Cornish Hens with Wild Rice and Celery

MLK Day weekend and I am at New Hope AME cooking for the fellowship meal and thinking about all the years I have done this now. This is my seventh year on this cooking team, maybe eighth — they blend together at some point, which is what continuity looks like. Not every instance distinct, but the pattern clear and present and worth maintaining.

I brought Caleb to church this weekend. CJ and Shanice drove down Friday for the long weekend and Sunday morning all three of them were in the pew beside me: CJ in his father's good coat, Shanice with Caleb on her lap, Caleb in a tiny blazer that Shanice had him in, which CJ had opinions about but wisely kept to himself. Pastor Hendricks saw them from the pulpit and said their names and Caleb's name from the pulpit, which is the church's formal welcome of a new member, and the congregation said amen and a few people said it twice. That is how you arrive in a church community: named from the pulpit on a MLK Day Sunday in your mother's arms in a tiny blazer. I considered that an excellent beginning.

The fellowship meal afterward went smoothly. Caleb was passed around the kitchen and dining area like a blessing being distributed, held by Sister Odalys and Miss Ida and Brother Garrison and several people whose names I don't know yet but who apparently know a baby worth holding when one arrives. By the end of the afternoon he had been held by approximately fifteen people and seemed to consider all of them acceptable, which is a Simms characteristic — we receive people well when they come in good faith.

For a fellowship meal that means something—the kind where a baby gets named from the pulpit and passed through fifteen pairs of arms before sundown—you don’t reach for anything small. Cornish hens with wild rice and celery is what I made that afternoon: a dish that feels both special and steady, generous enough for a room full of people who came in good faith and stayed for the table. It’s been in my rotation for years, and on a day like that one, it felt exactly right.

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 Cornish game hens (about 1 1/2 lbs each), thawed and patted dry
1 cup wild rice, rinsed
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided
3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

Cook the wild rice. Combine rinsed wild rice and 2 cups chicken broth in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 45–50 minutes until rice is tender and most liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and set aside.
Preheat and prep hens. Preheat oven to 375°F. Pat hens completely dry inside and out. Season all over—cavity included—with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, paprika, thyme, and rosemary. Rub 1 tablespoon of softened butter under the breast skin of each hen.
Saute the vegetables. In a large oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven, melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter with the olive oil over medium heat. Add celery and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, 6–8 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Season with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.
Combine rice and vegetables. Stir the cooked wild rice into the skillet with the celery and onion. Pour in the remaining 1/2 cup chicken broth and stir to combine. Spread the mixture evenly across the bottom of the pan.
Roast the hens. Nestle the seasoned hens breast-side up on top of the rice mixture. Transfer to the preheated oven and roast 55–65 minutes, until the skin is deep golden brown and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F. If the skin browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil during the last 15 minutes.
Rest and serve. Remove from oven and let hens rest 10 minutes before serving. Halve each hen with kitchen shears for 4 portions. Spoon wild rice and celery from the pan alongside, garnish with fresh parsley, and serve directly from the dish.

Nutrition (per serving)

Cornish Hens with Wild Rice and Celery — What We Make When the Whole Church Comes Together