These Smoked Cornish Hens are slow-smoked until the skin is golden and crispy and the meat is juicy, tender, and fall-off-the-bone delicious. They look elegant on the table but are surprisingly easy to make! Whether you’re hosting friends, serving a special family meal, or planning a smaller Thanksgiving or Christmas feast, these Cornish hens bring that wow factor every single time.
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Recipe Highlights
- ⏱️ Cook Time: 1–1.5 hours
- 🍽️ Serves: 2–4
- 👩🏽🍳 Difficulty: Easy
- 🔥 Flavor: Savory, smoky, herb-forward flavor with crispy skin
These Smoked Cornish Hens are one of our favorite dishes to make during the holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, or even Easter.
They look fancy on the table, but they’re actually super easy to cook. Each hen is the perfect size for a small family dinner, a cozy date night, or an intimate dinner party when you don’t need a huge turkey.
The smoker gives the hens a rich, smoky flavor, and the butter, garlic, and herbs make the meat juicy and full of flavor.
This is also one of my go-to Sunday dinners because it feels special without a lot of work. Once you try smoked Cornish hens, you’ll want to make them all year long!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Perfect for small gatherings. All the flavor of a holiday turkey, but sized for intimate dinners or smaller families.
- Fast cook time. Cornish hens smoke much quicker than a whole bird, so dinner is on the table in about an hour.
- Deep smoky flavor. The combination of seasoning and wood smoke creates a rich, irresistible finish.
What Are Cornish Hens?
Cornish hens are small chickens, usually about 1 to 2 pounds each. They taste like regular chicken, but they’re more tender and juicy because of their size. Since they’re smaller, they cook faster and look extra fancy on the plate. Many people serve one Cornish hen per person, which makes them perfect for holidays, date nights, or special family dinners.
Ingredients
- Cornish hens: When buying Cornish hens, look for ones that are similar in size so they cook evenly. They usually come frozen, so make sure you thaw them in the fridge for 1–2 days before cooking. You can also pat them dry with paper towels before seasoning to help the skin get crisp on the smoker.
- Soul Dust Seasoning: Soul Dust is our signature all-purpose soul food seasoning blend. It adds bold flavor to anything you cook, like chicken, turkey, veggies, seafood, and more. It’s savory, well-balanced, and made to give your food that true Southern-style taste without needing a long list of spices. Alternatively, you can make our soul food seasoning from scratch.
See the recipe card below for full information on the ingredients and quantities.
How to Smoked Cornish Hens (Step-by-Step)
Step 1: Preheat your smoker or set up your grill for indirect cooking. Pat hens dry with paper towels. Coat in oil and season. Let hens sit for 10-15 minutes.
Step 2: Place the hens on the smoker and cook at 250℉ for 1 hour.
Step 3: In a small sauce pan melt the butter. Add in the garlic and herb and simmer. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
Step 4: After 1 hour, increase the smoker temp to 300℉. Baste the hens with the garlic butter every 5-10 minutes.
Step 5: Cook until the hens reach 160℉ internal and the skin has crisped up.
Step 6: Remove the hens from the smoker, baste one last time and let hens rest for 10 minutes.
Step 5: Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Tips for Smoking Cornish Hens
- Pat the hens dry: This helps the skin crisp up instead of steaming.
- Use a mild wood: Apple or pecan gives a clean, balanced smoke.
- Season under the skin: A little extra flavor directly on the meat makes a big difference.
- Check temp early: These cook fast, so start checking for doneness around 45 minutes.
- Brush with butter: A quick butter baste adds shine, moisture, and flavor.
Smoked Cornish Hens FAQs
Brining is optional, but it does help with moisture and flavor. A simple salt-water brine works, or you can use a poultry-specific brine mix.
You can season the hens ahead of time, but cook them fresh. Reheating smoked poultry can dry it out.
They’re ready at 165°F in the thickest part of the breast and 175°F in the thighs.
More Smoker Recipes for the Holidays
Looking for more holiday recipes to make on the smoker? Try these:
If you tried these Smoked Cornish Hens or any other recipe on our blog, consider leaving us a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it went in the 📝 comments!
📖 Recipe
Smoked Cornish Hens
Equipment
- Smoker or grill
- Wood, for smoking (apple or pecan recommended)
Ingredients
- 2 Cornish hens
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 2 tablespoons Soul Dust
- ½ pound unsalted butter 1 stick
- 2 cloves garlic smashed
- 2 sprigs thyme
Instructions
- Preheat the smoker to 250℉.
- Remove the hens from the package and pat dry with paper towels. Coat in oil and season with Soul Dust. Let hens sit for 10-15 minutes.
- Place the hens on the smoker and cook at 250℉ for 1 hour.
Make Garlic and Herb Butter
- In a small sauce pan melt the butter over medium heat. Add in the garlic and herb and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
- After 1 hour crank the smoker temperature up to 300℉. Baste the hens with the garlic butter every 5-10 minutes until the hens reach 160℉ internal and the skin has crisped up.
- Remove the hens from the smoker, baste one last time and let hens rest for 10 minutes before serving.
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