Air Fryer Cornish Hens is a gourmet dinner, straight out of the Air Fryer! Crispy outside and tender and juicy inside makes this the perfect recipe for those fancier family gatherings or just a weekday meal! Faster/easier than oven-roasted and packed with so much flavor... makes this Air fryer Cornish game hen recipe a must-have for your keto kitchen!
Related: I get all of my grass fed beef and pasture raised chicken from Butcher Box. Read my honest review here.
What did we do before Air Fryers? It is my most used appliance in my kitchen, for sure! I love recipes that make our busy lives easier! That's why I'm excited to share with you this recipe for Air Fryer Cornish Hens. This is super easy and has so much flavor! Crispy skin on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside! Perfect if you're looking for something a little fancier to cook this holiday season or perfect weekday meal! Either way, this a must-have recipe for your keto Air Fryer needs!
Let's get started!
HOW TO MAKE AIR FRYER CORNISH HENS
First, you will need to spray the inside of the air fryer with cooking spray.
Combine the avocado oil and all the seasonings in a small bowl. The seasoning recipe is amazing and the same mix I used for my Air Fryer Whole Chicken recipe. It uses salt, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, dried basil, dried oregano, and dried thyme.
Now, rub the seasoning evenly over both hens. You can even lift up the breast skin and rub some seasoning directly on the breast meat for even more flavor.
Place the Cornish hens in the air fryer, breast side down and cook at 360F for 35 minutes.
Flip the hens to breast side up and cook for an additional 10 minutes to get the skin crispy.
Then hens are finished when the internal temperature is 165F.
Gourmet dinner, all in your Air Fryer! It doesn't get much easier than that..and so delicious!
Like this air fryer recipe? Check out my recipe for Air Fryer Lasagna, Air Fryer Italian Stuffed Portobello Mushroom Caps or Air fryer Salmon!
⭐ Did you make this Air Fryer Cornish Hen Recipe? Tag me on Instagram so I can see! @lowcarbwithjennifer
Air Fryer Cornish Hens - Rotisserie Style
Ingredients
- 2 Cornish Game Hens
- 2 Tablespoons avocado oil (Click here for my favorite brand on Amazon)
- 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried Basil
- ½ teaspoon dried Oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried Thyme
Equipment
Instructions
- Spray the inside of the air fryer with cooking spray.
- Combine the avocado oil, and all of the seasongs in a small bowl.
- Rub the seasoning evenly over both hens. You can even lift up the breast skin and rub some seasoning directly on the breast meat for even more flavor.
- Place in the air fryer breast side down and cook at 360F for 35 minutes.
- Flip the hens and cook for an additional 10 minutes to get the skin crispy.
- The hens are finished when the internal temperature is 165F.
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy only. Please re-calculate on your own with the ingredients and amounts you used for the most accurate data.
Laurel says
Such a winning recipe! So very easy. Used to cook Cornish game hen in a crock pot with a tried and true recipe. It was always delicious but your recipe is far superior. The hen turns out so succulent and juicy. My air fryer takes 5-6 minutes less time. Thank you so much for sharing.
Lucretia says
Great recipe. Been making this ever since I found this recipe.
Aslan says
These hens were absolutely delicious. I cooked one at a time in the basket of my T-Fal compact air-fryer. I followed the cooking times and temperatures above.
Ann says
This recipe worked quite well. The skin became nicely browned and crispy. I added
1/2 tsp of ground Chipotle & skipped the thyme. Most definitely a keeper!
Pat says
Great recipe! I make it often.
Kathy says
Hi
I have a Ninja Foodi 8qt and would be cooking 2 corninsh hens in the basket. Is the cooking time the same? I'm not sure what you air fried yours in!!
jenniferbanz says
Should be the same but just be sure the internal temp is 165F
John says
Outstanding! 10 stars
Rebecca says
Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe. What watts do you set the air fryer to? I have 900, 1500, and 1800. Thank you, Rebecca
Jen hall says
Excellent
Terri Lafata says
I love the recipe for air fried cornish game hen, I didn't think I could cook the hen's in my air fryer. Thank you so much for this awesome recipe. God bless all of us
Carol Smith says
Cooked these for my husband and I and we loved them. Now we want to have friends over and my husband thinks we each need a whole hen, so my question is.....can you cook two and place them in a warm oven while you cook two more? Also, do you need to empty the grease out of the air fryer before cooking that last two?
