Ingredients
Yields: 4 servings- 1 ½ cups applewood chips
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh tarragon, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil, roughly chopped
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- 1 tablespoon brandy
- 4 tablespoons mushrooms, (white, Portobello or mixed)
- 1 green onion, cut into 4 sections
- 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 2 Cornish game hens
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and Pepper
Directions
It’s easy to make smoked foods at home with a stovetop smoker. Camerons stovetop smokers (www.cameronscookware.com) cost only $50 and can be used for smoking poultry, seafood, beef and many other foods.1. Remove the lid and rack of your smoker. Place the chips into the bottom. Replace the rack and cover tightly. Heat over a low stovetop burner until smoking and ready.
Combine parsley, tarragon, basil, garlic, brandy, mushrooms, green onion and butter in food processor. Process until paste consistency.
With rubber spatula, scrape paste into pastry bag and push down toward tip.
Cut off the wings of the hen and place it breasts up. Using your fingers, loosen the skin from the flesh over the breasts.
Cut the tip off of the pastry bag and slide it under the skin of the hen. Squeeze half of the mixture out evenly over the breasts of the first hen, and repeat with the remaining half on the second hen.
Truss the hens with string or twine. To do this, place the bird on its back, and begin by wrapping the twine around the rump and legs. Cross the twine over the legs, and bring it up around the thighs. Turn the hen over, and tie the twine in a tight knot across the back. Cut off the excess twine.
Brush both hens with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Place the hens on the rack of the smoker and seal tightly with aluminum foil (most likely the lid will not fit because the birds are too tall.)
Place over low stovetop flame for 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove the foil, and place the smoker in preheated oven for another 20 minutes, or until done.
Cut off the strings and serve chicken with smoked mushrooms.