In a vain attempt at trying to reduce my dirty dish load, I used only one cooking vessel (my trusty 12" cast iron skillet). Looking back, it seems more plausible that using a single cooking vessel would more easily reduce fuel/energy consumption. These "Cornish Game Hens" are defined by the USDA as "a young immature chicken (less than five weeks of age), weighing not more than two pounds..." so nothing fancy here but the name.
Either Way, these little guys were tasty, and BOTH fit in my skillet!
The main principle I intend to demonstrate to myself (and you, dear reader) is that for even cooking of poultry, the "stuffing" you use should not be dense, and should not be crammed in! It is essentially a question of exposed surface area to volume ratio. In other words, the bird should be loosely stuffed to allow heat to cook it from the outside AND the inside simultaneously.
The dish I have prepared here is very adaptable. Just make sure you clean your bird with cold water and pat dry. Rub the carcass down with oil (olive oil, veggie oil .. what have you) and season with salt & pepper (or whatever spice blend you'd like to concoct). For stuffing you can use any type of herb, citrus/fruit, allium or combination thereof. Here I have used lemon rind (the yellow zest contains loads of fragrant and flavorful oils), Thyme, Shallot and apple, olive oil, smoked sea salt, and my fresh cracked Fennel-Pepper blend.
To cook, preheat your oven to 350° F and toss in your trusty Cast Iron skillet. When its nice and hot, pull the skillet out and sear the birds breast side down for a few minutes (until you get some golden brown starting). Then flip the birds onto their backs, toss in some chopped apples and a little hard cider and put back into the oven until the thickest part of the breast reads ~165°F on a probe thermometer. Rest the birds for several minutes to allow the juices to redistribute, then serve whole on a bed of the braised apples and cider from the pan.
