Roasted Cornish Hens With Fennel and Peppers

Place hens, breast side down, on a cutting board. Using kitchen shears, split hens by cutting along either side of the backbone, then cutting through breast. Place hens in a large food-storage bag.

Mix thyme, lemon zest and juice, 2 tablespoons of the oil, and garlic in a small bowl and pour over hens; seal bag. Turn bag to distribute marinade evenly over hens. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, up to 4 hours.

Adjust oven racks to middle and bottom of oven. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Remove a few leafy tops from fennel bulbs and reserve for white wine jus. Cut fennel bulb lengthwise through root end into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Peel and halve onion; cut into 1-inch-thick wedges.

Brush bottom of a large, heavy-bottomed roasting pan with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Arrange fennel slices and onion wedges on bottom of pan. Remove hens from marinade and pat dry (reserve any marinade from bag). Arrange hens, skin side up, on top of fennel and onions; season with 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper. Roast 1 hour, basting once with any reserved marinade, until juices run clear when thighs are pierced with the tip of a knife. For crispier skin, place hens under broiler for 2 minutes.

While hens are roasting, quarter peppers lengthwise and remove seeds. Place on a small baking sheet and toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Roast peppers on bottom rack in oven for 20 minutes before hens are done, turning pepper quarters after 10 minutes of roasting. Remove hens and vegetables to a platter; loosely cover with foil.

To make white wine jus: Place roasting pan across 2 stovetop burners over high heat; add wine and reserved fennel tops to pan and bring to a boil, scraping bottom and sides with a wooden spoon. Boil wine until reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 4 minutes. Add broth and continue to boil until reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 4 minutes longer. Whisk in butter, zest, and thyme until incorporated.

To serve, place vegetables on serving plates and top with a hen half. Spoon white wine jus around hens. Serve with butter-and-parsley orzo, if desired.