Apricot Glazed Cornish Game Hens

Ever since I roasted my first chicken a few weeks ago, I’ve wanted to roast everything I eat. My husband loves Cornish game hens, so I agreed to purchase two and prepare them for dinner. I decided to use a South Beach Diet recipe and the hens turned out really, really good. There were only three ingredients to make the sweet fruity glaze, along with salt and pepper to season the hens before glazing. The recipe couldn’t be simpler and the meat sweeter. For a truly heart healthy meal, serve the hens with baked sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli.

Apricot Glazed Cornish Game Hens
recipe from The South Beach Diet
printable version of this recipe

1 cup Smuckers low sugar apricot preserves
¼ cup I Can’t Believe it’s not Butter Spray
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2 Cornish game hens, thawed
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
1 pinch salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover the bottom of a roasting pan with foil to catch drippings.

Combine the preserves, butter and orange juice to make the glaze. Rinse hens and pat dry; rub the cavities with salt and pepper. Place the hens breast sides up on a rack in the roasting pan—make sure they do not touch. Pour glaze over hens and roast for 1-2 hours, basting every 15-20 minutes.

Test thickest part of hen with a meat thermometer, making sure it doesn’t touch any bones. When the thermometer reads 170 degrees and the outside of the hens are dark brown they’re done. Remove them from the oven and let them stand for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!