If you're looking for an easy way to cook Cornish game hens that are packed with flavor, I've got a recipe you're going to love! We're taking four Cornish game hens, injecting them with my Cajun Turkey Injection & Brine, seasoning them with my original Garlic Butter Rub, and roasting them on the pellet grill. This is a simple recipe that doesn't take a whole lot of prep work, but the results are some beautiful, juicy, and flavorful birds.

One thing I really like about Cornish game hens is that they're the perfect size for individual servings. We cook these a lot at hunting camp, especially during duck season and deer season, because they're easy to prepare and make a great meal when you've got a group of hungry folks to feed. You can change up the seasonings, add a glaze, or even stuff them with your favorite ingredients.

For this cook, I'm keeping things simple and letting the injection and seasoning do the work. We're cooking these hens on my recteq pellet grill at 375°F using Royal Oak Hickory Blended Charcoal Pellets. In about an hour, we'll have a meal that's perfect for a family dinner, hunting camp, or just about any occasion. Let's get started!

Smoked Cornish Game Hens with Cajun Injection & Garlic Butter Rub | Heath Riles BBQ

These Cornish game hens are all about getting plenty of flavor into the meat without making the cooking process complicated. Instead of brining the birds overnight, I'm using my Cajun Turkey Injection & Brine as an injection. This allows us to get that Cajun flavor down into the breasts, thighs, legs, and even the wings while helping the meat stay moist during cooking.

On the outside, we're keeping it simple with a little oil and my original Garlic Butter Rub. That gives us a savory, buttery garlic flavor that works really well with the Cajun injection. We're roasting these hens at 375°F rather than cooking them low and slow because I want to get some good color on the skin while keeping the meat tender and juicy.

The best part is how versatile this recipe is. You can use different seasonings, add a barbecue glaze, or stuff the hens with fruit, onions, or even boudin. Today, I'm showing you how good they can be with just a few simple ingredients.

Why This Recipe Works

• The injection adds flavor throughout the meat. My Cajun Turkey Injection & Brine gets that Cajun flavor into the breasts, thighs, and legs while helping the hens stay moist and juicy during cooking.
• No overnight brining required. If you don't have time to brine your birds ahead of time, injecting them is a great alternative. We're getting everything ready and going straight to the grill.
• Simple seasoning with plenty of flavor. My original Garlic Butter Rub gives the outside of these hens a savory, buttery flavor without overpowering the injection.
• Hot-and-fast cooking. We're roasting these Cornish game hens at 375°F instead of smoking them low and slow. This helps develop a beautiful color on the outside while cooking the birds in about an hour.
• Perfect individual portions. Cornish game hens make a great meal for one person, especially when you're serving them with mashed potatoes, vegetables, or a salad.
• Easy to customize. You can change the rub, add a glaze, or stuff the birds with your favorite ingredients to make this recipe your own.

The Ingredients

You don't need a long list of ingredients to make these Cornish game hens. We're using a few simple products to build plenty of flavor inside and out.

• Cornish Game Hens. I'm using four Cornish game hens that have been completely thawed. These smaller birds are great for individual servings and don't take nearly as long to cook as a full-sized chicken.
• Heath Riles BBQ Cajun Turkey Injection & Brine. We're mixing ½ cup of this blend with 16 ounces of water to make our injection. I'm mixing it a little stronger than the instructions on the bag for some extra Cajun flavor.
• Water. You'll need 16 ounces of regular tap water to mix with the injection blend. There's no need for anything fancy here.
• Heath Riles BBQ Garlic Butter Rub. I'm using my original Garlic Butter Rub to season the outside of the hens. It's got a great savory garlic butter flavor that pairs perfectly with the Cajun injection. 
• Graza Frizzle High Heat Cooking Oil Spray. A light coating of oil helps the seasoning stick to the skin. We'll also add a little more oil about halfway through cooking.
• Royal Oak Hickory Blended Charcoal Pellets. These are the pellets I'm using in the recteq for this cook. They add a little smoky flavor while we're roasting the hens.

Cooking Setup

For this recipe, I'm cooking on my recteq Flagship Pellet Grill at 375°F using Royal Oak Hickory Blended Charcoal Pellets. Now, some people might think 375°F is a little hot for smoking, but I'm not trying to get a heavy smoke flavor on these birds. I'm really roasting them on the pellet grill, and that higher temperature helps give us some good color on the skin.

