Local Kokomo Chef Offers a Thanksgiving Alternative

With the holiday season in full swing, we’re excited to bring our audience a new seasonal series called “Savoring the Season.”

Our goal is to bring joy to our audience by inviting local chefs and bartenders to join us at Lee Supply in Kokomo, where they share unique and easy recipes that can be recreated at home.

Lee Supply in Kokomo is known for its kitchen, bath, lighting products and appliances, but, what you may not know is that Lee Supply also has multiple fully operating kitchens and has been hosting occasional events like cookie decorating workshops. Grateful for the opportunity, we took over their space to create this festive series.

In the first episode, Bree meets up with local chef Michael Wolfe, owner of Wolfes Smokehouse and BBQ. Given Michael’s expertise in smoked meats, we challenged him to offer an alternative to the traditional Thanksgiving turkey. Michael impressed us by guiding Bree through the creation of a mouth-watering cornish hen, a delicious, unique, and surprisingly affordable option at just $13 for two servings.

The recipe Michael shared was simple, requiring only a handful of ingredients: cornish hens, butter, cinnamon, salt, pepper, an orange and lemon.

The unexpected star of the dish was cinnamon, adding a delightful twist to the flavor profile. If you're searching for a Thanksgiving alternative to the traditional turkey, we encourage you to try this simple yet impressive cornish hen recipe. It's a surefire way to bring a delicious and unique touch to your holiday feast this year.

You can check out the episode by clicking here.

THANKSGIVING CORNISH HEN RECIPE:

Ingredients:

• 2 cornish hens

• 1 lemon

• 1 orange

• 2 oz of butter

• 2 teaspoons of cinnamon

• Salt & pepper to taste

• Foil

Steps:

• Quarter cut both the lemon and the orange

• Stuff cornish hens with one quarter of lemon and one quarter of orange

• Mix cinnamon and butter to make baste for the cornish hens

• Baste cornish hens generously with mixture being sure to cover the top, under the skin and wings

• Season cornish hens with salt and pepper

• Wrap the tips of the wings and feet with foil to ensure that they don’t burn doing the cooking process

• Bake at 400 degrees for 70 minutes, setting a timer to baste with butter and cinnamon mixture every 20 minutes.