So a blog follower friend of mine at work was telling me about a stew that she made over the weekend and how she used a spice she hadn't used before called Smoked Paprika. The following morning I came into work and a little baggie with two tablespoons of Smoked Paprika was sitting on my desk. (Thanks Mary Ellen)
Over the weekend I was determined to try the spice in a dish but didn't feel like having stew. In searching for uses for Smoked Paprika I came across a recipe at Simply Recipes that used the spice as a rub for chicken and decided to try it. (Thanks Elise) I decided not to go the rub route, I wanted to baste the bird during the roasting process.Since I was cooking for one I decided to go with a Rock Cornish Game Hen. I've always loved game hens just haven't made them that often.
I have really no reason for posting this photo except hens and chickens just look funny when photographed like this. Sorry, makes me laugh.When I finished baking the bird, I made some balsamic glazed carrots and sat down to eat.
Every once in a while, ya know how you make something and you think, "Oh My God, this is so good I will be making it regularly from now on" That is how good the glaze and Cornish Game Hen tasted. I was totally blown away and will probably get into more recipes that contain my new friend, "Smoked Paprika"
Please try it, you will love this recipe:
Ingredients and Method:
1 or 2 Cornish game hens, completely thawed
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (or lime juice)
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
pinch of salt
Rinse the game hen thoroughly and pat dry.
Cut lemon in half, sqeeze out two tablespoons and scrape for 1/2 teaspoon zest. Place half
the lemon inside the game hen.
Combine honey, lemon juice, zest, butter, paprika and salt in a small dish and stir well.
Baste the hen with the paprika mixture.
Place in roasting pan and roast at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour 15 minutes or until meat thermometer registers 175 degrees.Important: While baking re-baste with paprika mixture 4 or 5 times. The more the better as it will tend to build up a nice coating.
Remove hen from oven, let sit for at least 10 minutes. Dig in and enjoy. This is SO good, trust me.
3 comments:
I can't make up my mind about this recipe...but I have 2 cornish game hens in the freezer waiting for my attention!
The chicken looks great! I love smoked paprika. It sneaks it's way into all sorts of dishes in my house.
I absolutely love this dish though we have re-dubbed it Chicky Fatang, a name we felt better suited to a dish with so much color and verve.
Post a Comment