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Game Hens with Tangerine Sauce

Ingredients

  • Spice Rub:
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 tsp. ground coriander
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 cornish game hens cut in half
  • Sauce:
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 shallot minced
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 c. freshly squeezed tangerine juice
  • 1 tsp. tangerine peel pitch removed, minced
  • 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 Tbsp. molasses
  • 2 tsp. cornstarch
  • 1 dash cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 c. cilantro leaves
  • 3 tangerines peeled and sectioned
  • 1 red bed pepper julienned

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425°. Combine the ingredients for the rub and rub the hens thoroughly with the mixture. Place hens skin side up in a roasting pan. Roast until juices run clear, about 25 to 30 minutes.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot, and sauté until translucent. Add garlic and cook until it begins to give off its characteristic aroma. Add tangerine juice, peel, sugar, salt, molasses, cornstarch and cayenne. Bring to a simmer and simmer until thickened and reduced by about 1/4.
  3. Remove from heat and add cilantro leaves, tangerine sections and red peppers. Taste, and adjust seasonings as needed. Cover and set aside until hens are done. When hens are dine, pour the sauce over them and serve.
  4. *Note:  You can substitute chicken breast for the cornish hens but try and get the breast with the wing still attached. Do not use boneless skinless chicken breast.