Cornish Game Hen Alfredo

Smoked Chicken Alfredo

Sometimes, even when good intentions go astray, things can still end up ok in the end. That happened to me about a year ago. I was telling myself that I should be a little more healthy in my dinner choices. In an effort to achieve that, I purchased a rock cornish game hen to have for dinner with rice and vegetables. 

I came home that Friday and lit my grill. When the coals were ready, I put the game hen on the grill to let it cook gently in the smokey indirect heat.

So far so good, right? Then my neighbor stopped over to have a beer with me. Well, one beer turned into several and we snacked on salted-in-the-shell peanuts. By the time he left, the game hen was roasted to perfection. The problem was, I was no longer hungry. After the beer and peanuts, I didn't want dinner. I ended up putting the hen in the refrigerator and called it an early night.

The next day, I had a group coming over for dinner, so I turned the smokey game hen into a pasta dish. By all accounts, everyone liked it. Heavy cream, butter and cheese, that’s healthy right?

1 cornish hen

Cajun seasoning

Water

1 large onion, cut in half

1 stick of butter

2 shallots sliced razor thin

A pinch of red pepper flakes

1 tbs. flour

1 pint of heavy cream

1-1/2 cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Nutmeg for grating

1 lb. of bow tie pasta, cooked and drained

Preparation

The day before making the pasta (or earlier the same day) light a charcoal grill and season the hen heavily with cajun seasoning. Roast it over indirect heat for about an hour or so. Chill it overnight or just move to the next step.

Place the smokey hen in a sauce pan and cover it with water. Add the onion and simmer it for a couple of hours, very gently. Drain the broth into a bowl and reserve it. Allow the hen to cool. Use a knife and fork and separate all the meat, chop it and place it in a bow. Discard the bones.

Heat a large skillet and melt the butter. Add the shallots and the red pepper flakes and cook gently until the shallots soften and clarify, about a minute. Add the meat from the hen and stir.  Sauté gently for about five minutes.

Sprinkle the meat with the flour and stir for about a minute. Add about a cup of the reserved broth. Stir and allow it to simmer for about a minute. Add the cream and bring to a simmer, stirring often. If needed you can add a little more of the broth. Now add the grated Parmigiano Reggiano and stir. 

The sauce should thicken nicely. Bring it to a simmer, stir and turn off the heat. Grate a little nutmeg over the sauce. Toss with the pasta and serve immediately.

Serving

This Alfredo will go well with pork chops broiled in white wine, sautéed spinach, cheese pizza and a crisp salad. Don’t forget the homemade bread too. For wine, a Californian Merlot will be tasty. Have an extra glass of wine to toast your healthy eating!