Chef John's Spicy Calabrian Chicken

Ingredients

• 2 Cornish game hens
• 1 cup white wine vinegar
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon Calabrian hot chili sauce, or more to taste
• 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 anchovy fillet

Step 1

Place the game hen breast side down on your cutting board. Using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, cut along each side of the backbone from top to bottom and remove it. Next, slice through the cartilage of the breastbone, then flip the hen over, flatten it gently with your hands, and tuck the wing tips underneath. Do the same with the other hen.

Step 2

In a blender, combine white wine vinegar, vegetable oil, rosemary, orange juice, garlic, an egg, Calabrian chili sauce, orange zest, kosher salt, and an anchovy fillet. Pulse a few times, then blend until the marinade is smooth and creamy.

Step 3

Place the hens in a large resealable bag and pour in the marinade. Squeeze out the air, seal it up, and pop it in the fridge for at least 4 hours, but ideally overnight so all those flavors soak in.

Step 4

When you’re ready to cook, heat your grill to medium and oil the grates lightly. Take the hens out of the marinade, saving the leftover marinade for basting. Pat the hens dry with paper towels and season the breast sides with a bit of salt.

Step 5

Start grilling the hens breast side down until you see nice brown grill marks, about 5 minutes. Give them a 45-degree turn and cook for another 5 minutes to get those classic crosshatch marks. Flip the hens onto their backs, brush with some of the reserved marinade, then close the lid and grill for 5 minutes. Keep brushing and grilling in 5-minute intervals until the hens are a deep golden brown and the thickest part of the thigh reaches 160°F on a meat thermometer—this should take around 35 minutes.

Step 6

Finally, flip the hens breast side down one last time, give them a final brush with marinade, close the lid, and grill for about 5 more minutes to get a nice glaze. Let the hens rest for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!