Order my new cookbook today! 
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy.
With my air fryer rotisserie Cornish hen recipe, you’ll have an impressive entrée ready in under an hour. Using the rotisserie function on your air fryer, it’s easy to air fry whole Cornish hens. Get the Cornish hen air fryer rotisserie recipe, learn the calories in Cornish hen, and more. You’re going to love this one- it’s not your everyday chicken recipe!
This delicious air fryer Cornish hen recipe is special, and pretty much the perfect comfort food. With an air fryer rotisserie, you’ll get a Cornish chicken with crisp, golden skin and juicy, tender meat. What more could you want from dinner?
⭐ Air Fryer Rotisserie Cornish Hen
Here are the simple ingredients you need for this air fryer Cornish hen rotisserie recipe:
- 2 lb Cornish hen, thawed (907g)
- Cooking spray (I used olive oil spray)
- Salt and pepper, to taste (or use your favorite seasonings such as garlic powder, onion powder, poultry seasoning, thyme, rosemary, paprika, lemon pepper seasoning, etc.)
Get a printable recipe card below!
To air fry Cornish game hen, you will also need an air fryer with a rotisserie spit attachment and a meat thermometer. I use a 10-Quart Kalorik Air Fryer Oven, but you can make rotisserie Cornish hen in the air fryer 360 by Emeril, a NuWave, Ninja Foodi, and more. Note that air fryer recipe cooking times can vary depending on the air fryer brand you use.
🍗 How to Air Fry Cornish Game Hens
Here are the step-by-step instructions for how to make Cornish hen in the air fryer rotisserie:
- Pat the skin of the Cornish hen dry with paper towels. (This is important for crispy skin.) Mist the Cornish hen with cooking oil spray on all sides, and season with salt and pepper.
- Attach the Cornish hen to the spit of your rotisserie oven. I recommend cooking one Cornish hen at a time unless you can thread two on the spit without overlapping.
- Air fry Cornish hen at 350F (175C) until it reaches a food safe minimum internal temperature of 165F (74C). Add an additional 5 minutes at 400F (200C) at the end of the cooking time if desired to brown and crisp the skin more. Allow Cornish hen to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
⏲️ How long to cook a Cornish hen in an air fryer rotisserie?
How long for air fryer Cornish hen? What temperature should Cornish hens be cooked at? It takes approximately 40 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175C) to cook air fryer Cornish hen on the rotisserie.
How long does it take to rotisserie 2 cornish hens in an air fryer?
Only try cooking two Cornish hens at once if they don’t need to overlap on the spit. If you have a large air fryer, the hens should take about 40-45 minutes at 350F (175C).
Overlapping or partially stuffing one Cornish hen into another is kind of like stuffing your chicken with raw meat. This could increase the risk of foodborne illness from bacteria if any of your chicken ends up undercooked. Aside from cooking unevenly, they also won’t brown as nicely.
➕ Cornish Hen Calories
There are 770 calories in a Cornish hen (per the nutrition information on the Cornish hen packaging). Cornish hen offers 66.5 grams protein and 0 grams carbohydrates (great for keto and low carb diets). Nutrition info varies depending on the size of the hen and how it is prepared.
🥗 Side Dishes for Cornish Hen
You can serve Cornish hen with mashed potatoes, rice, another starch, cranberry sauce, zucchini, or your favorite veggies. Here are a few more easy air fryer recipes and other ideas for side dishes to make with air fryer Cornish game hen:
- Air Fryer Frozen Vegetables (No More Mushy Frozen Broccoli!)
- Air Fryer Corn Bread
- Vegan Spinach Salad
- Air Fryer Butternut Squash
- Frozen Green Beans (Air Fryer)
- Accompaniment Salad
After eating, consider making bone broth with the roast Cornish hen bones.
Watch How to Make It!
Air Fryer Rotisserie Cornish Hen Recipe and Calories Info
Ingredients
- 2 lb Cornish hen (907 grams)
- cooking oil spray
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Pat the skin of the Cornish hen dry with paper towels. (This is important for crispy skin.) Mist the Cornish hen with cooking oil spray on all sides, and season with salt and pepper.
- Attach the Cornish hen to the spit of your rotisserie oven. I recommend cooking one Cornish hen at a time unless you can thread two on the spit without overlapping.
- Air fry Cornish hen at 350°F (175°C) for about 40 minutes, until it reaches a food safe minimum internal temperature of 165°F (74°C). Add an additional 5 minutes at 400°F (200°C) at the end of the cooking time if desired to brown and crisp the skin more. Allow Cornish hen to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
💭 Expert Tips from Dietitian Summer Yule
This is a level 2 recipe (transition or weight maintenance). Chicken, including Cornish hen, is a filling lean protein that makes a great main dish for your meal. Chicken is a particularly rich source of certain essential nutrients, including niacin and phosphorus. This recipe also fits many special diets, such as gluten free, low carb, and keto. One potential downside of Cornish hens is that they tend to get served one per person. The portion size of a single Cornish hen is HUGE! Putting an oversized portion on your plate may encourage overeating, something to be aware of if you have a weight loss goal. For a low fat and lower calorie meal, skip eating the skin of your air fryer Cornish hen. (Or not, since crispy chicken skin has a lot of flavor!) You can also have a half hen portion and serve your meal with lots of non-starchy vegetables for low calorie volume to help fill you up.Is Cornish hen a healthier substitute for chicken?
