Cornish game hen

Cornish game hen
A cornish game hen
A Cornish game hen ready for the oven.
Baked rock Cornish Game Hen with Vegetables.
Baked cornish game hen

In the USA, a Cornish game hen, also sometimes called a Cornish hen, poussin, Rock Cornish hen, or simply Rock Cornish, is a hybrid chicken sold whole. Despite the name, it is not a game bird, but actually a type of domestic chicken. Though the bird is called a "hen", it can be either male or female. In addition to commanding a higher price, the game hens have a shorter growing span, 28 to 30 days as opposed to 42 or more for regular chicken.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture describes the Rock Cornish game hen or Cornish game hen as "a young immature chicken (less than 5 weeks of age), weighing not more than 2 pounds ready-to-cook weight, which was prepared from a Cornish chicken or the progeny of a Cornish chicken crossed with another breed of chicken."[1]

The Rock Cornish game hen or Rock Cornish hen is a cross between the Cornish Game and Plymouth or White Rock chicken breeds.[2] This breed develops a large breast over a short period of time compared to game hens.[2] Rock Cornish game hens weigh about 2.5 pounds after four to six weeks, at which time they're slaughtered.[2]

Most sources credit Alphonsine "Therese" and Jacques Makowsky of Connecticut for developing the small bird in the mid-1950s. A Saturday Evening Post article from July 1955 credited Mrs. Makowsky with coming up with the idea to breed the Cornish game chicken, a small bird with short legs and a plump, round breast that she had discovered in a book. The Makowskys began cross-breeding the Cornish game cocks with various chickens and game birds, including a White Plymouth Rock Hen and a Malayan fighting cock, to develop the Rock Cornish game hen, a succulent bird with all-white meat suitable for a single serving.

References

  1. ^ Zenreich, Scott. "Cornish Hens." Zenreich.com. Accessed July 2011.
  2. ^ a b c "What is a Cornish Hen?" Ochef.com. Accessed July 2011.

External links

http://www.wattagnet.com/146546.html http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?q=cornish+game+hen&navid=SEARCH&Go_button.x=21&Go_button.y=11&site=usda&x=20&y=13


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