Cornish Game Hens
cooking times
The answer
45 min – 1 hrat 375°F
At the most common temperature, 375°F, Cornish game hens takes about 45 min – 1 hr. Pick your temperature below for the full chart. Done is always 165°F internal.
SOURCE·USDA FSIS safe minimum internal temperatures·cornish game hens row of the FSIS chart·REVIEWED JUL 2026
USDA safe zone — 165°F and above
Done is a temperature, not a time. Every figure on this page is a planning range; the green band is the only part that decides. For Cornish game hens it opens at 165°F and a 10-minute rest.
Source—USDA Food Safety & Inspection Service safe minimum internal temperatures—retrieved 2026-07
How this is worked out
- Anchor. Start from what USDA FSIS publishes for Cornish game hens — its safe minimum internal temperature of 165°F, and the FSIS roasting timetable where one exists for this cut.
- Rate. Convert the anchor into a planning rate at 375°F: a fixed published range, cross-checked against at least three independently published sources.
- Scale. This cut is timed by piece, not by weight, so the range is published as-is and widened to cover source disagreement rather than averaged.
- First check. The first thermometer reading is set at 85% of the low end of the range — early enough that an under-reading costs nothing and a late one cannot cost the meal.
- Gate. The time is only a plan. It is not done until a food thermometer reads 165°F in the thickest part, then rests about 10 minutes. Time never overrides temperature on this site.
- Round. Every printed figure is rounded to the nearest 5 minutes; precision beyond that would be invented.
plan_range = published range at 375°F
first_check = plan_low × 0.85
DONE ⟺ internal_temp ≥ 165°F AND rest ≥ 10 min
(USDA FSIS — the gate, not the clock)
SOURCE·USDA FSIS safe minimum internal temperatures·safe minimum for this cut·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Pick your temperature
Every temperature this chart room holds for Cornish game hens, each with its own worked ledger.
The whole cut, temperature by temperature
| Oven temp | Estimated time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 350°F | 55 min – 1 hr 5 min | |
| 375°F | 45 min – 1 hr | most common |
| 400°F | 40 min – 50 min |
SOURCE·USDA safe-temperature guidance·timing ranges derived, see method·REVIEWED JUL 2026
When it is actually done
165°F internal
The USDA FSIS safe minimum internal temperature for this cut is 165°F, followed by a rest of about 10 minutes. The clock estimates; the thermometer decides. Every time on this page is a planning range, not a doneness test.
Sizing: Times are per typical 1.25–1.5 lb hen. Four hens on one pan roast in the same time as one — give them space so they roast rather than steam.
SOURCE·USDA FSIS safe minimum internal temperatures·cornish game hens row of the FSIS chart·REVIEWED JUL 2026
What the ledger does not tell you
- One hen per person looks generous; a 1.5 lb bird is genuinely two modest servings — halve them along the backbone after resting.
- They are small enough to dry out fast: check early, and probe the thigh exactly as you would a full chicken.
- Everything true of a whole chicken is true here at two-thirds scale, including the 165°F thigh reading.
The clock tells you when to start looking. The thermometer tells you when to stop.
