Roast chicken is one of my I-can’t-have-it-around-or-I’ll-eat-the-whole-thing addictions. After the first meal, the rest of the bird sits front and center in my refrigerator, and when the urge hits, I pull off a piece here and there until the carcass is picked clean. Anyway, that’s one of the reasons I am drawn to smaller birds: guinea hens, squab, poussin. They’re certainly on the high end in terms of fat and calories, but at least when I’m done, I’m done. No more temptations. When I saw 3/4-pound hens at one of my favorite vendors (Eco-Friendly Farms) at the Sunday farmers’ market in Washington’s Dupont Circle, I had a brainstorm: Why not treat them like beer-can chicken (more colloquially known as beer-butt chicken), but with a smaller can of pineapple juice instead? I thought it was the most original thing ever, until I Googled around and saw that others had trod this ground before me, including barbecue maestro Steven Raichlen. I forged ahead, combining the pineapple with one of its natural partners—rosemary—and cooking down extra juice with lime and butter into a sweet-and-sour glaze. With roasted potatoes (babies, of course), I had a meal.
If you can’t find the small cans of pineapple juice (they often come in 6-packs), wash out a small can of tomato paste and pour juice into it. If you can only find larger hens, adjust the cooking time to compensate and save some as leftovers for another day.
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Step 2
Rinse the hen under cold running water, then pat dry with paper towels. Remove the packet of giblets, if there is one, and discard or save for another use. Rub the hen with 1 teaspoon of the butter, then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper inside and out. Loosen the skin over the breasts and tuck one of the rosemary sprigs under the skin on each side.
Step 3
Shake the pineapple juice well, remove the paper exterior from the can, rinse, and dry the can. Use a can opener to completely remove the top of the can. Pour half of the pineapple juice into another container and reserve for another use. (Or drink it while you cook!)
Step 4
Spray the can’s exterior with cooking oil spray. Set the can in the middle of a small, oven-proof skillet and set the hen on top of it, carefully working the can into the hen’s cavity without spilling the juice. Scatter the potatoes around the hen, season them with salt and pepper, drizzle with the olive oil, and scatter the leaves from the remaining rosemary sprig around them.
Step 5
Roast the hen for 30 to 40 minutes, until it is nicely browned, the juices run clear, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads at least 165°F. Remove from the oven, use oven mitts or tongs to remove it from the pineapple juice can, and transfer the hen to a serving plate; let it rest for about 10 minutes. If the potatoes are not fork-tender, return the potatoes to the oven to continue cooking while the hen rests.
Step 6
While the hen is resting, pour the contents of the pineapple juice can into a small saucepan set over medium-high heat. Add the lime juice and remaining 1 teaspoon butter. Bring to a boil and let it bubble away until it has reduced to a syrupy glaze, about 10 minutes.
Step 7
Cut the hen in half with a sharp chef’s knife or poultry shears, and scatter the roasted potatoes around it. Drizzle the hen with the pineapple-lime glaze, and eat it while it’s hot.