Before we get started, I've got four thawed Cornish game hens ready to go. I'm using my Heath Riles BBQ Mixing Shaker Bottle to mix the injection and a meat injector to get that flavor down into the meat. I've also got a baking sheet with a baking rack to hold the birds while I get them seasoned.

We're not tying these hens up or doing anything complicated with them. I am tucking the wings underneath before seasoning, but other than that, we're keeping things simple. Once they're on the grill, we'll let them cook for about 30 minutes, give them another light coating of oil, and continue cooking until they're done.

I'll be using my Thermapen ONE to check the internal temperature before pulling them off. The total cooking time in this video was approximately 55 minutes, although cooking times will vary depending on the size of your hens.

The Process

Mix the Cajun Injection

The first thing we're going to do is get our injection mixed up. Normally, I like to brine my Cornish game hens ahead of time, but I didn't have time to do that for this cook. Instead, we're going to inject them with my Cajun Turkey Injection & Brine to get plenty of flavor down into the meat.

I've got 16 ounces of regular tap water in my Mixing Shaker Bottle, and I'm adding ½ cup of the injection blend. I'm mixing this a little stronger than what the bag calls for, and that's completely fine for what we're doing today. Once everything is in the bottle, we're going to give it a good shake until the seasoning is mixed into the water.

This shaker bottle makes mixing up injections, brines, and butter baths easy. Once we've got everything combined, we're ready to start injecting our hens.

Inject the Cornish Game Hens

Now that we've got our injection mixed up, let's get some flavor into these birds. I'm using my meat injector to work the Cajun mixture into each Cornish game hen. We're going to give each leg a shot, each breast a good full shot, and get some injection into the thighs as well.

I like to work my way around the breasts and distribute that injection throughout the meat instead of putting it all in one spot. I'm even getting a little bit into the wings. The goal here is to get that Cajun flavor throughout the birds and help them stay moist and juicy while they're cooking.

We started with 16 ounces of liquid, and I used almost all of it between the four hens. Once we've got everything injected, we're going to dry the outside of the birds off before adding our seasoning.

Dry and Season the Hens

I've got our injected Cornish game hens sitting on a baking rack over a baking sheet, and I've dried the outside of each bird off. Before seasoning, I'm going to give them a light coating of Graza Frizzle High Heat Cooking Oil Spray to help the rub stick to the skin.

I've also tucked the wings back underneath the birds to keep everything in place while they cook. Now we're coming in with my original Garlic Butter Rub, making sure to get a good coating all over the outside of each hen. I really like the garlic butter flavor with this Cajun injection, but you can use whatever seasoning you prefer.

If you want more of a barbecue flavor, you could use my Honey Rub or one of our other barbecue rubs. You could also go with Cajun Creole Garlic Butter Rub or SPG. That's one of the things I like about Cornish game hens. You can change the flavor profile depending on what you're in the mood for, and they'll turn out great.

Place the Cornish Game Hens on the Pellet Grill

We've got our recteq Flagship Pellet Grill running at 375°F, and it's time to get these birds cooking. I'm using Royal Oak Hickory Blended Charcoal Pellets for this cook, which will give us a little smoky flavor while the hens roast.

Now, I know some folks might think 375°F is too hot for smoking, but we're not really trying to smoke these birds low and slow. We're roasting them, and that higher temperature is going to help us get some beautiful color on the outside.

You can also stuff Cornish game hens with fruit, onions, boudin, or your favorite stuffing mixture if you want to change things up. We do these a lot for hunting camp dinners during duck and deer season, and they're always a great meal. Today, though, I'm not stuffing or tying them up. I'm just placing them directly on the grill grates and letting the grill do the work.

Once they're arranged on the grill, I'm touching up the seasoning just a little bit where needed. Now we're going to close the lid and let them cook for about 30 minutes.

Add a Little Oil and Continue Cooking

Our Cornish game hens have been cooking for about 30 minutes now, so let's get in here and take a look at them. You can already see they've developed a nice-looking shine, and they're starting to get some good color on the outside.

