How to smoke cornish game hens with an easy brine that creates a moist and juicy bird, and a dry rub that gives it a delicious flavor!
Important: For best results, soak the cornish hens in a chicken brine recipe for the smoker, 24 hours before smoking. Although not required, it makes a BIG difference in flavor!
Smoke cornish hens at 225° for 2 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 160° and let rest for 10 minutes until temp reaches 165° so it’s safe to eat.
See full blog post and recipe card below to for more tips to make this fabulous recipe!
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What are cornish hens?
Cornish hens (usually weighing around 1-2 lbs.) are a small breed of chickens so this is why a chicken brine and dry rub work well for cornish hens as well.
They’re young chickens so they’re very tender and little birds so they’re easy to serve as individual portions, perfect for a special occasion or to serve on a weeknight!
They can be found at many grocery stores and the Tyson brand that I use comes without giblets. If the hens you’re using have giblets, remove them before adding to the brine and smoking.
Cornish hen brine
Although it’s not required, if you have time to make and let your cornish hens sit in a brine solution, it’s highly recommended for a juicy, flavorful hen. (I love doing this for chicken wings, and broiler chickens too!)
I highly recommend using the brine ingredients in this smoked chicken brine and letting the hens soak for 24 hours. However if you’re pressed for time, at least 2 hours is ideal.
Once the cornish hens have soaked in the brine, remove birds from the marinade and pat dry.
Cornish Hen Seasoning and Dry Rub
No fancy ingredients required! Simply use a mix of the following spices that you probably already have on hand:
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
Mix all together in small bowl and completely cover hens with rub.
How long to smoke cornish hens
Smoking cornish hens in our pellet smoker took a couple of hours. (2 hours)
Starting the small chickens out at 225°, and cooking for a total of 1.5 hours, and then raising the temperature up to 350° for an additional 15-20 minutes allows the skin to crisp up and lock in those juices.
NOTE: If internal temperature of hens has not reached 160° after the higher temperature, lower the temperature of the smoker back to 225° and cook until it reaches 160°.
Smoke until cornish hens reach an internal temperature of 160° and allow to rest until it reaches 165° (75°C) for safe consumption. (See recipe card for more details on resting.)
Tips for Smoking Cornish Game Hens
Soaking the hens in a brine helps keep the bird moist and juicy! Also letting the small chickens sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes before cooking will help it cook evenly and won’t allow the heat to dry out the meat.
Breast side down is often recommended, so the juices naturally rest in the breast meat as it cooks. However, breast side up is also perfectly fine and still results in a juicy bird!
When the internal temperature reaches 165° Fahrenheit, in the thickest part of the breast and thigh, it’s safe to eat. However cooking until 160° degrees and letting it rest, covered in aluminum foil, allowing it to reach 165°, is ideal.
Pecan, apple or cherry are the best choice for smoking cornish hens or chicken. However you can use another flavor if that’s what you have!
Remove thawed (if they were frozen) cornish hens from packaging.
If frozen: Move from freezer to the refrigerator a day or two before you brine or smoke them.
Marinate hens in smoked chicken brine for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator, (24 hours preferred) in a large bowl or pot, (I used my 8 Qt. Instant Pot, pot) covered with aluminum foil or plastic wrap.
Once hens have soaked, remove birds and pat dry with a paper towel, and let sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes so it will cook evenly and not dry out while smoking. Discard brine.
Preheat smoker to 225 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix together the spice blend in a small bowl.
Place hens on a cutting board or baking sheet and cover entire cornish hen, top and bottom.
Once smoker has preheated, place hens directly on the smoking rack and close lid, smoking for 1.5 hours.
After 1.5 hours of cooking time, turn the heat up on the smoker to a high heat of 350°, cooking for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until when using a meat thermometer, and checking the thickest part of the breast and thigh, the internal temperature has reached 160°. This will help give it a crispier skin. (See final cooking steps below.)
Once the hens have reached 160°, remove from smoker and place on a plater and wrap the hens in aluminum foil, to allow the chickens to rest for about 10 minutes. They should continue to cook once off of the smoker, reaching the safe internal temperature of 165°.
Cornish hens are ready to serve! If desired, garnish with a small handful of fresh herb sprigs like parsley!
Cornish hens are small enough to be individual servings, and are not only wonderful for a weeknight dinner with family, they’re also classy enough for a fancy dinner!
When you’re ready to eat, slice in to that juicy cornish hen!
What to serve with cornish hens
This easy salad recipe is my favorite to serve alongside cornish hens but we also love to round a meal out with cream cheese smoked mushrooms since we already have the smoker heated!
Favorite smoked recipes
If your smoker is already preheated, there’s no need to waste the pellets or energy reheating later! Meal prep and make other smoker meals, like smoked chicken strips and smoked burgers for easy dinner ideas for the rest of the week!
Smoked Cornish Hens
Equipment
- smoker
Ingredients
- 2 cornish hens
- smoked chicken brine
Smoked Cornish Hen Rub
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
Instructions
- In a large pot (big enough to marinate cornish hens in a gallon of brine, yet small enough to cover the hens completely and a pot small enough to fit in a refrigerator) mix together the ingredients for this smoked chicken brine.
- Place cornish hens in brine and refrigerate, covered, for at least 2 hours, but up to 24 hours.
- Once small hens have marinated in brine, remove and discard brine.
- With a paper towel, pat the cornish hens dry and let rest at room temperature for 15-30 minutes. (This will help hens cook evenly and not dry out.)
- Preheat smoker to 225°.
- While preheating, mix together spice rub ingredients in a small bowl.
- Rub spice blend all over cornish hens, evenly, covering the tops, bottoms and sides of hens completely.
- Place hens on smoking racks (breast side down) and smoke for 1.5 hours.
- After 1.5 hours, turn temperature on smoker up to 350° and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes to crisp up the skin.
- Check the internal temperature of hens, and remove once the thickest part of the breast and thigh have reached an internal temp of 160°. (NOTE: If internal temperature of hens has not reached 160° after the higher temperature, lower temperature of smoker back to 225° and cook until it reaches 160°.)
- Place hens on a baking sheet or platter and wrap in aluminum foil, and let rest for about 10 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches a safe temperature to eat, of 165°.
Stephanie says
This dish tastes amazing! Thanks for all the details, I’m still getting used to my smoker.
Betsy says
These are too fun! And so delicious! I have great memories of having Cornish Hens for special occasions. It was always so neat to have a whole “chicken” to myself! I’ll be doubling this recipe next time so my kids can have the same experience.
Beth says
This recipe is great and so delicious! Definitely making this again!