Since Cornish hens are a variety of chicken, their nutrient profile is very similar to the larger chickens. Chickens, including Cornish game hens, are especially rich in niacin, vitamin B6, phosphorus, and zinc. Whether or not Cornish hens are healthier than larger chickens depends on what you are looking for. Nutrition information is for one serving (half a Cornish hen). Because these hens have some natural variability in weight, your meal’s calorie content and nutritional profile may vary.
nutrition info disclaimer
All recipes on this website may or may not be appropriate for you, depending on your medical needs and personal preferences. Consult with a registered dietitian or your physician if you need help determining the dietary pattern that may be best for you.
The nutrition information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. It will differ depending on the specific brands and ingredients that you use. Calorie information on food labels may be inaccurate, so please don’t sweat the numbers too much.
“To taste” means to your preferences, which may have to be visual to follow food safety rules. Please don’t eat undercooked food x
Nutrition
FAQs
How do you tie a Cornish hen for a rotisserie?
Since Cornish game hens are so small, you don’t need to truss them as you do when air frying a regular chicken. Tying the Cornish hen also won’t allow it to brown between the legs. If you want to learn to truss Cornish hen anyway, follow the directions for air fryer rotisserie chicken. (These are essentially mini rotisserie chickens!)
Should Cornish hens be cooked covered or uncovered?
Cook Cornish hens uncovered on the rotisserie for tasty golden brown skin.
What temperature should Cornish hens be?
Ensure that your hen reaches a food-safe minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit (74C). If it has not, you may need to cook it a little longer. The color of the Cornish hen is not necessarily a good indicator of “doneness.”
Can you cook Cornish hens frozen?
For best results, I don’t recommend cooking frozen Cornish game hens. Frozen Cornish hens are small and only take about 1-2 days to thaw in the refrigerator. If you want to try cooking frozen Cornish hens, here’s a Frozen Cornish Hen Recipe for the Instant Pot.
How many people does one Cornish hen serve?
You might think of a Cornish hen as the chicken version of a personal pan pizza – you get the whole thing to yourself! However, a Cornish hen serves one only if you have a big appetite. In general, one Cornish hen serves two.
Does Cornish hen taste like chicken?
Yes, and Cornish hens taste like chicken because they ARE chicken! They are the result of cross-breeding Cornish game cocks with other chicken breeds.
👩🍳 More Healthy Chicken Recipes
Winner, winner chicken dinner! If you are on the lookout for more healthy chicken ideas, check these out:
- Keto Caprese Chicken
- Ninja Foodi Whole Chicken Recipe
- Instant Pot Stir Fry Recipe
- Air Fried Chicken Leg Quarter
- Popcorn Chicken Salad
- Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Breast
And if you have Cornish hen leftovers, you can use them in any of your favorite recipes for leftover rotisserie chicken. May I recommend my Canned Whole Chicken recipe?
Join our community! Subscribe for all of the latest and greatest recipes, and follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube!
Hello! I’m Summer, a registered dietitian and home chef who loves to cook, eat, and create recipes for you! Every recipe on this site has been tested by me to help ensure your success in the kitchen. All eaters are welcome here 🙂
Yes, Summer, definitely! Before we get to the dish and to your photography – both utterly perfect – first a few words about the table your words set.
Absolutely, coziness is cold weather’s gift to us for enduring the shortening days and the drabness, and your writing evokes it with grace and with beauty. It’s said we eat first with our eyes, and your imagery satisfies that impulse beyond the most ravenous dreams, but your descriptions make it glow. Splendor unalloyed.
Now, as for the hens you baked, magnificent. I can hear the crackle as the skin is breached and it surrenders the juices beneath. You’ve illustrated perfectly why I’m a poultry fiend.
Sure, hens are pricier than are chickens. but the cost hardly is prohibitive. Compared to other “specialty” birds such as squab, pheasant, poussins, etc., hens are much closer in price to standard chicken. Plus, they nearly always are available. An accessibility I utilized recently when I substituted them for poussins in a Persian recipe.
When the recipe actually calls for hens, as yours does, magnificent. You’ve inspired dreams that definitely will captivate me this winter, and most likely for a lifetime! Much obliged, Summer!
Aww, thanks so much! Getting compliments from Sir Amateur the chicken expert on my Cornish game hens has really made my day. I don’t think I’ve tried most of the specialty birds you’ve mentioned. One day I’ll try to get to them all!
Aw shucks, Summer. Try as I have – hens a hundred ways, at least – I never have produced anything as exquisite as what you showed us today.
If there’s a Cornish Hen Council, and there almost has to be, how much will it spend to acquire your pictures for its 2021 calendar?
Here’s the Cornish hen’s highest aspiration. Spend years chasing the ideal, foolish mortals!
I’d love to represent this fictional Cornish Hen Council. Hahaha You are so kind. If the website wasn’t turning most of my emojis into a row of four question marks, I’d insert the blushing emoji here.