At this point, I'm going to give them another light coating of Graza Frizzle High Heat Cooking Oil Spray. We're not adding any more seasoning or glaze right now. I just want to give that skin a little oil and let the grill continue doing its job.

Once we've got them coated, we're going to close the lid and let them cook for approximately another 30 minutes before checking the internal temperature.

Check the Internal Temperature

We're right around the one-hour mark, and these Cornish game hens are looking beautiful. They've got some great color on the outside, and I'm expecting them to be done based on how they look. But we always want to check the internal temperature before taking poultry off the grill.

I'm using my Thermapen ONE to check the breasts, and they're reading a little over 160°F, closer to 170°F. That's telling me these birds are done and ready to come off. Poultry needs to reach a safe internal temperature of at least 165°F, so make sure you're checking the thickest part of the breast and thigh without touching the bone.

Looking at these hens, they probably could have come off a little earlier. Our total cooking time was approximately 55 minutes, but depending on the size of your birds, they may be ready in closer to 45–50 minutes. That's why I always recommend cooking to temperature instead of relying only on time.

Rest the Cornish Game Hens Before Serving

Now that our Cornish game hens are done, we're going to take them off the grill using our tongs and bring them inside. You could brush these birds with your favorite barbecue glaze if you wanted, but I'm leaving them just like they are today. I want to show you how good they can be with nothing more than the Cajun injection and Garlic Butter Rub.

These birds have a beautiful color on the outside, and that garlic butter seasoning has given the skin a great-looking finish. We're going to let them rest for about 10–15 minutes before plating one up and giving it a try.

That short rest gives us a chance to get our sides ready, whether we're serving mashed potatoes, a vegetable medley, or a big side salad. Once they've rested, these Cornish game hens are ready to serve!

The Results

Y'all, these Cornish game hens turned out great! After about 55 minutes on the pellet grill at 375°F, we've got some beautiful golden-brown birds with plenty of flavor from my Cajun Turkey Injection & Brine and original Garlic Butter Rub. We didn't have to do anything complicated, and the results speak for themselves.

When I pulled a leg off and gave it a try, the first thing I noticed was how good that skin tasted. The garlic butter seasoning gave it a great savory flavor, but what really impressed me was the meat underneath. You could taste that Cajun injection throughout the bird, and the meat was still nice and juicy even after cooking at 375°F.

That's exactly what we're looking for with this recipe. By injecting the birds before cooking, we're getting plenty of flavor down into the meat instead of relying on seasoning the outside alone. And because we're roasting these hens at a higher temperature, we can get a great meal on the table in about an hour.

One thing I really like about Cornish game hens is that they're just about the perfect individual portion. You can put one on a plate with some mashed potatoes and vegetables, and you've got yourself a complete meal. We cook these a lot at hunting camp, but they're just as good for a family dinner at home. Give this recipe a try, because I think it might become a family favorite!

Perfect Pairings

These Cornish game hens have plenty of savory garlic butter flavor with a little Cajun kick, so I like serving them with sides that complement the seasoning without overpowering the chicken. Whether you're cooking for a family dinner or feeding a group at hunting camp, these recipes would make a great addition to the meal.

• Blue Cheese Rosemary Mashed Potatoes. You can't go wrong with mashed potatoes alongside roasted chicken, and these Blue Cheese Rosemary Mashed Potatoes are a great option. The rich, creamy potatoes and savory rosemary flavor pair well with the garlic butter seasoning on the Cornish game hens. This is a great side when you want something a little more flavorful than traditional mashed potatoes.
• Maple Honey Roasted Carrots. If you're looking for a vegetable side, give these Maple Honey Roasted Carrots a try. The sweetness from the maple and honey balances out the savory Cajun and garlic butter flavors in the hens. They also add some great color to the plate, making this a good combination for a family dinner or holiday meal.
• Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts. These Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts are another great side dish for Cornish game hens. You've got that savory bacon flavor combined with a little sweetness from the maple, which works really well with the garlic butter seasoning on the birds. If you're putting together a full meal, these are a great way to add another vegetable to the table.

Storing Leftovers

If you've got any Cornish game hens left after supper, they're easy to store and enjoy again later. Since these birds are smaller than a whole chicken, you can keep them whole or remove the meat from the bones before storing.

