This is my third version of the Georgian chicken dish which became very popular throughout the Soviet Union.  This version I think turned out best of all.  It used a marinade adapted from The Russian Tea Room Cookbook and followed some of its instructions on how to debone the game hen.  Removing all the back and breast bones made the cooked game hen easier to eat and helped it lie flatter in the pan which improved browning.

Following the instructions in The Russian Tea Room Cookbook, I marinaded the game hen for 3 days.

This recipe is for 1 game hen to feed 2 people.  The cooking takes about 30 minutes.

For the marinaded game hen

1 Cornish game hen

0.5 cups neutral oil

2 Tbs. wine vinegar

1 Tbs. lemon juice (or substitute with more vinegar)

0.5 onion, chopped

0.5 celery rib, chopped

0.25 carrot, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. blue fenugreek (optional)

0.25 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. salt

0.125 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

For the pan sauce

1.5 Tbs. olive oil

1.5 Tbs. butter

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 Tbs. fresh parsley chopped

Two or three days before cooking, prepare the game hen and make the marinade.

Put the game hen breast side down and remove the backbone.  Working carefully to minimize cutting away any meat or skin, remove the ribs, breast bone, etc.  When you are done, the thigh and drumstick bones will remain, but no other bones.

Put the marinade ingredients in a gallon ziplock baggie and mix well.  Add the boned game hen and push out all the air and seal it.  Massage and flip the baggie until the marinade coats all the surfaces of the game hen.  Store flat in the refrigerator, flipping the baggie from time to time.

When you are getting ready to cook the game hen, take it out of the baggy and brush off the veggies.  Pat dry with paper towels.

Put the olive oil and butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet.  Over medium high heat, cook the game hen cut side down for 3 minutes.  Flip it over and cook the skin side down for 5 minutes.  Then turn the temperature down to low, cover the skillet with a piece of baking parchment and put a 9-inch cake pan on top of the cake pan put some weights, As shown in the photo, I used 3 large pans weighing about 5 lbs. in total. 

Cook for 20-30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through as evidenced by the juices running, clear, the legs moving freely, and an instant read thermometer showing at least 150 in the breast.

Put the game hen on a plate or pan to keep warm while you make the pan sauce.  Here is what the game hen looked like.

To make the pan sauce, add the garlic and parsley to the pan and turn the heat up to medium.  Cook, stirring occasionally,  until the garlic is golden and fragrant, a few minutes.  Cut the game hens in half and spoon the pan sauce over each half.  Serve immediately.