Seasoned with BICENTENNIAL RUB, roasted to perfection, served with savory wild rice and mushrooms. While the quartered hens make a nice petite meal, half Cornish hens are perfect for Thanksgiving Dinner--cut the hens in half and cook using the same method. Triple the wild rice mix, and serve with the traditional holiday accompaniments for a wonderful meal.

Cornish hens are a small but surprisingly meaty bird. They can be a little tricky to eat with all of those small bones. We quartered our hens and removed most of the bones in order to make these easier to eat. It really doesn't take that long and gets easier the more you do it. We found that a kitchen shears is the key to successful boning. You have more control and waste less precious meat. Wash the hens thoroughly inside and out and pat dry. Cut the hen in half through the breastbone. Spread the hen open and cut along each side of the backbone, removing it completely. You now have two halves. Use a knife or cleaver to cut each half into two between the breast and the thigh. Now comes the hard part, removing all of the bones except for the wing and leg bones. Run your thumb under the rib bones separating them from the meat. They are fairly easy to remove, but use the shears to snip as close to the meat as possible. Using the shears, snip around any other bones to separate them from the meat. We removed the tip and the first portion of the wing, leaving behind the drummy portion of the wing. On the thigh/leg section, use the shears in the same fashion as the breast/wing section cutting the bones away from the meat. You will have to bend back the joint between the thigh and leg bones. Snip through this joint with the shears removing the thighbone. When you have removed all of the bones you desire you may wish to cut off any excess skin like we did. This process gets easier the more you do it and makes a nice and very easy to eat mini-meal. Remember whenever handling raw poultry to be sure to disinfect your prep area and utensils before reusing them. Rub the Cornish hen liberally with the BICENTENNIAL RUB. Melt the butter and drizzle over the top of the hen. Place the pieces in a roasting pan in a preheated 375° oven for about 40 minutes, until the skin is golden and crispy, occasionally basting the hen with the pan juices. In a large skillet, heat 2 TB. drippings from the Cornish hens over medium heat. Add sliced, cleaned mushrooms, minced onion, parsley and SAGE or POULTRY SEASONING. Cook, stirring, about 5 minutes, until mushrooms and onions are golden. Add cooked, drained wild rice, toss to coat, cook 1-2 minutes to combine the flavors, add salt to taste, serve with golden Cornish hens.

Serves: 4.
Prep. time: 15 minutes.
Cooking time: 55 minutes

Tip: Cooking Wild Rice
Wild Rice is a flavorful accompaniment to roast pork or chicken, too, but because it is expensive (especially if you don't live close to Minnesota), it is perfect for special occasions. Wild rice should be cooked gently, and will triple in size during cooking--1 Cup dry will make 3-4 Cups cooked. To prepare, rinse rice off, place in a large covered pot with enough water to cover by a few inches. Add 2 TURKISH BAY LEAVES and a teaspoon of CHICKEN SOUP BASE for great flavor. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer 45-55 minutes, until rice is tender and fluffy. Drain, then add a little butter for a side dish, or proceed with your recipe