Honey-Soy Glazed Cornish Hens with Sausage-Panko Stuffing

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A recipe for Cornish hens filled with savory sausage-panko stuffing, glazed with honey and soy sauce whisked with spicy sriracha. A perfect meal for special occasions.

We're making Cornish Hends for the holidays, my friends, and it doesn't get much better than this. These Cornish hens are stuffed with a wonderful mixture of spicy sausage and panko breadcrumbs with other great flavors.

I think you're going to love this one.

When I think of more intimate holiday celebrations, I think of Cornish hens. You see a lot of turkey during the holidays, but turkey is for larger crowds. When I want to serve more individual portions of meals, with a nicer presentation, something a bit more personalized, I opt for Cornish hens.

Like these.

We’re making Honey-Soy Glazed Cornish Hens with Sausage-Panko Stuffing.

Yes!

And, to make this meal truly special, I’m using Kikkoman® Soy Sauce and Kikkoman® Panko Bread Crumbs.

I purchased my Kikkoman® products at my local Wal-Mart. 

Since I’m making this meal for 4 of us, I also picked up 4 Cornish hens and everything else I needed. Cornish hens are quite small compared to chicken, about 1-1/4 pound on average, so a single hen is about right for a serving.

The meat is very tender, and richly flavored with our glaze of sweet honey and soy sauce.

So let’s make some Cornish hens, shall we? The process is easy enough.

Honey-Soy Glazed Cornish Hens with Sausage-Panko Stuffing Ingredients

For the Stuffing:

• Olive Oil. 1 tablespoon.
• Sweet Pork Sausage. 8 ounces.
• Red Bell Pepper. 1 small, chopped.
• Jalapeno Pepper. 1, chopped.
• Celery Stalk. 1, chopped.
• Small Sweet Onion. 1, chopped.
• Mushrooms. ¼ cup, chopped.
• Almonds. ¼ cup, chopped.
• Kikkoman® Panko Bread Crumbs. 4 ounces.
• Dried Sage. 1 tablespoon.
• Chicken Broth. 1 cup.

For the Cornish Hens:

• Cornish Hens. 4, 1 to 1-1/4 pounds each
• Melted Butter. 4 tablespoons.
• Salt and Pepper. To taste.

For the Glaze:

• Kikkoman® Soy Sauce. ¼ cup.
• Honey. ¼ cup.
• Brown Sugar. 3 tablespoons.
• Sriracha. ¼ cup.
• Lemon Juice. 2 tablespoons.
• Salt and Pepper. To taste.

For Serving:

• Fresh Herbs. Chopped.

How to Make Cornish Hens with Sausage Stuffing - the Recipe Method

First, we’ll make our stuffing by cooking up our spicy sausage, peppers, celery and onion in a pan. Once they’ve softened, in go the mushrooms to cook those down a bit. Cool the lot, then stir in the almonds, Panko Bread Crumbs, sage and broth.

Like so.

Give it a good mix. Stuffing achieved!

Next, heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spoon the stuffing into the hen cavities. Do not overstuff them, but keep the stuffing fairly loose.

Set the stuffed hens into a large baking pan.

Brush them with butter and season liberally with salt and pepper. Set them into the oven and bake for 1 hour.

While the hens are baking, make your glaze by whisking together the Kikkoman® Soy Sauce, honey, brown sugar, sriracha, lemon juice and a bit of salt and pepper.

Pour into a pan and bring to a quick boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 15-20 minutes, then remove from heat and cool to allow it to thicken up.

After the hens have cooked for 1 hour, spoon the finished glaze over them and return to bake for another 15 minutes, or until their internal temp measures 180 degrees F.

Sprinkle with fresh herbs and serve them up!

Visit the Kikkoman® site today to learn more about their products. http://www.KikkomanUSA.com.

Storage & Leftovers

Storing your Honey-Soy Glazed Cornish Hens with Sausage-Panko Stuffing in an airtight container in the fridge may allow you to store the leftovers for up to 3-4 days. To maximize the storage life, make sure to refrigerate them promptly.

Patty’s Perspective

This is like a mini Thanksgiving dinner. This is a tasty easy meal for 2, 4 or a small group. It makes me realize you can have that flavor anytime of the year. Why wait for the holidays?

Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.