Air Fryer Cornish Hen

A white rectangle platter with two hens on it with potato wedges

This air fryer Cornish hen recipe is easy to make and a delight to serve. With hardly any work on your part, the meat comes out moist and the skin is perfectly crispy.

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword air fryer cornish hen, cornish hen, how to cook cornish hen

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 40

Total Time 45

Servings servings

Calories 435kcal

Author Elaine Benoit

Equipment

Ingredients

2 Cornish hens (each one will be around 1.5 pounds)
olive oil (extra virgin - to coat the birds)
2 teaspoons tarragon (dried)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (or regular if you prefer)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
.25 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

Unpackage the hens over the sink and pour juices down the drain. Pat dry inside and out with paper towels
2 Cornish hens
In a small mixing bowl, add tarragon, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Mix together with a whisk until combined. You will have extra rub, so don't stress.
2 teaspoons tarragon, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, .25 teaspoon pepper
Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F and set the timer for 40 minutes.
Pour a small amount of olive oil on your hand and rub both the birds to coat the skin, front and back.
olive oil
Hold one of the birds in one hand and scoop up some of the rub with your other and sprinkle it over the hen on all sides. Repeat with the other hen and place them both on the air fryer rack breast side down.
Once the airfryer beeps to tell you to add the food, place the rack in the air fryer. Turn the temperature down to 370.
After 30 minutes are up, flip the birds breast side up and continue cooking for the 10 minutes still on the timer. The internal temperature should read 165 degrees F, if it needs more time add 3 minutes.
Let the birds rest for 10 minutes before cutting into them.
Serve
Smile
Enjoy

Notes

Helpful tips

I've used a few different air fryers; the oven type, the air fryer lid for my instant pot, the basket type, and the one that currently has my heart: the Instant Vortex Pro which uses trays. The IVP is my current favorite because, in my opinion, it is the easiest one to use and clean.

The temperature and timing of the recipe are the same for oven or basket types of air fryers. But if you have the basket type, make sure the hens aren't touching each other or just barely touching.

In recent years, experts have changed their recommendation on whether to wash poultry before you cook it. They now say that washing the bird increases the chances of getting food poisoning and cross-contaminating other things, like kitchen tools, surfaces, and utensils. Here are two websites that talk about it.

To minimize the chance of cross-contamination, I unwrap the chicken, drain the liquid straight down the drain, and pat the bird dry with a paper towel, both inside and out.

Most Cornish hens come in different sizes; the average weight is around 1 1/2 pounds per bird. My hens were two different sizes, but they were cooked at the same time, and both turned out great.

Nutrition