Farooj Mehshi (Stuffed Cornish Hens)
Today I’m sharing Farooj Mehshi, or Stuffed Cornish Hens.
When I was a kid and Thanksgiving rolled around, I was always confused when my American peers talked about their stuffing. Bread? Celery? Carrots? Our turkeys were always filled with a fragrant and warming blend of spiced rice, ground beef, and chestnuts called ruz muttabal, or mixed rice. Creating the ultimate fusion with an American tradition, my parents, aunts, and uncles used a traditional Syrian poultry stuffing for their gigantic holiday birds. Even though we have since made way for more American accompaniments (hello mac ‘n cheese and sweet potatoes), mixed rice still graces us every year, but now usually alongside the turkey.
More recently, I saw my mom using ruz muttabal inside Cornish hens for a decadent meal. The trick to making this on a weeknight? Prepare the stuffing a day or two ahead of time. Cook ground beef until it’s fully brown and crumbly and season it with Arabic 7 spices and salt. Add cinnamon and a chicken bouillon cube while sautéing then boiling the rice before adding in your toasted nuts. Chestnuts can be swapped for slivered almonds and pine nuts, depending on preference and availability.
I much prefer Cornish hens for this recipe, since they’re much more compact and retain juiciness, but you can use whole chicken as well. They’re covered in seasoning before stuffing, closing off with toothpicks, and then drizzling with olive oil before going into a 400°F oven for about an hour.
Here is another make-ahead tip for you: season and fill the hens the day before. The night you’re serving, all you have to do is bring it up to room temperature and slide it into the oven. It’s such an easy yet impressive meal to treat your family or dinner guests.
I hope you give this recipe a try! If you do, don’t forget to leave it in the comments to let everyone know how it turns out. I also love to see your creations! Go ahead and tag me on Instagram at #omayahcooks and @omayah.atassi.
Other chicken recipes:
The Juiciest Lemon Garlic Grilled Chicken with Mushrooms
Za'atar and Aleppo Pepper Roast Chicken
Fattet Jaj (Chicken with Crispy Pita, Warmed Yogurt and Rice)
Apricot Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon Zested Yogurt
Complete the meal:
Kale Fattoush Salad
Tabbouleh
Kale Salad with Charred Beets and Tahini Herb Dressing
Farooj Mehshi (Stuffed Cornish Hens)
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 3 tsp salt, divided
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp Arabic 7 spices
- 1/4 c jarred chestnuts or pine nuts and slivered almonds
- 2 c medium grain rice (i.e. Calrose, Egyptian, Jasmine, etc.)
- 1/4 c vegetable or sunflower oil
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 chicken bouillon cube
- 4 Cornish hens or 2 small chickens
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1-2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1/4 c olive oil
- 8-12 toothpicks
Instructions
- Place a large skillet over high heat. Cook the ground beef, breaking it up and stirring frequently, until it's fully browned, crumbly, and dry. Add 1 tsp salt, the pepper, and 7 spices.
- If using pine nuts and almonds, preheat the oven to 400° F/200° C. Scatter nuts onto a baking sheet and toast until golden brown, about 5-10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Place a medium-sized nonstick pot over high heat and preheat the vegetable or sunflower oil. Add the rice and stir constantly until it turns translucent, about 2-4 minutes. Add the cinnamon and chicken bouillon cube, breaking up the cube and stirring into the rice.
- Add 2 c of cold/room temperature water and bring up to a boil. Reduce heat to the lowest setting, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed. Fluff and cover for an additional 10 minutes.
- Combine the rice and chestnuts or roasted pine nuts and slivered almonds in a large bowl. Fold in as much ground beef as you like, you might not use the whole thing. Reserve the rest in the fridge or freezer for another use (my favorite: omelettes throughout the week).
- Can be prepared up to 2 days ahead and kept in an airtight container in the fridge or used right away.
- Preheat oven to 400° F/200° C.
- Combine the seasoning in a small bowl and then sprinkle and pat onto the hens.
- Stuff the hens with the rice mixture through the large cavity (the butt). Close them by threading 2-3 toothpicks. It's easiest to do this by grabbing the skin on either side. Reserve leftover stuffing.
- The stuffed hens can be refrigerated at this point for a day, or you can continue and roast on the same day.
- If roasting the next day, make sure they're brought up to room temperature by leaving out on the counter for about an hour.
- Cover with the olive oil and slide into the preheated oven, uncovered, until an instant read thermometer reads 165° F,* about an hour.
- Allow to rest for about 5-10 minutes before serving. Run a carving knife along the spine in order to split in half and reveal the delicious filling. Serve next to leftover mixed rice stuffing.
Notes:
*If you're cooking for someone who's Arab, you might want the thermometer to read closer to 175°F. Arabs love all meat basically falling off the bone, including poultry. Don't worry, it will still be juicy.