So I was reading an article in Glamour magazine and stumbled across the unusual story of “Engagement Chicken”. Apparently, an assistant at the magazine whipped up a special chicken dinner for her boyfriend and he proposed the same week. She shared her recipe with three co-workers and they all had the same results after making the chicken…ENGAGEMENT!
Since Glamour published the Engagement Chicken recipe, over 70 readers have reported success with it. While I don’t believe that the actual recipe made these women’s boyfriends go ring shopping, I am amazed at the coincidence. Is there some correlation between a woman taking the time to prepare a whole chicken for dinner and her level of commitment to a relationship (and therefore her partner’s level of commitment)?
If these engagements around the chicken dinner aren’t coincidence of commitment level, maybe there really something behind that age old saying that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach!
Regardless, here’s the recipe (you may know a friend who’s a bit desperate):
Engagement Chicken Recipe (serves 2-4)
Ingredients:
- 1 whole chicken (approximately 4 pounds)
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, plus 3 whole lemons—including 1 sliced for garnish
- 1 tablespoon kosher or coarse sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- Fresh herbs for garnish (4 rosemary sprigs, 4 sage sprigs, 8 thyme sprigs, and 1 bunch fl at-leaf parsley)
1. Position an oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove the giblets from the chicken, wash the chicken inside and out with cold water, then let the chicken drain, cavity down, in a colander for 2 minutes.
2. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Place the chicken breast-side down in a medium roasting pan fi tted with a rack and pour the lemon juice all over the chicken, both inside and out. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper inside and out.
3. Prick 2 whole lemons three times each in three different places with a fork and place them deep inside the cavity. Chicken cavity size may vary, so if one lemon is partly sticking out, that’s fine. (Tip: If the lemons are stiff, roll them on the counter top with your palm before pricking to get the juices flowing.)
4. Put the chicken in the oven, lower the oven temperature to 350°F, and roast, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
5. Remove the roasting pan from the oven. Using tongs or two wooden spoons, turn the chicken breast- side up. Insert a meat thermometer in the thigh, and return the chicken to the oven and roast for about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the meat thermometer reads 180°F and the juices run clear when the thigh is pricked with a fork. Continue roasting if necessary. Keep in mind that cooking times in different ovens vary; roasting a chicken at 350°F takes approximately 18-20 minutes per pound, plus an additional 15 minutes.
6. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving. And here’s the secret: Pour the juices from the roasting pan on top of the sliced chicken— this is the “marry me juice.” Garnish with fresh herbs and lemon slices.
Should you be further along in your married relationship, here’s the recipe fhttps://www.glamour.com/story/lets-make-a-baby-pastaor “Let’s Make a Baby Pasta”! We’d love to hear if you’ve made either recipe with success or know of someone else who has.
*Recipe from Glamour.com