!

4.50 from 2 votes

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Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: English

Keyword: Apricot Glaze, cornbread stuffing, Cornish Game Hens, Garnd Marnier Liqueur, Holiday Meals, Thanksgiving Dinner

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Equipment

Cutting Board

Cooking Twine

Baking Sheet

Pastry Brush

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Ingredients  

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• 1 cup dried apricots chopped
• 1 cup Grand Marnier orange-flavored liqueur
• 6 oz. cornbread stuffing mix prepared as directed
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup celery chopped
• 1 cup yellow onion diced
• 1 cup pine nuts
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 each Cornish Game Hens
• 1/2 cup butter room temperature
• 18 oz apricot jam heated
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Gather your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table. Using a Chef's knife and cutting board, chop dried apricots and celery. Dice onion. Set aside until ready to use.
• In a small saucepan, heat chopped dried apricots and Grand Marnier over medium heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Prepare stuffing mix as directed on package.
• In a small skillet melt butter and saute chopped celery and diced onion until translucent, about 7-10 minutes.
• Transfer prepared cornbread stuffing into a large bowl and mix in sauted celery and onion. Stir in apricot mixture and pine nuts. Season with dried thyme, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
• Clean and wash Cornish hens. Pat dry with paper towels.
• Stuff Cornish hens with cornbread mixture and tie legs together with cooking twine. Place on a large baking sheet lined with foil. Smooth butter over each hen. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour.
• Heat apricot jam in a microwave for 40-60 seconds until it becomes soft and runny.
• Brush hens with jam and bake, uncovered, for an additional 30-45 minutes or until meat juices run clear, basting every 10-15 minutes. Serves 6.

Notes

*Unless otherwise indicated, all butter used on this recipe site is salted. 

Nutrition

Calories: 800kcal | Carbohydrates: 93g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 1168mg | Potassium: 582mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 64g | Vitamin A: 1842IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 3mg

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