Roast Guinea Hen with Grilled Radicchio

By David Tanis

Published February 12, 2013

  • Owen Franken for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
1 hour 30 minutes, plus 1 hour standing
Rating
4(16)
Comments
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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 1 guinea hen, about 4 pounds

  • Salt and pepper

  • 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

  • 2 tablespoons roughly chopped rosemary

  • 1 large lemon, thinly sliced

  • 3 strips pancetta or bacon, optional

  • 1 large head radicchio

  • Olive oil

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

7 grams carbs; 350 milligrams cholesterol; 896 calories; 20 grams monosaturated fat; 9 grams polyunsaturated fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 45 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 1339 milligrams sodium; 110 grams protein; 1 gram sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 400 degrees. Pat guinea hen dry and season generously inside and out with salt and pepper. Put garlic, rosemary and lemon slices inside the bird’s cavity. Tie legs together. Leave at room temperature for at least an hour (or refrigerate overnight and bring to room temperature).

  2. Step 2

    Put a rack in a roasting pan, and place bird on its side on the rack. Drape pancetta strips, if using, over bird. Roast, uncovered, for 20 minutes, then turn the bird on its other side and roast 20 minutes more. (Remove and reserve pancetta when crisp, about 20 minutes into roasting. Chop and sprinkle over for final garnish.) Turn the bird breast side up and roast for a final 20 minutes, or until juice run clear when thickest part of the thigh is probed. Baste well with pan juices at each stage. Let rest in a warm place at least 15 minutes before carving. Spoon pan juices over the meat.

  3. Step 3

    For the grilled radicchio, place a stove top grill over medium-high heat. Cut radicchio into 8 wedges. Season with salt and pepper and paint lightly with olive oil. Grill wedges for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until well colored and crisped. Alternatively, grill radicchio under the broiler.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
16 user ratings
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Comments

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Patricia

Thank you for your note, Amy. Just bought a Guinea Hen for Christmas Day. In Berkeley, CA we have access to many wonderful fowl with artisan butchers in the Bay Area. We will have our first Christmas with just the two of us this year — not since the Vietnam war have we celebrated just as a couple. Excited about the bird and will post outcomes.

Amy

I first made this several years ago, and fell in love with guinea hen generally, and this recipe in particular. It is easy and amazingly delicious. A making again for New Years Eve 2017. It is much better with good thick slices of pancetta than with bacon, but bacon will do. Guinea hen is hard to find in US (which is crazy as is cheaper than chicken in Europe) but is, in my opinion, the superlative fowl for eating. Roasted radicchio pairs beautifully. David Tanis rocks!

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