Air Fryer Cornish Hens

These Air Fryer Cornish Hens make the perfect week night meal! They're easy to make and cook very quickly since they are so small. Season them with a homemade lemon butter garlic marinade that is out of this world! The skin is crispy and the meat is so juicy! You've never had chicken like this before!

5 from 1 vote

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Keyword: cornish hens, air fryer cornish hens, air fryer cornish game hens, cornish game hens

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 35

Total Time: 45

Servings: people

Calories: 961kcal

Equipment

air fryer

Ingredients

2 cornish game hens
1/3 cup lemon juice 1 whole medium lemon
3 tbsp butter softened
8 garlic cloves chopped and minced
1 tbsp salt or to taste
2 tsp ground black pepper or to taste
2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes or to taste
2 tsp paprika powder or to taste
3 tsp granulated garlic or to taste
3 rosemary sprigs leaves removed

Instructions

First, make sure the Cornish hens are completely defrosted. Pat them completely dry with a paper towel and place them in a bowl.
Next, prepare the lemon butter garlic marinade. Chop and mince the garlic cloves. In a small bowl, add lemon juice, softened butter, minced garlic cloves, fresh rosemary leaves, salt, ground black pepper, granulated garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and paprika powder. Mix well to combine and make sure the butter is soft enough to incorporate into the other ingredients easily. Stuff the cavities with the juiced lemon and rosemary if desired.
Season both Cornish hens generously with the marinade. Make sure to gently separate the skin from the breast so you can get in under the skin to season the breasts well with those chunks of butter and garlic cloves.
Preheat your air fryer by setting it to 360 degrees F for 3 minutes.
Next, spray your air fryer with cooking spray. Add the Cornish hens to the air fryer breast side down and cook at 360 degrees F for 25 minutes.
Flip the Cornish hens over and cook at 360 degrees F for an additional 7-10 minutes or until the internal temperature of the Cornish hens reach 165 degrees F. Use a kitchen thermometer to measure the temperature.
Finally, remove the Cornish hens from the air fryer and serve with veggies, mashed potatoes or anything you’d like!

Nutrition