Is there a reason to buy a cornish game hen instead of just chicken?”
You more or less answered your own question. The searches I performed returned basically the same result. The Cornish Game (or rock) Hen is just a smaller, pricier, chicken. The novelty of a tiny chicken seems to be the biggest appeal to these miniature birds, and nothing suggests they are worth the premium based on taste alone. Here are some quotes from the searches I thought were most relevant to your question: “Jonathan Bartlett, author of The Cook’s Dictionary and Culinary Referencesays “it needs marinating or spicing to have much taste and is generally roasted.” High praise, indeed.” “They have a light, savory, slightly stronger flavor than chicken, but not as strong as partridge or quail.” “Food Network Encyclopedia Rock Cornish hen; Rock Cornish game hen Definition: see chicken” From http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1729059: “Yep, it seems back then that the folks at Tyson were looking to spice u