• Refrigerating. Let the Cornish game hens cool slightly, then place them in an airtight container and refrigerate within two hours of cooking. They'll keep in the refrigerator for 3–4 days. If you're planning to use the leftover meat for another meal, you can go ahead and remove it from the bones to make reheating easier.
• Reheating. I recommend reheating the Cornish game hens in the oven at 325°F. Place them in a baking dish with a small splash of water or chicken broth, cover loosely with foil, and heat until the thickest part reaches 165°F. Keeping them covered will help prevent the meat from drying out. You can also reheat individual portions in the microwave, but be careful not to overcook them.
• Freezing. If you want to save the leftovers for later, remove the meat from the bones and place it in an airtight freezer-safe container or bag. For the best quality, use the frozen meat within 3 months. When you're ready to eat it, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and reheat it until it reaches 165°F.

Tips for the Best Cornish Game Hens

I've cooked plenty of Cornish game hens over the years, especially at hunting camp, and there are a few things I recommend to help you get the best results with this recipe.

• Make sure your hens are completely thawed. I'm starting with four fully thawed Cornish game hens. This makes them easier to inject and helps them cook evenly on the grill.
• Inject the meat for extra flavor. My Cajun Turkey Injection & Brine is a great option when you don't have time to brine the birds overnight. I like getting the injection into the breasts, thighs, legs, and even the wings so there's plenty of flavor throughout.
• Distribute the injection evenly. Instead of injecting all the liquid into one spot, work your way around the breasts and other parts of the bird. This helps spread the Cajun flavor throughout the meat.
• Dry the skin before seasoning. After injecting the hens, I like to dry off the outside before adding oil and seasoning. Removing that excess moisture helps the seasoning stick and encourages better browning during cooking.
• Don't be afraid to change the seasoning. I'm using my original Garlic Butter Rub, but you can use Honey Rub, Cajun Creole Garlic Butter Rub, SPG, or your favorite barbecue seasoning. Cornish game hens are versatile, so you can make them as savory, sweet, or spicy as you like.
• Cook at 375°F for a roasted finish. I'm not trying to get a heavy smoke flavor on these birds. Cooking them at 375°F on the pellet grill gives us a nice roasted finish with beautiful color on the skin.
• Add a little oil halfway through cooking. After about 30 minutes, I give the birds another light coating of Graza Frizzle High Heat Cooking Oil Spray. This helps the outside develop a nice-looking finish as they continue cooking.
• Always cook to internal temperature. My hens took approximately 55 minutes, but they probably could have come off a little sooner. Use a Thermapen ONE to check the thickest parts of the breast and thigh, making sure they reach at least 165°F before serving.
• Try stuffing the hens. If you want to change things up, you can stuff these birds with fruit, onions, boudin, or your favorite stuffing mixture. Just remember that stuffing can affect the cooking time, and the center of the stuffing also needs to reach 165°F.
• Add a glaze if you want. I left these hens without a glaze to show how good they are with just the injection and seasoning. But you could brush them with your favorite barbecue glaze toward the end of cooking for another layer of flavor.
• Let the birds rest before serving. Once the hens come off the grill, give them about 10–15 minutes to rest before plating. This gives you time to finish your sides and lets the meat settle before you cut into it.

Final Thoughts

If you've never cooked Cornish game hens before, this is a great recipe to start with. They're easy to prepare, don't take nearly as long as a full-sized chicken, and make a great individual serving for just about any occasion.

I really like the combination of my Cajun Turkey Injection & Brine and original Garlic Butter Rub. That injection gets plenty of flavor down into the meat, while the garlic butter seasoning gives the outside a great savory taste. We didn't need an overnight brine, any complicated preparation, or even a glaze to get some beautiful, juicy birds.

Whether you're cooking for your family, having friends over, or putting together a big dinner at hunting camp, these Cornish game hens are worth giving a try. Serve them with your favorite mashed potatoes and vegetables, and you've got a complete meal. Y'all give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!

Equipment & Tools

recteq Flagship Pellet Grill, Royal Oak Hickory Blended Charcoal Pellets, Heath Riles BBQ Mixing Shaker Bottle, Meat Injector, Thermapen ONE, Baking Sheet, Baking Rack, Tongs, Graza Frizzle High Heat Cooking Oil Spray