This post is happily sponsored by Serious Foodie #SeriousFoodieRecipeChallenge #SeriousFoodie #BitesAroundTheWorld

As a home cook, I think it is important to make cooking simple and interesting and this recipe for roasted Cornish game hens with sweet and spicy rub does just that. I love how it incorporates food cultures from around the world for focusing on a key ingredient.  

The secret ingredient is Serious Foodie’s Asian Fusion Sweet/Spicy Rub mixed with oh-so-wonderfully melted butter.

Travel memories are often about food.

You know that feeling when you visit someplace special and you have a distinct meal memory? 

A zillion years ago, Dennis and I traveled to Hong Kong and – truthfully – we kept our food explorations pretty simple. It was a short business trip for him and the turnaround weekend had us staying close to the hotel. Actually, the hotel restaurant was pretty amazing considering most of the food catered to Americans. 

Yet… everything in Hong Kong was just a little bit different. 

The spices were a little sweeter, a tad bit more savory, and the spice levels were unlike anything I had ever experienced before. The spicy wasn’t a burning heat but more of a delicious depth that was more happy-warm than ouch-hot. Then again, I kept it pretty safe with the heat level!

Let’s get serious.

In 2014, a food/travel blog called Serious Foodie was created so that stories and experiences of world cuisines could be shared with other serious foodies. The site morphed to a product line of original sauces, rubs, and condiments… all created directly from places they traveled and from chefs who shared their secrets.

When I received a packaged of assorted rubs and sauces from Serious Foodie, my eye and hand immediately went to their Asian Fusion Sweet/Spicy Rub and took me back to that visit to Hong Kong. The ingredients are sugar, sea salt, paprika, ginger powder, cardamom, coriander, cumin, and Bird’s Eye chili powder.

More than one way to use a dry rub.

Are you familiar with dry rubs? They’re excellent with meat, fish, and vegetables and the general rule of thumb is to rub the dry spices all over the food, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate. The spices draw out the moisture from the meat, fish, or veggies. Essentially you end up marinating and seasoning all at the same time.

Crazy delicious sounding right?

Okay… the little known fact about rubs is that they can always be used as regular seasoning. Add a dash to soups and stir-fry and now you’ve changed your simple meal into something interesting!

Add dry rub to melted butter.

I decided to use this rub on a roasted Cornish game hen for dinner. (Yes, this would be just as delicious on a whole roasted chicken.) There is something magical about roasting on high heat that tickles all the senses, don’t you think?

I decided to smoother the hen with a mixture of butter and the sweet and spicy rub.

You heard me right! I MIXED THE RUB WITH MELTED BUTTER! 

Bake for about an hour or so and you’ve got yourself the most simple and interesting dinner of the week!

Swoooooon!

Stock up and get roasting!

If you’re interested in buying some of the Asian Fusion Sweet/Spicy Rub, check out Serious Foodie’s website and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You can also purchase the 3.5 oz. Sweet/Spicy Rub on Amazon (full disclosure: Amazon affiliate link).  

In the meanwhile, bookmark, pin, or print off this recipe so that when your rub arrives, you can get roasting and create your own interesting food memories.

Eat happily,

Lyndi

Print

Roasted Cornish Game Hens with Sweet and Spicy Rub

Delicious Cornish games hens (or whole chicken) baked in the oven with butter mixed with Serious Foodie's Asian Fusion Sweet/Spicy rub.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword roasted cornish game hens with sweet and spicy rub

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

• 2 Cornish game hens (approximately 1 pound each)
• 1/2 cup salted butter
• 1 tsp Serious Foodie Asian Fusion Sweet/Spicy Rub
• 6-8 baby potatoes, washed and halved
• 2 red bell peppers, washed and quartered
• 2 fresh figs, halved
• Avocado oil spray

Instructions

• Preheat oven to Bake 400 degrees.
• Melt butter in microwave-safe container. Mix in rub until incorporated.
• Spray baking dish with oil spray.
• Place potatoes, peppers and figs in baking dish.
• Place hens in the dish, cover with foil, and bake for 1-hour. 
• Remove foil and bake additional 15-minutes or longer until internal temperature is 165 degrees.
• Remove from heat and cover loosely with tin foil to rest for 5 minutes. Serve.

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