Cornish Hens with Rice Dressing

Meghan's sister-in-law visited from Dublin for a week and there was a dinner at Meghan's house on Saturday that turned into eleven people around a table that seats eight, which is the only way to have a dinner in this particular family. The Dublin visitor—Siobhan, thirty-four, works in tech, has the Irish directness that Boston Irish have also but differently—held Liam for most of the evening and told me very matter-of-factly that he had excellent eye contact for his age, which I found oddly validating coming from a stranger.

The food was Meghan's usual: roast chicken, roasted potatoes, multiple salads, the kind of abundance that leaves no room for anyone to feel hungry or unwelcome. Cormac opened a good bottle of Rioja. I had half a glass, which is the first alcohol I've had since the pregnancy, and it tasted like a conversation I'd been meaning to have with myself about the fact that my body has been someone else's for eighteen months and is becoming mine again by degrees.

Two weeks until I go back to work. My mother has been over twice this week doing trial runs—me leaving for two hours while she takes care of Liam, the three of us figuring out the handoff. The first time I left I sat in the car outside for twelve minutes. Then I drove to the East Broadway Dunkin', got a coffee, sat with it for twenty minutes, drove back. My mother had Liam asleep on the couch and was watching her shows. Liam was fine. I was fine. We're going to be fine.

Watching Meghan set that roast chicken down at the center of a table that was never meant to hold eleven people — but somehow did — reminded me that food is the thing we reach for when we’re trying to say something we don’t quite have words for yet. I’m not ready to host eleven people, but I think I’m ready to roast something. These Cornish hens with rice dressing have the same spirit as that Saturday dinner — generous, warm, a little more than necessary in the best way — and making them feels like one more small act of coming back to myself, the same way that half glass of Rioja did.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 1 hr 15 min | Total Time: 1 hr 35 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 Cornish game hens (about 1 1/4 lbs each), thawed if frozen
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 cup long-grain white rice
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried sage

Instructions

Preheat the oven. Heat your oven to 375°F. Pat the Cornish hens dry inside and out with paper towels and set them aside on a roasting rack in a large roasting pan.
Make the rice dressing. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sage and cook 1 minute more. Stir in the rice and toast for 1 minute. Pour in the chicken broth, add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork, and stir in the parsley.
Season the hens. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, remaining 3/4 teaspoon pepper, garlic powder, thyme, and paprika. Rub the mixture all over the outside of each hen, including under the breast skin where possible.
Stuff and truss. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the rice dressing loosely into the cavity of each hen. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine if desired. Spread any remaining rice dressing in the bottom of the roasting pan around the hens.
Roast. Roast uncovered for 60–75 minutes, until the skin is deep golden brown and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F. Baste once halfway through with pan drippings if desired.
Rest and serve. Remove from the oven and let the hens rest for 10 minutes before serving. Spoon the pan rice alongside and serve each hen whole or halved.

Nutrition (per serving)

Cornish Hens with Rice Dressing — The Dinner That Reminded Me My Body Is Mine Again