Slow Cooker Cornish Game Hens with Cointreau Orange Sauce

by Dorothy Reinhold on February 14, 2017


Print This Post Print This Post Orange-sauced Cornish Game Hens make an elegant poultry dinner for a special night in, or when you want to impress your family or guests. Don't tell anyone the slow cooker made it easy.

I am so excited about this new-to-me recipe that I have to share it with you the day after I made it. I can’t wait another minute.

It’s little Cornish Game Hens with Cointreau Orange Sauce, and it is succulent, fragrant and utterly delectable. It is inspired by a recipe originally created by Cynthia McCloud Woodman, of the blog What A Girl Eats. There’s more about her right below the recipe card, so keep reading!

Slow Cooker Cornish Game Hens with Cointreau Orange Sauce on ShockinglyDelicious.comThe hens are so small, they are suitable for a single serving (hearty appetites), or perfect to serve two. I served them to my husband and teenage son for Valentine’s Day dinner, so between the three of us, we polished off two birds.

They also cook fairly quickly in the slow cooker, and then just need a quick run under the oven broiler to get the skin browned and appealing. (Slow cookers don’t make crispy skin, as you probably know.)

Whether you want to impress your sweeties, like I did, or simply put a delicious and elegant poultry dinner on the table instead of eating out, this dish fits the bill.

Slow Cooker Cornish Game Hens with Cointreau Orange Sauce in the slow cookerTurn on the slow cooker…

Elegant Slow Cooker Cornish Game Hens with Cointreau Orange Sauce on ShockinglyDelicious.com…and join me in poultry perfection!

Slow Cooker Cornish Game Hens with Cointreau Orange Sauce

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours, 15 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes

Yield: Serves 4.

Orange-sauced Cornish Game Hens make an elegant poultry dinner for a special night in, or when you want to impress your family or guests. Don't tell anyone the slow cooker made it easy.

Ingredients

  • 2 Cornish game hens
  • Zest and juice of one orange (about 1/3 cup orange juice)
  • 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • Pinch kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons honey (or you can use agave or even maple syrup if you prefer)
  • 2 tablespoons Cointreau orange liqueur
  • .
  • Sauce
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • .
  • Garnish
  • Additional orange zest
  • Snipped chives if you have them (I forgot for the photos!)

Directions

  1. Split the hens down the back, cutting through the bone (you can use a sturdy kitchen shears or a large chef's knife to do this), and put the flattened halves into the crock.
  2. In a 1-cup measuring cup, add all remaining ingredients -- the zest and orange juice, soy sauce, garlic, brown sugar, salt, olive oil, honey or other sweetener, and Cointreau. Stir to dissolve sugar, and pour mixture over the hens in the crock.
  3. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours. DO NOT open the lid and stir or baste during that time; there is no need and you will let out too much heat.) After 3 hours, remove birds from crock and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Turn on the oven broiler.
  4. As you wait for the broiler to heat, pour the juices from the crock into a 10-inch skillet, grind in some black pepper, and heat on the stove, stirring often, until thicker -- reduced by at least half, and perhaps more than that. (How much liquid you start with will depend on how much liquid came from the birds as they cooked.)
  5. As the skillet bubbles with the reducing sauce, put the birds under the broiler for a couple of minutes, until the skin gets golden brown. When you remove the pan from under the broiler, be sure to pour any accumulated juice into the sauce skillet.
  6. Serve a half bird to each person, and spoon sauce over each bird. Garnish with additional orange zest if you like.
  7. Serves 4. (Or 2, if heartier appetites.)

Notes

Recipe source: Slightly adapted from Slow Cooker Cornish Game Hen with Grand Marnier Sauce, by Cynthia McCloud Woodman at What a Girl Eats.

Cornish Game Hens: You can get them at your grocery store. Often they will be in the freezer area, since they are not purchased as often as chicken. Thaw and proceed.

Serve with: Rice, mashed potatoes or roasted butternut squash cubes, and sauteed spinach or other greens.

https://www.shockinglydelicious.com/slow-cooker-cornish-game-hens-with-cointreau-orange-sauce/

As I mentioned above, I was inspired by my foodie friend Cynthia Woodman, who writes the food blog What A Girl Eats. She’s a professionally trained chef, gifted with the ability to create delicious recipes, and has wonderful taste. She was on Facebook talking about her amazing Grand Marnier Game Hens, and I couldn’t stand it. I went to the store and got some hens and got to work. As I do with many recipes, I tend to use what I have on hand, and tweak to suit my taste buds. So I used Cointreau instead of Grand Marnier, eliminated the butter in favor of a bit of olive oil, cut down on the sodium by decreasing the soy sauce, and upped the garlic. A little black pepper never hurt any sauce, either, in my opinion, but these are simply minor adjustments, and credit for the recipe goes to the originator, Cynthia. She also weaves a great story about it on her blog about her time living in England. It’s fun to read about an experience so different than my own young adult years. To me, her dish is an outstanding chicken recipe; to Cynthia, it reminds her of a formative, magical time in her life.

