Campfire Recipe: Easy Orange-Glazed Cornish Game Hens

When I was growing up, I knew something special was going on when my mom would fix Cornish Game hens at camp or home. As an adult, I decided that while this meat is a bit more expensive than chicken I would fix it a couple of times of year. But, as luck would have it, when you find a recipe that you love you want to have it more often and this is what happened with this recipe. I got this idea from a sweet and sour chicken recipe my mom used to prepare. While I enjoyed it on chicken, today I simply save it for Cornish Game hens. I also make a bit more of the sauce that is placed on the hens before baking. No, I do not add all that sauce to the hens instead I save the extra to brush on, as a dipping sauce and/or to mix with rice.

Campfire Recipe:  Easy Orange-Glazed Cornish Game Hens

Ingredients

Liquid or spray oil

1 to 2 large white onions

2 to 4 Cornish Game Hens, fresh or if frozen thawed

½ teaspoon of salt

¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper

½ cup of thawed frozen orange juice concentrate

¼ cup of ketchup

¼ cup of honey

Steps

1. Prepare the coals for use by building a fire.
2. Grease the inside of a 10-inch Dutch oven with liquid or spray oil.
3. If using two Cornish Game hens, thickly slice one large white onion and place in the bottom of a greased 10-inch Dutch oven. On the other hand, if using four Cornish Game hens then use two large white onions thickly cut.
4. Continuing with just two Cornish Game hens, remove the giblets and split the hens in half following the backbone.
5. Season with salt and ground black pepper.
6. Place the split hens in the 10-inch Dutch oven.
7. Combine orange juice concentrate, ketchup, and honey in a small bowl.
8. Spoon mixture over split Cornish Game hens so that they are completely covered.
9. Place lid on 10-inch Dutch oven and move to a heat resistant surface.
10. Place 18 prepared coals in a circle and top with Dutch oven.
11. Add 20 prepared coals to the lid and cook for 45 minutes.
12. After this time has passed, refresh the coals by knocking off the coals from the lid and replacing with 18 prepared coals.
13. Cook for another 30 minutes.

Once this time period has passed, it is time to serve but always check the doneness of the meat prior to serving. When cooking outside there are several variables in the environment that can steal away heat from you Dutch oven, which can require that the dish be cooked longer.