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    Home » Recipes » Air Fryer Recipes

    Published: Nov 22, 2019 · Modified: Sep 24, 2020 by Jennifer Banz · This post may contain affiliate links

    Air Fryer Cornish Hens

    Jump to Recipe Pin for Later

    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!

    Cornish game hens on a black background

    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

    Cornish hens and ingredients in glass bowls

    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.

     

    Cornish hens with seasoning side by side in air fryer

    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!

    air fryer Cornish hens out of the air fryer

    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 out of the air fryer

    Air Fryer Cornish Hens - Rotisserie Style

    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 a must-have recipe for your keto kitchen!
    1 Net Carb for ½ a Cornish Hen
    4.83 from 23 votes
    Print Recipe Save to FavoritesSaved! Pin Recipe
    Course: dinner, Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 50 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 400
    Author: Jennifer Banz

    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
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • Air Fryer (Here's the air fryer I like best on Amazon)
    • Meat Thermometer (Click here for the one I like best on Amazon

    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.
    Servings: 4

    Nutrition per serving

    Calories: 400 | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 7g

    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.

    Keyword :Air Fryer Chicken recipe, Air fryer recipes, chicken for dinner, easy, easy chicken recipe, gluten free, recipe for cornish hens

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      Recipe Reviews




    1. Laurel says

      January 18, 2023 at 10:28 pm

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
    2. Lucretia says

      March 07, 2022 at 2:58 pm

      5 stars
      Great recipe. Been making this ever since I found this recipe.

      Reply
    3. Aslan says

      January 10, 2022 at 12:56 am

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
    4. Ann says

      August 06, 2021 at 6:19 pm

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
    5. Pat says

      June 07, 2021 at 5:22 pm

      Great recipe! I make it often.

      Reply
    6. Kathy says

      April 21, 2021 at 5:18 pm

      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!!

      Reply
      • jenniferbanz says

        April 28, 2021 at 4:24 pm

        Should be the same but just be sure the internal temp is 165F

        Reply
    7. John says

      April 13, 2021 at 7:31 pm

      Outstanding! 10 stars

      Reply
    8. Rebecca says

      February 28, 2021 at 6:02 pm

      5 stars
      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

      Reply
    9. Jen hall says

      February 20, 2021 at 5:50 pm

      Excellent

      Reply
    10. Terri Lafata says

      January 04, 2021 at 4:50 pm

      5 stars
      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

      Reply
    11. Carol Smith says

      January 04, 2021 at 12:50 pm

      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?

      Reply
    12. Amy Herndon says

      December 12, 2020 at 9:32 pm

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
    13. Suzi says

      November 07, 2020 at 11:01 am

      5 stars
      Super yummy!! Loved that we could make this in the air fryer. No more oven for us! Delicious!

      Reply
    14. ALaf says

      October 17, 2020 at 5:31 pm

      5 stars
      Simple, quick and full of amazing flavour.

      Reply
    15. Karla says

      September 10, 2020 at 2:40 pm

      Can you stuff the hens? How much more time roasting?

      Reply
      • jenniferbanz says

        September 18, 2020 at 4:38 pm

        I am not sure

        Reply
      • Jimmie Gadson-Johnson says

        October 11, 2020 at 9:09 pm

        5 stars
        You can do as you please...Experiment with your food and get better with time.

        Reply
    16. Geneva says

      September 09, 2020 at 2:43 pm

      How long in the air fryer for one hen instead of two?

      Reply
      • jenniferbanz says

        September 18, 2020 at 4:37 pm

        Same amount of time

        Reply
    17. Mellie says

      July 04, 2020 at 7:40 pm

      4 stars
      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.

      Reply
    18. Megan says

      June 30, 2020 at 8:55 pm

      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!

      Reply
    19. Maria D'Addario says

      June 27, 2020 at 1:07 pm

      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?

      Reply
    20. Melody says

      June 09, 2020 at 7:40 pm

      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!

      Reply
      • jenniferbanz says

        June 12, 2020 at 9:42 am

        Yes, same amount of time

        Reply
    21. Laurie Barreiro says

      May 09, 2020 at 7:44 am

      Hi. If I only cook 1,do I shorten the cooking time?

      Reply
      • jenniferbanz says

        May 11, 2020 at 9:50 am

        The time would be the same

        Reply
    22. jennifer says

      April 18, 2020 at 5:33 pm

      Put seasoning under the skin I do that even with my turkeys

      Reply
    23. Teresa says

      April 12, 2020 at 3:04 pm

      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!

      Reply
      • jenniferbanz says

        April 14, 2020 at 2:15 pm

        Yes, agree! next-time try brining them in a salt solution for a few hours for more flavor.

        Reply
        • Massey Ferguson says

          April 16, 2020 at 11:44 am

          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

        November 27, 2020 at 6:12 am

        5 stars
        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.

        Reply
    24. Val says

      March 21, 2020 at 8:52 pm

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
      • Carrie says

        December 14, 2020 at 2:01 pm

        5 stars
        Excellent flavor, crispy skin and thanks for the tip on less fryer time. I think I have a fast cooking fryer.

        Reply
    25. Tayo says

      February 16, 2020 at 10:18 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe was so flavorful and my whole family loved it! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    26. Emese says

      February 16, 2020 at 3:37 pm

      5 stars
      45 minutes for two hens? I love how quick Airfryer is. Nothing is worth than a soft and soggy skin.

      Reply
    27. Monica says

      February 16, 2020 at 3:29 pm

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
    28. Kelly Anthony says

      February 16, 2020 at 2:38 pm

      5 stars
      I haven't invested in an air fryer yet but I think I need to after reading this quick and easy cornish hens recipe.

      Reply
    29. Pamela says

      February 16, 2020 at 2:35 pm

      5 stars
      I've new to the air fryer game, so thank you for creating such a easy, delicious recipe!

      Reply

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    Hey there, I'm Jennifer! I’m the creator behind Low Carb with Jennifer and author of the cookbook Live Life Keto.  

    I've been cooking low carb/keto for the past 13 years and it has helped me shed over 70 pounds! 

    My keto and low carb recipes reflect my philosophy on cooking...everything needs to be easy, fast, exceptionally delicious, and use common ingredients.

    More about me →

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