Engagement Chicken Recipe

Name: Engagement Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 80 min
Total time: 95 min
Yield: 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 sprigs rosemary , 4 sprigs sage, 8 sprigs thyme and 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley)

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 80 mins

Total: 95 mins

Servings: 2 to 4 servings

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Engagement chicken is a delicious roasted chicken recipe that is so good it will make the man in your life propose. Does it work? Try it and find out.

This recipe is said to have inspired proposals among men who eat it. Glamour magazine released a cookbook titled "100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know: Engagement Chicken and 99 Other Fabulous Dishes to Get You Everything You Want in Life." Now, we know that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, but we have doubts about this claim.

Still, the recipe is very good. Lemon and chicken are natural partners, and this recipe uses a lot of lemons. The juices are delicious drizzled over mashed or smashed potatoes or hot cooked noodles. Serve this recipe with some steamed asparagus and a fresh fruit salad.

Recipe reprinted with permission from "100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know," by Cindi Leive.

1 whole chicken, approximately 4 pounds
1/2 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
3 whole lemons, (1 of the lemons, sliced for garnish)
1 tablespoon kosher salt, or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 sprigs rosemary, for garnish
4 sprigs sage, for garnish
8 sprigs thyme, for garnish
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Position an oven rack in the upper third of the oven, and preheat the oven to 400 F. Remove the giblets from the chicken and pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Place it breast-side down in a medium roasting pan fitted 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.
With a fork, prick 2 whole lemons 3 times each in 3 different places, and place them deep inside the chicken cavity. Cavity size may vary, so if one lemon is partially sticking out, that’s fine.
Put the chicken in the oven, lower the temperature to 350 F, and roast the chicken, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
Remove the roasting pan from the oven. Using tongs or two wooden spoons, turn the chicken breast-side up. Insert a meat thermometer into the thigh, and return the chicken to the oven. 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 vary in different ovens; roasting a chicken at 350 F takes approximately 18 to 20 minutes per pound, plus an additional 15 minutes.
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 lemon slices and fresh herbs.
Serve and enjoy.

From "100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know," by Cindi Leive and the Editors of Glamour. Copyright © 2011 Conde Nast Publications. Published by Hyperion. Available wherever books are sold. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted with permission.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
1219	Calories
63g	Fat
38g	Carbs
127g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2 to 4
Amount per serving
Calories	1219
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 63g	81%
Saturated Fat 17g	87%
Cholesterol 399mg	133%
Sodium 1972mg	86%
Total Carbohydrate 38g	14%
Dietary Fiber 8g	30%
Total Sugars 17g
Protein 127g
Vitamin C 152mg	762%
Calcium 171mg	13%
Iron 8mg	45%
Potassium 1587mg	34%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.