Table of Contents

If you’re wondering what to serve with your Cornish hens, you’ve come to the right place.

In this article, I list 33 of the most popular side dishes for Cornish hens.

In a rush? Here’s the short answer.

The best side dishes to serve with Cornish hens are honey butter rolls, loaded Lebanese rice, and roasted Brussel sprouts. You can also serve a side of cheesy garlic bread, green beans, and mashed potatoes. For salad options, there’s Mexican Caesar salad, avocado cucumber salad, and fattoush salad.

Ready? Let’s jump right in.

Herb and garlic mashed potatoes

Elevate your buttery mashed potatoes with some fresh parsley, dill, and roasted garlic.

The roasted garlic brings a sweet flavor, and the herbs bring some freshness.

Don’t forget the gravy!

Psst… for a low-carb option, try this recipe out with mashed cauliflower.

Why we love this recipe: it’s creamy, buttery, and fluffy.

Featured recipe
Herb and garlic mashed potatoes
Make it crispy
Mashed potato balls
Make it cheesy
Three cheese mashed potatoes

Mexican Caesar salad

Be bold and take a Mexican route for your traditional Caesar salad.

The addition of creamy avocados, salty tortilla chips, and crunchy pumpkin seeds will have your guests hooked.

It’s not too heavy either – with a zesty Greek yogurt dressing.

Why we love this recipe: it only takes 20 minutes to make.

Featured recipe
Mexican Caesar salad
Go traditional
Classic Caesar salad
Make it crunchy
Kale Caesar salad with chickpeas

Roasted broccoli and sweet potatoes

You can never go wrong serving some roasted veg next to your juicy Cornish hens.

Roasting vegetables enhances their natural flavors. In this case, we have earthy broccoli balanced out with some sweet potatoes.

But you can roast any vegetables you want.

Why we love this recipe: it’s really convenient because you can roast them at the same time as your meat.

Featured recipe
Roasted broccoli and sweet potatoes
Go for a different veg
Mediterranean roasted vegetables
Make a salad
Sweet potato salad

Baked mushroom rice

This baked mushroom rice is an excellent starchy side for your Cornish hens.

As it cooks in the oven, the rice absorbs all the umami goodness from your mushrooms and the broth, making it super flavorful.

It’s a world away from plain white rice.

Psst… mushroom risotto would be great too.

Why we love this recipe: after prep, the oven does the rest of the work for this dish.

Featured recipe
Baked mushroom rice
Make it different
Herb and garlic quinoa
Make it low-carb
Mushroom & spinach cauliflower rice

Summer fattoush salad

Add a fruity note to your traditional fattoush salad with peaches or nectarines. The sweetness they add makes it an excellent summer salad.

All you need is a few slices of Cornish hen and you have a satisfying (and really yummy) meal.

Why we love this recipe: it’s a 15-minute salad that will brighten your day.

Featured recipe
Summer fattoush salad
Go traditional
Traditional fattoush salad
Change the fruit
Strawberry spinach salad

Brussel sprouts and bacon

The whole recipe name for this dish is ‘crispy pan-fried brussel sprouts with balsamic and bacon’, but that was too long for the heading!

Frying the sprouts in the bacon grease makes sure they’re extra crispy, and the charred edges give them an addictive smoky flavor.

Why we love this recipe: it’s great for the holiday season.

Featured recipe
Brussel sprouts and bacon
Make it fast
10-minute shaved Asian Brussel sprouts
Make it different
Smashed Brussel sprouts

Cheesy garlic bread

Garlic bread isn’t just for pasta.

My friend served me a side of cheesy garlic bread along with my roast dinner and I was hooked – I mean who doesn’t like garlic bread?

It’s a nice way to soak up all the delicious juices from the Cornish hens.

Why we love this recipe: it’s a crowd-pleasing dish that’s both crunchy and soft.

Featured recipe
Cheesy garlic bread
Go traditional
Homemade garlic bread
Make it simple
Homemade French bread

Spring salad

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/328481366584629385/

We’ve had a summer salad, now time for a spring one.

A spring salad at its most basic is a mix of all the best veggies spring has to offer – this one uses asparagus, radish, and pea shoots.

Plus some orzo to give it slightly more substance.

Psst… grill the radish and asparagus for that charred flavor.

Why we love this recipe: it has a super unique and tasty scallion dressing.

Featured recipe
Spring salad
Change the season
The ultimate winter salad
Focus on asparagus
Shaved asparagus salad

Garlic Hasselback potatoes

Cornish hens are like mini chickens, so from one mini thing to another… try these Hasselback potatoes.

They’re everything you love about roasted potatoes and chips all rolled into one dish.

Lightly crisp exteriors, fluffy interiors, and dangerously addicting.

Why we love this recipe: it’s an unusual but tasty way to enjoy potatoes.

Featured recipe
Garlic herb Hasselback potatoes
Make it low-carb
Garlic parmesan Hasselback zucchini
Make it fancy
Cheesy potato stacks

Lemon spinach

A five-minute veggies dish is something you’ll want to have in your back pocket.

Refreshingly light and healthy, this wilted spinach is ideal for busy days.

Why we love this recipe: you only need three ingredients.

Featured recipe
5-minute wilted spinach
Make it creamy
Creamed spinach
Change the flavor
Korean spinach salad

Pomegranate quinoa

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/434597432804416775/

Take a more Middle-Eastern approach to your side dish by adding some pomegranate to the mix.

I think pomegranate is a really underutilized ingredient, and it just so happens to go great with Cornish hens.

And the sweet pop you get is balanced out in this salad with some salty feta.

Why we love this recipe: quinoa is filling, but also packed with nutrients.

Featured recipe
Pomegranate and quinoa salad
Go Morrocan
Morrocan couscous
Go veggie
Eggplant with pomegranate