Cornish hen with mustard cream sauce is long on style and short on work. Roast the hens. Maybe baste them once along the way. Whip up a quick reduction sauce and you’re done. It pairs beautifully with potatoes of any sort. Mashed, roasted, or along side a potato galette.
I am a fan of the cornish hen. We don’t get poussin where I live so cornish hen is my go to stand-in. One bird is enough for two moderate portions so even a dinner for eight isn’t that hard to do.
Dijon mustard and cream work well together. There’s a trick to make them come together though. Add a bit of stock or water to the mustard to thin it. Stir it up before you add it to the sauce. That way you won’t get clumps of mustard floating around in your sauce. Unless you like clumps of mustard, I guess.
cornish hen with mustard cream sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cornish hens or small chickens
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup whipping cream 35%
- salt
- pepper
- olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F. Place a roasting pan in the oven to heat.
- Rub the cornish hens with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Roast the hens for 20 minutes, then baste with the rendered fat in the roasting pan.
- Roast the hens to an internal temperature of 165F in the breast, another 15-20 minutes.
- Remove roasting pan from the oven. Place the hens on a cutting board.
- Spoon the fat from the pan, leaving any browned bits.
- Place the pan over medium heat.
- Deglaze with the white wine then reduce to a syrupy glaze - about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the stock and reduce by half.
- While the stock reduces, mix the mustard with a couple teaspoons of additional stock or water.
- Add the mustard mixture and stir to combine.
- Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Reduce slightly.
- Adjust seasoning.
- Quarter the cornish hens. Add any accumulated juices to the sauce and stir to combine.
- Serve 1/2 hen per person.
