Spatchcocking is just flattening the chicken and taking out the backbone. It’s an excellent way to ensure that the hens cook evenly on the grill. You’ll need a good, sharp pair of kitchen shears and long metal skewers. The Cornish hens go great with the Chipotle Mayonnaise. If you’d prefer to avoid using raw egg for the homemade mayonnaise, store-bought mayonnaise works just as well in place of the egg and oil combination. Just add the mustard, lemon juice, vinegar, chipotle and salt and pepper to 1 cup of the bottled variety. Yield is 4 servings.
ingredients
Chipotle Marinade
Cornish Hens
Chipotle Mayonnaise
directions
Heat all ingredients in a saucepan and reduce for 10 minutes.
Process mixture in a blender until smooth.
Let cool.
Set aside 1/2 cup of the glaze for basting.
Yield is about 1 1/2 cups of marinade.
Spatchcock the hens. With kitchen shears, cut through the flesh and bone along both sides of the backbone. Cut from the tail end to the tail end and completely remove the backbone. Open up the bird and place it on a cutting board, skin-side up. By pressing hard on the breastbone, flatten it and crush it.
Put the hens in a resealable plastic bag and pour the Chipotle Marinade in.
Seal the bag and marinate the hens overnight in the refrigerator.
Preheat the barbecue or grill to low.
Remove the hens from the marinade and bring the hens to room temperature.
Place them bone side down on the grill.
Cover the barbecue and cook for 25 to 30 minutes, basting once or twice.
. Turn the hens over and grill for 15 to 20 minutes more or until golden.
Turn the hens once more.
Continue cooking for 10 to 15 minutes more, until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees F.
Let rest 5 minutes and serve with the Chipotle Mayonnaise.
Blend eggs, mustard, lemon juice and vinegar in a food processor.
With processor running, add a stream of both oils slowly until mixture emulsifies and thickens.
Remove to a bowl and fold in the chipotle and season with salt and pepper.
Yield is about 1 1/4 cups of mayonnaise.