Grilled Herbed Poussins

4.8(20)

An herb paste smeared onto these birds adds a concentrated taste of summer; this works nicely with the poussins, since they're small enough to cook through before the herbs can threaten to burn.

by Maggie Ruggiero·published 2008-09-15

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Servings

Makes 4 servings

Total time

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Calories / serving

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Ingredients (7)

serves

1/4 cup chopped basilbasil
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemaryrosemary
1 tablespoon thyme leavesthyme
2 fresh bay leaves, finely choppedbay-leaf
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oilolive-oil
2 small garlic cloves, choppedgarlic
4 poussins (1 to 1 1/4 pound each) or small Cornish hens, backbones cut out and birds split in half

Instructions (3 steps)

01Blend together herbs, oil, garlic, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a blender until finely chopped, then rub all over poussins.
02Prepare grill for indirect-heat cooking over medium-hot charcoal (medium-high heat for gas); see Grilling Procedure .
03Oil grill rack, then grill poussins, skin sides down first, directly over coals, turning once, until well browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Move poussins to area with no coals underneath and grill, covered, until just cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes more. Transfer poussins to a platter and let stand 10 minutes.

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