Sous Vide stuffed Cornish game hens

If you have never had the pleasure of enjoying a Cornish game then you have been missing something special! These tender, juicy little birds are not actually a game bird which the name suggests, but are a cross between Cornish chickens and the white Plymouth rock chickens. The result of this combination is big breasted birds with a shorter maturity time, which makes them very readily available and easy to find!  They are also relativity inexpensive depending on where you live and make for a very impressive and easy meal. I have prepared them in a few different ways but this one is definitely my husband's favorite. For this method i will be using a sous vide (if you have never heard of it or never used one i highly recommend it!). It is possible to make this without the sous vide, you just need to extend the oven cook time. Let's get to it!

 First preheat your sous vide water bath to 150 degrees so the water can warm up while you prep!

 Make sure your game hens are completely thawed and make sure to remove the giblets if they came with the hens, pat dry.

Next, gather all of your seasoning ingredients. I used freshly ground salt and pepper, fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, fresh oregano, lemon pepper, poultry magic, and butter.

 Cut a small slit in the top of each breast and stuff with pieces of butter and a small amount of each of the herbs, and stuff the body cavity as well.

 Rub the hens with butter and add the salt, pepper, lemon pepper and poultry magic, and then put each one in a one gallon zip lock bag, you can add more fresh herbs and a few tablespoon of dry white wine if desired.

 Remove all of the air from the bags using the water emulsion method or if you choose you can use a food saver to seal the bags, then place in the preheated hot water bath for 4 hours.

After the 4 hours are up, preheat your oven to 350 degrees, turn off the sous vide and remove the hens and let rest in the bags for 10 minutes. In the meantime start preparing your favorite stuffing according to the package directions (I used a 1/2 C of the reserved liquid as well as water to make my stuffing, this is completely optional.

Remove the hens from their bags and reserve all of the juice in a bowl or measuring cup, and let them drain on a cutting board in the sink.

While the hens and stuffing are cooling prepare some aromatics for the bottom of and 9x13 baking dish. I used some onion i have left in the fridge, but you could also have some fun with it and add some carrots and celery as well. I also added a few cloves of crushed garlic and some more of the fresh herbs left over from stuffing.

Space out your aromatics evenly so the hens are raised above the bottom of the pan. When the hens and stuffing have cooled off, remove the herbs from the body cavity and stuff the hens. Tie up the legs with cooking twine as pictured below so the stuffing doesn't fall out during cooking. Place the hens in the prepared pan and pour the reserved liquid over them. Cover with tin foil and bake for 20 minutes covered.

After 20 minutes remove the foil so the hens can brown and the skin gets nice and crispy! Bake for another 15-25 minutes until the hens are golden brow. times may vary depending on your ovens efficiency.

When the hens are a beautiful golden brown remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes, serve and enjoy!!

Ingredients:
-2 Cornish game hens, thawed and giblets removed
-Fresh herbs (rosemary, time, oregano, or sage)
-1/4 C good quality butter
-Salt and pepper to taste
-Lemon pepper
-Your favorite poultry seasoning ( I use poultry magic)
-A few tablespoons of dry white wine (optional)
-Aromatics of your choosing i.e. onion, garlic, herbs, carrot, and celery
-A box of your favorite stuffing (feel free to use home made!)


Directions:
-Preheat your sous vide water bath to 150 degrees.
-Remove the thawed hens from packaging, remove giblets if included and pat dry.
-Make a small incision in the top of each breast with a sharp pairing knife, be careful not to cut into the meat.
-Run your finger under the skin where you made the incision to pull the skin from the meat to create pockets.
-Stuff each breast with a pad of butter and some of your fresh herbs.
-Rub butter in the body cavity of the hens and stuff with more of the fresh herbs.
-Rub the dry hens with butter and sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper, lemon pepper, and your favorite poultry seasoning.
-Place each hen in their own zip lock or food saver bag and add a few tablespoons of white wine into each and more herbs if desired.
-Remove all of the air from the bags using the water emulsion method and seal.
-Place in the preheated hot water bath and let sit for 4 hours.

-After 4 hours preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
-Turn off the sous vide and remove the bags from the water and let rest for 10 minutes.
-Drain the liquid from the bags into a bowl or measuring cup and reserve.
-Place a cutting board in the sink and let the hens drain all of the reserved liquid.
-Make the stuffing according to the directions on the package (I used a 1/2 cup of the reserved liquid in place of some of the water to give the stuffing a bit more flavor) when the stuffing is done, set aside to cool.
-Butter the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish and layer your aromatics evenly, so the hens don't touch the bottom of the pan.
- When the hens and stuffing have cooled, remove the herbs from the body cavities and replace with the stuffing.
-Tie up the legs with cooking twine so the stuffing cant fall out and place in the dish over the aromatics.

-Pour the reserved liquid over the hens and into the pan.
-Cover the pan with tin foil and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
-Remove the tin foil and bake for an additional 15-25 minutes until the hens are crispy and golden brown.
-Remove the hens from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes.
-Serve and Enjoy!