Cornish game hen is one of my favorite meals to prepare, whether for myself or for others. One of the things I love about it is I know how many to buy – one per person. That’s easy math right there. I can do it in my head. Another reason I’m into game hen is that, as a single lady, I still like to eat a real meal, but eating the same meal for days because I can’t eat a whole chicken in one or two sittings isn’t my thing. So I’ll cook these little game hens and have one meal and just enough left over to remind me how good the original meal was. I’m calling this a “holiday” game hen because I LOVE CHRISTMAS and cinnamon. And cinnamon tastes like Christmas! Santa eats cinnamon.

Holiday Game Hen
1 Cornish game hen
1 apple, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup of chestnuts, cooked and shelled
Cinnamon
Salt and pepper

Start out by preheating your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. I use a small glass roasting pan. Place the hen in the pan. In a separate bowl, combine apple, chestnuts, about a half a teaspoon of cinnamon and some salt and pepper (to taste). Give it a good toss in the bowl with your hand. Fill your bird with the apple mixture. Surround the hen with the leftover stuffing. Shake about 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon over the top of the hen. Cover the pan with tinfoil and place in the oven. This is when I usually forget I put anything in the oven until I smell it. After about 20 minutes, you can remove the tinfoil. Give it about 10 to 15 minutes more. When it’s golden brown, it’s done! Allow it to sit for about 10 minutes at room temperature before serving. Enjoy!

I served it over my kale and beet salad. Yum!