Low-Carb & Paleo Cornish Game Hens

I'm pleased to introduce Tina Turbin, who is the recipe developer, cook and author at PaleOmazing, a food blog devoted to low-carb & paleo living. This recipe is the perfect dish for the festive season!

We are well into the holiday season and many of you may still be considering a main dish for your family feast. Perhaps you’d like to switch things up and try something new with my Keto Paleo Cornish Hen with Grain-Free stuffing recipe! Who am I? I am Tina Turbin of PaleOmazing.com.

Cornish Game Hen has always been one of my favorites. It has a unique taste that’s perfect for this season and when you plate it up, prepare to amaze your guests as they marvel at your culinary creation. No need to attend culinary school for this dish, you will be surprised at how easy it is to cook this clean protein. Plus it’s completely gluten free and keto and of course it’s full of flavor and juicy on the inside. Enjoy and happiest of holidays to you! Many more recipes of mine can be found on my site.

Step-by-step

1. Preheat oven to 220 °C/ 425 °F degrees. Grease your glass Pyrex dish, or baking dish of choice with oil, butter or ghee. Cut hens in halves. Salt and pepper the hens. Salt inside the cavity. Sprinkle the paprika and garlic on the hens. Add some fresh cracked pepper and a few pinches of salt.

2. Heat your skillet and warm the butter. Cook your onions until clear and soft. Add your celery and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring the whole time.

3. Remove from heat source. Add your cauliflower or rice and stir. Add in your parsley, sage and thyme.

4. Place “stuffing” in the baking dish and spread evenly. Place the hens skin side up on the pan. Cover with foil lightly.

5. Roast in the 220 °C/ 425 °F degree oven for 40 minutes. Uncover and reduce oven to 190 °C/ 375 °F degrees. Bake for another 15 minutes, uncovered, until golden on top. Add some additional butter or ghee to the stuffing as needed. Remove and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

6. Salt to taste. Optionally, serve with Orange Sauce: Add all ingredients to a saucepan and heat up. Serve on top of the dish or as an optional side condiment. Enjoy!

   

Recipe

Low-Carb & Paleo Cornish Game Hens

★★★★★4.7 (142 ratings)

Full of flavor, succulet and juicy packed with a keto stuffing these cornish game hens are the perfect Sunday ...

Hands on

25m

Overall

1h 15m

Servings

4

10.1 g

Net carbs

32.5 g

Protein

32.2 g

Fat

478

kcal

1 serving2 servings3 servings4 servings5 servings6 servings7 servings8 servings9 servings10 servings11 servings12 servings16 servings

US + metricMetricUS

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Ingredients makes 4 servings

• 2 medium sized Cornish Game Hens (900 g/ 2 lb)
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp garlic salt (or 1:1 garlic powder and salt)
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 6 cups cooked and drained cauliflower “rice” or cooked white rice for those eating rice, avoid rice for keto, only use cauliflower rice (720 g/ 1.6 lb)
• 2-3 tbsp unsalted grass-fed butter or ghee
• 2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped (220 g/ 7.8 oz)
• 2 medium celery stalks, diced into medium pieces, about ³/₄ cup (80 g/ 2.8 oz)
• ¹/₃ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage or 2 tsp dried
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried
• Oil, butter or ghee to grease pan
• Optional Orange Sauce (avoid for keto):
• 1 cup fresh, no pulp orange juice (240 ml)
• ¹/₈ cup Dijon mustard
• ¹/₄ cup organic honey
• Optional: ¹/₄ cup gluten-free soy sauce

• Note

  You may serve the hens on plain "cauliflower" rice or plain rice and omit any seasoning if you prefer.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 220 °C/ 425 °F degrees. Grease your glass Pyrex dish, or baking dish of choice with oil, butter or ghee. Cut hens in halves. Salt and pepper the hens. Salt inside the cavity. Sprinkle the paprika and garlic on the hens. Add some fresh cracked pepper and a few pinches of salt.

2. Heat your skillet and warm the butter. Cook your onions until clear and soft. Add your celery and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring the whole time.

3. Remove from heat source. Add your cauliflower or rice and stir. Add in your parsley, sage and thyme.

4. Place “stuffing” in the baking dish and spread evenly. Place the hens skin side up on the pan. Cover with foil lightly.

5. Roast in the 220 °C/ 425 °F degree oven for 40 minutes. Uncover and reduce oven to 190 °C/ 375 °F degrees. Bake for another 15 minutes, uncovered, until golden on top. Add some additional butter or ghee to the stuffing as needed. Remove and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

6. Salt to taste. Optionally, serve with Orange Sauce: Add all ingredients to a saucepan and heat up. Serve on top of the dish or as an optional side condiment. Enjoy!

Nutrition per serving

Carbs 9%Protein 28%Fat 63% of calories

Net carbs

10.1 g

Total carbs

15.8 g

Fiber

5.7 g

Sugars

7.4 g

Protein

32.5 g

Fat

32.2 g

Saturated fat

11.9 g

Calories

478 kcal

Sodium

751 mg · 32.6% RDA

Magnesium

73 mg · 18.3% RDA

Potassium

1,182 mg · 59.1% EMR

Nutrition by ingredient

Per serving	Net carbs	Protein	Fat	kcal
Chicken, cornish game hens, meat and skin, raw	0 g	27.9 g	22.8 g	325
Paprika, spices	0.2 g	0.2 g	0.1 g	3
Garlic powder, spices	0.5 g	0.1 g	0 g	3
Salt, pink Himalayan rock salt	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Pepper, black, spices	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Cauliflower rice, homemade (cauli-rice, KetoDiet app)	5.3 g	3.5 g	0.5 g	45
Butter, unsalted, grass-fed	0 g	0.1 g	8.6 g	76
Onion, brown (yellow), raw	3.5 g	0.5 g	0.1 g	20
Celery stalk, fresh	0.3 g	0.1 g	0 g	3
Parsley, fresh (spices)	0.2 g	0.1 g	0 g	2
Sage, fresh	0 g	0 g	0 g	1
Thyme, fresh	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Total	10.1 g	32.5 g	32.2 g	478

• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Egg free
• Nut free
• Pork free
• Avocado free
• Coconut free
• Fish free
• Shellfish free
• Beef free