Traeger Smoked Cornish Hens are a fast and easy dinner grilled on the Traeger wood-pellet grill and liberally seasoned with my favorite Spiceology rubs.
Traeger Grilled Cornish Game Hens
These smoked Cornish hens are small, flavorful, and perfect when you want something impressive without the hassle of a whole chicken. Each hen is the right size for one or two people, and you can season them differently to keep everyone happy. The Traeger brings a light smoky flavor and crisps up the skin beautifully at the end.
This is backyard cooking made easy. You get big flavor with minimal prep, and the presentation always looks like you went the extra mile.
Cornish hens cook faster than a whole chicken and don’t need any carving. Just season, smoke, and serve.
They’re great for dinner parties or holiday meals when you want that wow factor without a full bird.
You can do one or six at a time, so it scales up or down depending on how many you're feeding.
Why You'll Love This Dish#
- Perfect Portions – One hen feeds one hungry adult or two lighter appetites.
- Custom Seasoning – Give each hen its own flavor for a fun dinner twist.
- Crispy Skin + Juicy Meat – Low and slow, then high heat to finish strong.
- Easy But Impressive – Looks fancy, but it’s as simple as seasoning and flipping.
More Easy Traeger Recipes here!
Recipe Shopping List
Wondering if you have to hit the store? Here's the list of items you'll need to make this recipe. For specific amounts, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Cornish Hens – These small birds are tender and quick-cooking. Look for hens around 1.5–2 pounds each.
- Avocado or Canola Oil – High smoke point oils that help the seasoning stick and the skin crisp.
- Seasoning Rub – Use your favorite BBQ rub, poultry blend, or mix it up with something spicy or herby.
More Easy Traeger Chicken Recipes here!
How To Make This Recipe
This is just the overview so you can see what you're actually getting into here. When you are cooking, you'll want to use the full recipe at the bottom of the page.
- Preheat Smoker – Fire up your Traeger and set it to 275°F.
- Season Hens – Rub hens with oil, then coat with seasoning all over.
- Smoke Breast-Side Down – Place hens on the grill and smoke for 30 minutes.
- Flip + Finish – Turn hens breast-side up, raise heat to 400°F, and cook until internal temp hits 165°F.
- Rest + Serve – Let the hens rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe FAQ
How long it will take depends on many different factors, and it is my strong opinion that you should always cook to temperature and NOT by time.
In grilling and smoking especially, this holds very true. Your grill temp will fluctuate depending on the outside temperature, how often the lid is opened, what type and size of grill you are using, how much food you have INSIDE the grill, and on and on and on.
Trying to figure out how long to cook something is pretty much a guarantee that you're going to end up with something that is either over or undercooked.
That being said, if you are trying to plan for dinner at 6:30, I'd suggest starting the birds around 5 or 5:15. They might be done a little early, they might be done a little late but that'll at least get you a 30 minute over/under by my estimation.
Poultry is fully cooked when it reaches 165°.
There is very little difference. In fact, a Cornish Hen is a type of chicken. For a long time, I thought it was entirely different in the same way that turkey and chicken are different, but NOPE.
Tastes like chicken, cause it is chicken.
Just, young chicken.
A Cornish Game Hen is typically about 4-5 weeks old when they are harvested. That is why they have their signature size.
Because they are small, they also have a higher ratio of dark meat to light, and a higher skin-to-meat ratio. For me, that's pretty much the perfect combination.
I prefer to cook all of my poultry breast side up. I think it cooks more evenly that way, and the breasts aren't as likely to dry out while the dark meat finishes cooking.
I flipped these little birds halfway through the cook time to make sure both sides got equal time facing down, but in general, I'd make sure they spend the majority of the time breast up!
Anything you would like! Chicken is a great base for big bold flavors, so don't be shy.
For this batch of grilled Cornish hens, I mixed it up a bit and used:
– Cajun Blackening Blend
– Togarashi
– All-Purpose Barbecue
Serve This With
I have so many great sides that can be served with grilled Cornish hens! Check out the options below:
- Vinegar Coleslaw
- Creamy Noodles
- Traeger Smoked Mac and Cheese
- Instant Pot Stick of Butter Rice
- Browned Butter & Mizithra Pasta
- Togarashi Grilled Asparagus
- Green Salad w/ Greek Vinaigrette
Traeger Greek Chicken Leg Quarters
More Chicken Recipes
Traeger Smoked Cornish Hens
These easy smoked Cornish hens are the perfect size to split between two people, or keep one all for yourself! Use your favorite seasoning rub and customize these according to each person's favorite!
Ingredients
- 6 Cornish hens
- 2-3 tablespoons avocado or canola oil
- 6 tablespoons rub
Instructions
- Fire up your Traeger or other wood-pellet grill according to factory instructions and preheat to 275°.
- Rub down your hens with the oil, and then coat liberally with your choice of rub. Our recommended rubs are listed below in the products section, but any of your favorite rubs will do.
- Place the hens breast side down on the grill, and smoke for 30 minutes at 275°.
- Flip the hens over so they are breast-side up, and turn the grill up to 400°. Cook at 400° until 165° internal temperature.
- Pull and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 696Total Fat: 50gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 33gCholesterol: 337mgSodium: 165mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 57g
Nutrition data provided here is only an estimate. If you are tracking these things for medical purposes please consult an outside, trusted source. Thanks!
Jounayet Rahman
Monday 14th of November 2022
Look so delicious!
Sharon Lochabay
Friday 21st of August 2020
Do you close the fire door or cook it on the flame
Nicole Johnson
Sunday 23rd of August 2020
My Traeger doesn't have a fire door. When I use my Camp Chef, I typically cook with it closed unless I'm doing something like burgers or hot dogs or trying to crisp up chicken skin.