Fried Cornish Game Hen

Jamie and I had a big ugly sweater Christmas party and the next night were feeling like we needed a little comfort food.

I had never made real, deep fried chicken before and went to the grocery to pick out what I thought I might need. There was a sale on Cornish game hen and I love these little birds. They cook faster than chicken and they're delicious, and great when you just have two people to feed. So then fried chicken turned into fried Cornish game hen. Sounds fancy, right? You could totally serve it at a dinner party without seeming too down home. (Don't be intimidated by the name - Cornish game hens are basically just mini chickens.)

I used Grace Parisi's Crispy Buttermilk Fried Chicken recipe as a base but altered it for the smaller birdies. I used two of them, which would have been enough for 4 people, so just get one if you're making a fancy fried dinner for two (unless you want leftovers, then get 2). I substituted Crisco for vegetable oil after reading/seeing The Help and hearing about how Crisco is the best for frying chicken. I served it with a side of pea puree with butter and finished with a salad. Perfect comfort food dinner to lull you into a food coma.

Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 Cornish game hens, spine removed and cut into piece (breasts, thighs, drum sticks)
      I find it easiest to do with kitchen shears
3 cups buttermilk
2 tbsp Kosher salt
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp cayenne pepper

dredge:
2 cups flour
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1 cup Crisco

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the buttermilk with the salt, black pepper and cayenne. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 2 hours or refrigerate for 4 hours.

In a large, resealable plastic bag, mix the flour with the onion powder, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne and shake to combine.

Set a rack on a baking sheet. Working with one piece at a time, remove the chicken from the buttermilk soak, letting the excess drip back into the bowl. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, pressing so it adheres all over. Transfer the coated chicken to the rack and let stand for 30 minutes.

In a deep skillet, heat the Crisco to 350°. (If you don’t have a deep fat thermometer, just wait until a pinch of flour sizzles when you drop it into the pan. This is what I did, but Jamie got me a deep fat thermometer for Christmas so next time I’ll be more exact – what a guy!) Line a cookie sheet with paper towels and heat the oven to 200. Fry the game hen in batches at 315°, turning once, until golden and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of each piece registers 160°, about 5-7 minutes per side. 

Transfer the chicken to the paper-lined cookie sheet in the oven while frying in batches. Don’t crowd the pan or the pieces won’t be crispy.

Serve warm with pea puree (or whatever else you’re in the mood for!).