Glazed Cornish Hens with Wild Rice-and-Apricot Stuffing

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons apricot preserves 
• 0.3 teaspoon pepper black
• 0.5 cup celery chopped
• 3 pound cornish game hens 
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch 
• 0.5 cup apricots dried finely chopped
• 0.5 teaspoon thyme leaves dried
• 0.5 cup less-sodium chicken broth fat-free
• 3 cups less-sodium chicken broth fat-free
• 0.5 cup fennel bulb chopped
• 2 tablespoons juice of lemon 
• 0.5 cup madeira wine 
• 1 tablespoon butter 
• 1 cup onion chopped
• 0.3 cup orange juice 
• 0.8 cup orange juice 
• 0.3 teaspoon paprika 
• 0.3 teaspoon salt 
• 0.3 cup shallots minced
• 1 cup rice wild uncooked

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• sauce pan
• oven
• roasting pan

Directions

1. To prepare stuffing, bring 3 cups broth to a boil in a medium saucepan.
2. Add wild rice; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 50 minutes or until tender.
3. Drain, and set aside.
4. Preheat oven to 40
5. Melt margarine in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
6. Add onion, celery, and chopped fennel; saut 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in rice, chopped apricots, and next 4 ingredients (chopped apricots through pepper).
7. Remove from heat.
8. To prepare glazed hens, remove and discard giblets and necks from hens. Rinse hens with cold water, and pat dry.
9. Remove skin, and trim excess fat. Split hens in half lengthwise. Spoon 4 (1-cup) mounds of wild rice stuffing into a shallow roasting pan coated with cooking spray.
10. Place hen halves, meaty sides up, on top of mounds.
11. Combine 1/4 cup orange juice and apricot preserves in a small bowl. Spoon 1 1/2 tablespoons orange juice mixture over each hen half.
12. Bake at 400 for 40 minutes or until juices run clear.
13. To prepare sauce, place a nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot.
14. Add shallots; saut 5 minutes or until tender.
15. Add 3/4 cup orange juice, 1/2 cup broth, and lemon juice; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook 5 minutes.
16. Combine Madeira and cornstarch; add to skillet. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and cook 2 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly.
17. Serve sauce over hens.
18. Garnish with fennel fronds, if desired.