Guinea hens are birds, related to pheasants, and are an excellent and highly flavorful alternative to chicken. Because they’re smaller—usually two or three pounds—even whole birds cook quickly and yield just the right amount of meat for one meal. If you can’t find guinea hen, a small chicken will do the trick nicely.

　　

Ingredients

serves 2 to 4

　　

Vegetable

1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks

　　2 tomatoes (about 1 pound), cored and quartered

　　2 tablespoons olive oil

　　2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

　　Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　1 pound small okra, trimmed

　　

Hen

One 2 1/2- to 3-pound partially boned guinea hen, quartered (see Know-how, page 157)

　　2 tablespoons fresh thyme

　　Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　1 tablespoon olive oil

　　1 tablespoon unsalted butter

　　1/2 cup dry white wine

　　1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

　　1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

　　

Vegetable

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

　　

Step 2

Combine the squash, tomatoes, olive oil, and vinegar in a bowl, season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss to coat. Spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for about 30 minutes, stirring halfway through. Add the okra and toss to coat with the pan liquids. Roast for another 10 minutes, until the okra is tender and bright green and the edges of the squash are golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside, loosely covered to keep warm.

　　

Hen

Step 3

While the vegetables are roasting, rinse the hen, pat dry with paper towels, and trim any excess fat. Season both sides with 1 tablespoon of the thyme and salt and pepper to taste, pressing gently to adhere.

　　

Step 4

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until sizzling hot (see Know-how, page 100). Place the hen in the skillet, skin side down. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the skin is golden brown and crispy, about 10 minutes. Flip over and cook the other side until the flesh is firm to the touch, about 4 minutes. Remove the hen and set aside, loosely covered, to keep warm.

　　

Step 5

Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet and return the skillet to the heat. Add the wine and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Cook and stir for about 1 minute, until the wine reduces by half.

　　

Step 6

Stir in the broth, remaining 1 tablespoon thyme, and the chives. Season with additional salt and pepper and cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes more. Add the legs and vegetables to the skillet and place in the oven to roast for about 15 minutes, until the meat is cooked through and the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with the tip of a small knife. Add the breast and continue to cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, just to warm through.

　　

Assembly

Step 7

Arrange the vegetables on a larger serving platter or divide evenly between individual serving plates and top with pieces of hen. Spoon the cooking liquid over and around the hen and vegetables and serve warm.

　　

On the Side

Step 8

This dish is a meal in and of itself, but I like to serve it alongside Kate’s Sweet Potato Refrigerator Rolls (page 66) or Creamed Vegetable Rice (page 216), and, for more formal entertaining, after a first course of Summer Corn Relish (page 297).

　　

Know-how: Quartering and Partially Boning Guinea Hen or Other Birds

Step 9

This technique can also be used on chicken, duck, turkey, or pheasant.

　　

Step 10

Place the hen on its back on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife and starting at the neck end of the breast, cut along one side of the breastbone to cut the breast meat away from the rib cage, cutting as close to the rib cage as possible. Repeat on the other side.

　　

Step 11

Cut off the wing tips, leaving the small drumstick (or section next to the breast) attached.

　　

Step 12

Turn the hen over, bend the thigh back to push the hip joint out of the socket, and cut through the joint. Repeat with the other leg.

　　

Step 13

Scrape the meat away from the thighbone, cut at the joint, and remove the thighbone, leaving the leg bone.

　　Reprinted with permission from Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen: Soulful, Traditional, Seasonal by Sara Foster. Copyright © 2011 by Sara Foster. Published by Random House. All Rights Reserved.Sara Foster is the owner of Foster's Market, the acclaimed gourmet take-out store/cafés in Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and the author of several cookbooks including The Foster's Market Cookbook, winner of the Best Cookbook Award from the Southeast Booksellers Association. She has appeared numerous times on Martha Stewart Living Television and NBC's Today show. She has also been featured in magazines such as More, House Beautiful, and Southern Living, and is featured regularly in Bon Appétit.