Rachael Ray's Orange Balsamic Cornish Hens

I made these for my Christmas dinner with my hubby yesterday. They were so good! I did not have any fresh rosemary so I had to make do with what I had.

Orange Balsamic Rock Cornish Game Hens

Ingredients
6 hens, rinsed and pat dry
Coarse salt
Coarse black pepper
1 cup defrosted orange juice concentrate
1 cup aged balsamic vinegar
3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
7 to 8 stems rosemary, chopped
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Line 2 baking pans with foil for easier cleaning. Set a baking rack in each pan. Split hens and butterfly open and place 3 hens in each baking pan. Season the hens with salt and pepper liberally. Mix the orange concentrate, balsamic vinegar and olive oil and pour evenly over the hens. Sprinkle with rosemary and roast 15 minutes at 425 degrees F and 30 minutes at 375 degrees F.

I did our 2 hens this way.
I let them sit in this marinade for 4 hours.

1 cup orange juice concentrate
1 cup balsamic vinegar
2 T olive oil
2 t dried rosemary
2 t garlic powder
1 t pepper
1 t kosher salt

I cooked the marinade on the stove for about 15 min while the hens came up to room temp. I took out half of the marinade and as the hens baked I would brush them occasionally with the sauce. I let the rest of the marinade cook til it got good and thick and served it as a dipping sauce along side.
I plan to try it on chicken wings and boneless skinless chicken breasts later.

This does sound sooo good! Must try it!

I love chicken with orange flavor. I thought it an odd combination until I tried an almond crusted chicken with an orange sauce and orange segments recipe.. This recipe looks even better.
Did the hens actually caramelize in the sauce? Just the image seems so appealing.

Yeah it will carmelize on the hens but I let mine cook about half way before I started brushing on the sauce. I didnt want the glaze to burn. They look beautiful. I left my hens whole.