Cornish Hens with Wild Rice and Celery

Dinner

Stuffed with a succulent combination of wild rice, mushrooms and dried cranberries, these golden hens are sure to become a special-occasion entree in your home. They're a wonderful change of pace from traditional turkey.

Average Rating: 5

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 25 min. Bake: 50 min.
YIELD: 10 servings.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 packages (6.20 ounces each) fast-cooking long grain and wild rice mix
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
5 Cornish game hens (20 to 24 ounces each)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°. In a large saucepan coated with cooking spray, heat butter over medium heat. Add celery and mushrooms; cook until tender. Stir in rice; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in contents of rice seasoning packets, broth and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until rice is tender, 5-6 minutes. Stir in water chestnuts, cranberries, onions and soy sauce. Stuff hens with rice mixture, or refrigerate and reheat it to serve with roasted hens.
2. Place hens on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake until juices run clear and a thermometer reads 170°, 50-60 minutes. Cut each hen in half lengthwise to serve.

Nutrition Facts

1 each: 257 calories, 7g fat (3g saturated fat), 123mg cholesterol, 564mg sodium, 20g carbohydrate (5g sugars, 1g fiber), 29g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges:
4 lean meat, 1-1/2 starch, 1/2 fat.