Step 1

Shake marinade ingredients together in a gallon-size resealable bag. Add defrosted hens and marinate in refrigerator 20-30 minutes. (Or add frozen hens and let them marinate as they defrost overnight in the refrigerator's meat drawer.)

Step 2

Slice the onions in half and place them flat-side down in the crockpot. (Alternatively: wad 4 pieces of aluminum foil into lemon-sized balls. Place these in the bottom of your crockpot.)

Step 3

Put each hen on top of 2 of the onion halves (or foil balls), so it's raised at least 1 inch from the bottom of the crockpot. Pour remaining marinade over the hens. (Optional: melt and drizzle the butter over the hens.)

Step 4

Cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours. Remove the crockpot lid and let the hens rest 5 minutes before transferring to serving plates.

Step 5

To crisp the skin, transfer the cooked Cornish Hens to a shallow oven-safe baking dish and broil for 2-3 minutes. Watch carefully to prevent over-browning.