Grilled Asian Cornish hens are just wonderful on a summer day with a light vegetable and pasta salad. You can use an outdoor grill or a stovetop grill. Enjoy this with white wine or your favorite beer.
It was almost Labor Day, and in Southern California, you know that it is going to be hot throughout the holiday. Such days are excellent for barbecuing, but I get tired of regular barbecue sauce, and I didn’t feel like having Highway Chicken either. What to do, what to do?
I remembered I had some packets of True Orange that I hadn’t even tried yet, so I thought I would make an Asian orange glaze for the chicken. Then I thought that Asian green beans would be good – but it was too darned hot – so went to the freezer to see if we had any green beans. No luck, but we did have a package of frozen Asian mixed vegetables. Asian Vegetable Medley salad was the way to go.
If you haven’t tried the True Citrus products, you’re missing something wonderful. There is True Lemon, True Lime, and True Grapefruit, as well as lemonade. The product comes in little packets and has no preservatives, just crystallized citrus. It’s wonderful for making sauces because there is no extra liquid. All are wonderful in water or mixed to make drinks. I have plenty of recipes, just have a look.
I hope you give Grilled Asian Cornish hens a try soon. If you want to know how to do this on the stovetop, head on over to Stovetop Smoker Highway Chicken.
Email Me the Recipe
Grilled Asian Orange Cornish Hens with Asian Vegetable Medley Salad
Equipment
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Ingredients
- 2 Cornish Hens
For the Rub
- ⅓ cup Cornstarch
- ⅓ cup Brown Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne
- Freshly Ground Pepper
- 2 packets True Orange
- 1 packet True Grapefruit
For the Glaze
- 4 packets True Orange
- 2 packets True Grapefruit
- ½ teaspoon Powdered Ginger
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne
- ½ teaspoon Dry Mustard
- 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Sesame Seed Oil
- 1 tablespoon Sherry
- ¼ cup Honey
- ¼ cup Ketchup
For the Asian Vegetable Medley Salad
- 1 package frozen Asian vegetable medley
- 1 package Top Ramen, chicken flavor
- 2 cups water
- ¼ cup green onions, tops only
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- ¼ cup peanuts
For the Salad Dressing
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dry sherry
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil, flavorless
- 3 pieces crystallized ginger , chopped
Instructions
- Soak the wood chips in water at least half an hour before starting.
- Start the grill. Light the charcoal.
- Mix all the ingredients for the rub together. You can use your fingers or a pestle.
- Remove the spine from the hens and spread them with your hands, getting them as flat as possible. Put skews through the wings and breasts to keep them flat.
- Rub the rub into the inside and outside of the hens. Be generous! Use all the rub.
- Asian Orange Chicken Ready for the Grill
- By this time, the coals should be ready. Move them to one side of the grill.
- Put the hens on the grill, breast side down.
- Put about a third of the soaked chips into the fire.
- Put the lid on the grill.
- Check the chicken at a half an hour, and add more chips.
- Mix all the ingredients for the glaze together and have ready a heat-safe brush.
- Check the hens with an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the chicken. If they are at 175, they are ready to turn.
- Brush the inside of the hens with the glaze. Do not use all of it.
- Turn the hens over and mop the other side. Be generous and get the glaze in all the nooks and crannies. Add more wood chips and close the lid.
- In about 5 minutes, come back and glaze some more. Add any remaining wood chips
- Get a large platter for the chicken.
- Remove the chicken from the grill using tongs.
- Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before cutting.
- Asian Orange Chicken Off Barbecue
- Cut each chicken in half, then in half again at the thigh.
- Enjoy!
For the Asian Vegetable Medley Salad
- Heat the vegetables in the microwave until just done. Drain.
- Put 2 cups of water into a pot, bring it to a boil and add the Top Ramen flavor packet. Break the noodles up a bit, and add them to the boiling water. Boil until they are done, but not soft. Drain.
- In a large bowl, put the chopped scallions, sesame seeds, and noodles.
- In a medium-sized bowl, put the soy sauce, sherry, and dry mustard. Whisk. Add the sesame oil and sugar. Whisk.
- Put the bowl on a towel or something that will keep it from slipping because you will need two hands at this point.
- All the while whisking, start adding the oil in a slow steady stream until the liquids have emulsified. Add the ginger and whisk again.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well to combine.
- Put in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
You could use any vegetables you wanted, and, of course, you could use regular noodles, even the Asian noodles if you can find them.
I love this! I made your Highway Chicken, and loved it, and when I came back to get the recipe for that again, I found this one, and made it instead. It was delicious!
That just sounds delicious. I can’t wait to get it on the grill.
I love the products from True Citrus, and I’m going to make this for a party next week. Thanks for the tips.