Amy Herndon says
I've made this several times and absolutely wouldn't change a thing! I'm going to be making five on Christmas Day and would love to use this method in advance and reheat? Good idea or bad idea? Any suggestions? Thanks so much for the great recipe!
Suzi says
Super yummy!! Loved that we could make this in the air fryer. No more oven for us! Delicious!
ALaf says
Simple, quick and full of amazing flavour.
Karla says
Can you stuff the hens? How much more time roasting?
jenniferbanz says
I am not sure
Jimmie Gadson-Johnson says
You can do as you please...Experiment with your food and get better with time.
Geneva says
How long in the air fryer for one hen instead of two?
jenniferbanz says
Same amount of time
Mellie says
I like the seasoning but it was way too salty for me. Also the time was a bit long as mine got overcooked. Next time I will tweak this recipe by cutting the salt back by half and cook for about 20 minutes then turn over for another 10 to 15.
Megan says
Thanks for the recipe! I love Cornish hen! I used different seasonings the first time and it was delicious, but tonight I tried yours and it’s just as yummy!
Maria D'Addario says
Just got my air fryer, I didn't think you could spray the inside of the fryer with cooking spray.What if you don't spray it?
Melody says
Hi I would like to know I have a small airfyrer would I cook the same amount of time? I know to half the ingredients but would it be the same length of time and temp? I know it needs to be 165 fully cooked internally.
Thanks hurry with the answer please I want to cook one this weekend and share with my promised mate. He will love it!
jenniferbanz says
Yes, same amount of time
Laurie Barreiro says
Hi. If I only cook 1,do I shorten the cooking time?
jenniferbanz says
The time would be the same
jennifer says
Put seasoning under the skin I do that even with my turkeys
Teresa says
My husband and I shared a Cornish hen today for Easter dinner. The skin was brown and crispy and meat was moist. I just wish the meat had more flavor like the skin. I don’t think it is a result of this recipe. It seems the skin is always more flavorful than the meat anytime I cook chicken or turkey. Thank you for the recipe!
jenniferbanz says
Yes, agree! next-time try brining them in a salt solution for a few hours for more flavor.
Massey Ferguson says
Brining doesn't necessarily add flavor; it adds moisture and Saltiness to the meat.
Suggestion: next time add seasoning to inside of birds and allow to rest for 1-hr in refrigerator before cooking.... Spray inside of birds with cooking spray before adding seasoning to inside.
Denise says
This is a great recipe. I soaked the hens in Italian dressing for a day or so flipping it occasionally. Then cooking it will give it the flavor you want.
Val says
Thank you very much for the recipe! I made it for dinner tonight and it was absolutely delicious! I only had to cook my birds for 38 minutes (30 minutes, flip then another 8 minutes), other than that I followed it exactly. The birds were flavorful, juicy with crispy skin. I will be making this again and again! Thank you!
Carrie says
Excellent flavor, crispy skin and thanks for the tip on less fryer time. I think I have a fast cooking fryer.
Tayo says
This recipe was so flavorful and my whole family loved it! Thanks for sharing!
Emese says
45 minutes for two hens? I love how quick Airfryer is. Nothing is worth than a soft and soggy skin.
Monica says
Oh my goodness, the skin on these hens looks absolutely amazing. We did Cornish hens in the oven last year for Christmas and honestly it didn't work that well - I would LOVE to try this method instead!
Kelly Anthony says
I haven't invested in an air fryer yet but I think I need to after reading this quick and easy cornish hens recipe.
Pamela says
I've new to the air fryer game, so thank you for creating such a easy, delicious recipe!