You may have seen them infine - dining restaurants — cute , piffling hen serve up one per plate . These petite members of the fowl kinsfolk are called Cornish game hens . But the name is a bit of a misnomer , because they ’re neither Cornish nor secret plan snort . They ’re just minuscule chickens .
While no one can say with certainty how Cornish plot hens come into being , course credit for make the new breed is given toAlphonsine " Therese " Makowsky . Makowsky and her husband were living in Connecticut in 1949 when a blast killed the African Republic of Guinea hens they were evoke and selling . Afterward , Makowsky adjudicate to try transversal - breeding various wimp and biz boo , and terminate up creating the Cornish game hen , a combination of Cornish and White Plymouth Rock chickens . The new stock quickly became a hit .
For the most part , Cornish game hen are just like any other chicken . But there are some differences . concord to theU.S. Department of Agriculture(USDA ) , which set up poultry classification , Cornish plot hens ( aka Rock Cornish plot hen ) are chicken less than 5 weeks former with a ready - to - Captain Cook carcase system of weights of 2 British pound sterling ( 1 kilogram ) or less . The chicken may be of either sexual practice .
Since the birds are new and lowly than the regular chickens most of us buy — which typically weigh about4 or 5 pounds(1.8 or 2.2 kilograms ) and are about 8 weeks older — Cornish game hen are extra tender . That allow their meat to well absorb flavor from spices and marinades .
Cornish game hen also have thinner peel than regular chickens . This means their pelt is gentle to shoot , so when preparing them you need to handle with charge . Any stuffing must be keep to a lower limit , too , or the tegument could burst while in the oven .
Restaurateurs often revel working with Cornish game hens because , due to their pint size , they can serve an entire biddy to one diner , creating a unique , visually appealing entree . The only downside to Cornish secret plan hens is that they ’re pricy than regular chickens , whether you ’re purchase them in a grocery stock or at a restaurant .
In the mid-1960s , Tyson Foods get down sell Cornish biz hens . Today , the poultry titan is the leading U.S. manufacturer , sellingabout two - thirdsof all of the Cornish game hens bring about in the U.S. And citizenry around the world enjoy them , too .