Thank you, Cynthia, for inspiring me to make a delicious dinner for my menfolk!

Whether you make the version here, or head over to her blog for the original version, I think you should write “Cornish Game Hens” on your grocery list.

areyoupinningIf you like this article and want to save it, pin the image below to your Pinterest board.

Slow Cooker Cornish Game Hens with Cointreau Orange Sauce on ShockinglyDelicious.com Game Hens make an elegant poultry dinner for a special night in, or when you want to impress your family or guests. Don't tell anyone the slow cooker made it easy.

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{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }

Matthew Cetta February 16, 2017 at 5:40 pm

Have you updated your theme since I was last here? I love it!

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Valerie | Valerie's Kitchen February 16, 2017 at 4:48 pm

Cornish game hens were the entree in the first nice meal I cooked for my husband. Such nostalgia! Yours are far fancier than mine were back then. These look fabulous!

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Megan @ MegUnprocessed February 16, 2017 at 2:21 pm

Looks wonderfully flavorful!

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Jessica | Novice Chef February 16, 2017 at 2:02 pm

That sauce looks like it has SO much flavor! I also cannot believe this is made in the slow cooker!

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Krista February 16, 2017 at 9:47 am

I love having cornish game hens! This recipe looks amazing! Best part….the slow cooker does all the work!

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carrie @ frugal foodie mama February 16, 2017 at 9:37 am

This is just genius to make cornish game hens in the slow cooker! And that sauce sounds amazing. 🙂

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Maeva (Cook A Life! by Maeva) February 16, 2017 at 7:52 am

The Cointreau orange sauce looks like a very good idea to try !

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Patricia @ Grab a Plate February 16, 2017 at 6:00 am

I love this dish (especially that glaze)! I would never have thought to make these in the slow cooker, but what a great plan! Yum!

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Valentina February 16, 2017 at 12:12 am

I’m so inspired. Haven’t made game hens for years, and now I must. Delicious looking marinade. I will have to check out Cynthia’s now. 🙂

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Cynthia | What A Girl Eats February 15, 2017 at 10:06 pm

Thank you Dorothy! I’m glad you liked my Game Hens! They are so easy to make. It’s one of my favorite elegant meals that doesn’t require a lot of work.

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Dorothy Reinhold February 15, 2017 at 10:32 pm

Cynthia,
I commandeered the leftover half hen for myself for dinner tonight. I wouldn’t let anyone else near it. I think this is a real keeper of a recipe, and I am so glad you shared it on your blog so that I could find it and make it for my own family. Elegance really describes it, and your idea to make it in the slow cooker really simplified the process. Thank you!

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Amy @ Little Dairy on the Prairie February 15, 2017 at 9:38 pm

I bet the orange sauce is divine! And the slow cooker…can’t beat that!

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Erin @ The Speckled Palate February 15, 2017 at 5:48 pm

What a GORGEOUS meal to serve to the whole family! I can see this going over spectacularly for an at-home date night.

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Dorothy Reinhold February 15, 2017 at 6:09 pm

Erin,
Exactly right!

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debi at Life Currents February 15, 2017 at 3:24 pm

Wow this Cointreau Orange Sauce sounds amazing, and I bet it makes these hens taste fabulous! And, like so many others, I love the crock pot!

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Debra C. February 15, 2017 at 2:47 pm

Such a lovely meal and in the slow cooker? This is a definite winner! I love how the glaze just coats the hens, delish!

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Des @ Life's Ambrosia February 15, 2017 at 2:39 pm

I have never thought to cook game hens in the slow cooker. What a great idea!

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fabiola@notjustbaked February 15, 2017 at 11:14 am

I love game hens, I have a habit of calling them chicken lol! My Mom made them often growing up, so good!

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Dorothy Reinhold February 15, 2017 at 12:01 pm

Fabiola,
They ARE little tiny chickens, bred to be that size!

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Cathy | She Paused 4 Thought February 15, 2017 at 8:57 am

I would have never guessed this was cooked in a crockpot from the photo. Looks scrumptous.

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Dorothy Reinhold February 15, 2017 at 12:02 pm

Cathy,
A quick run under the broiler fixes the flaccid skin from the slow cooker method. 🙂

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SallyBR February 15, 2017 at 8:11 am

No wonder you had to blog about it right away! This is perfect, I love Cornish hens and never thought of using the crockpot to prepare them, what a great idea!

Pinning this right away!

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Dorothy Reinhold February 15, 2017 at 12:03 pm

Sally,
I just adored this. Take a look at Cynthia’s original recipe, as well, and make your own mashup!

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Ashley @ Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen February 15, 2017 at 6:42 am

This is so fun! My husband absolutely LOVES Cornish hen – I’ll have to give this one a try soon!

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Karen February 14, 2017 at 10:50 pm

It’s been years since I’ve had a Cornish game hen! these look amazing. I seriously can understand why you were in such a hurry to share! Now I’m in a hurry to make this!

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Dorothy Reinhold February 15, 2017 at 12:03 pm

Karen,
Me too…it had been YEARS! I might make them again next week, since they turned out so darn well.

Reply

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