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This is the first time I have prepared Grilled Spatchcock Cornish Hens – and let me say how this will be a new recurring recipe for our family. We love Spatchcock Chicken/Butterflied Chicken so much that we knew this one would be a hit too. These turn out so tender and juicy, similar to how the Beer Can Chicken does.

Grilled Spatchcock (Butterflied) Cornish Hens were a surprisingly simple and fast recipe to grill. Coated only in DizzyDust, the hens grilled in 30 minutes and the smaller poultry size made them perfect for serving. #cornishhens #gamehens #BBQ #BGE #BigGreenEgg #poultry #grilled

My local grocery store marks down meats that are nearing their Sell-By dates, and I was able to save 50% by picking these up and grilling them on the same day! You gotta love that! We grilled up a gorgeous Spatchchock Cornish Hen for a casual Saturday afternoon lunch and felt very spoiled!

How to Spatchchock a Cornish Hen

Spatchcock, also known as Butterflying, is a simple way to flatten the bird for a quicker grilling. To spatchcock a cornish hen, set it breast-side down on the counter and cut along one side of the spine with kitchen shears. The bones cut pretty easily. When you have cut from one end to the other, cut along the other side of the spine.

Cutting the spine from the cornish hen — Kitchen Shears Work Perfect!

Turn the bird over and flatten it with your hands. You might hear the breastbone crack, but that is completely normal.

kitchen shears cutting down both sides of the spine on the hen

And that’s it! You have just spatchcocked a cornish hen.

Prepare the Cornish Hen for the Grill

I set up the grill for direct heat. I used my Big Green Egg and let it heat up to 350 degrees. A gas grill will work just as well, but I am addicted to my BGE!

Seasoning the Cornish Hen

One of my favorite all-purpose seasonings is DizzyDust from Dizzy Pig in Manassas, VA. It is fairly close to my house, and I love taking trips over to see their new grilling accessories. One of these days, I will take a class there too. You can find these spices online on Amazon as well so everyone can use them! They are clean tasting without any additives.

two cornish hens on a cutting board on the grilling table coated in Dizzy Pig's DizzyDust seasoning — Liberally Coat the Spatchcocked Hens with DizzyDust

I grabbed the coarse ground DizzyDust and liberally coated both sides of the hen. I did not worry about brushing olive oil on first as the seasoning adhered to the skin just fine, and the skin side is up at the beginning of the grill which will help keep the seasoning from falling off. The cornish hen did not stick to the grill at all. If you fear it will, you can brush olive oil on the grill grates for safe measure.

How to Grill the Hen

Place the hen with the skin side up straight on the grate and grill for 15 minutes. Turn the bird over (so the skin side is down) and grill for another 15 minutes or until the temperature of the thickest point is 165 degrees. Remove it from the grill and let rest for ten minutes before serving. You are allowing it to rest so the juices stay in the bird and not run onto the plate.

Place the freshly seasoned cornish hens on direct heat on the gill

I was shocked at how juicy this was coming off the grill, and the flavor of the DizzyDust was just perfect for the hen!

Two grilled cornish hens on the Big Green Egg. Grill the Skin side last

How Long To Cook the Cornish Hen

The nice thing with spatchcocked birds is that they take less time to cook. My hens took 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Always check the internal temperature, though. 165 degrees is the magic number.

What Grilled Vegetables to Serve with Butterflied Cornish Hens

Grilled Patty Pan Squash is my go-to recipe for fall grilling. These taste delish, and take almost no effort to season and grill. Definitely buy the smaller ones so you can take advantage of the tender, thinner skins.

Several Slices of patty pan squash on the grill after being grilled for three to five minutes and turned over. Beautiful grill marks

Grilled Balsamic Carrots is my family’s favorite. The sweet and tangy glaze was so good, that my son ate several of them before I could wrangle them to the kitchen. It is super healthy, so I won’t complain too much that we didn’t quite have enough for everyone else! 😀

Grilled Carrots Ready to be Removed and Served

Asian Green Bean Bundles are a fun treat as well. You can’t go wrong with a bacon-wrapped ANYTHING! I love wrapping a bundle of green beans to make it easy to serve. Kids love these.

Nearly Finished Bacon Wrapped Green Beans on the BGE. The Asian Sauce is Creating a bit of Smoke — Almost Done! The Bacon is Almost Cooked

Perfectly Grilled Spatchcocked Cornish Hens on the Grill

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Grilled Spatchcock Cornish Hens with DizzyDust Seasoning

Delicious and Fast Grilled Spatchcock Cornish Hens is very easy to prepare, cook and serve

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Grilled Spatchcock Cornish Hen

Instructions

Prepare the Cornish Hen

To spatchcock the hen, use kitchen shears to cut along both sides of the spine and press the hen flat
Use Dizzy Pig's Dizzy Dust seasoning to liberally coat both sides of the hen. If you don't have this seasoning, use your favorite chicken seasoning

Grill the Hen

Preheat your grill to 350 degrees.
Place the hen over direct heat with the skin side up for 15 minutes.
Turn the hen over and grill skin side down for 15 more minutes.
The hen is fully cooked when the temperature of the thickest part reaches 165 degrees.