So my first official post on my San Diego wedding planning isn’t technically about wedding planning at all unless you consider keeping your fiance happy and satisfied with your delicious kitchen prowess meanwhile distracting him momentarily away from your near constant obsessing over every little detail of your day. On second thought, Engagement Chicken is a must have on every smart bride-to-be’s wedding planning checklist!

Starting a blog of this magnitude was a bit daunting to me and I was having a really hard time just starting. I have a million and one topics swirling in my brain to research and discuss but that voice in my head that screams “everything must be perfect first” was stopping me from just writing. So Engagement Chicken and my mother-in-law have inspired me unknowingly so, to get my first blog post up. So here it goes…

What is Engagement Chicken? Well technically it’s Marcella Hazan’s Chicken With Two Lemons. Legend has it that an editor at Glamour Magazine gave her young assistant the recipe to make for her boyfriend for whom she was madly in love with. She hoped someday in the near future that they would get married. One evening soon after, the young assistant prepared the classic roast chicken supper for her boyfriend and it was a wild success. He loved it so much he dropped to one knee and proposed on the spot! Word spread in the office of the power of Engagement Chicken and soon three other assistants in Glamour’s fashion department got engaged after making the chicken dish for their boyfriends. In 2004 Glamour published the article in their magazine and ever since the engagement success stories have been pouring in. How cool is that?

Seeing I’m already married, I knew that the likelihood of my husband dropping to his knees and gifting me with jewels after preparing the dish was a stretch, but I was still intrigued by the mystery of this chicken enough to try as soon as my mother-in-law gave me the cookbook, 100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know. Those who know me know that the oven is not my friend. Try as I might, I’m simply not a good indoor cook though I can grill like nobody’s business. I had never roasted a chicken before but I had all the tools to do so and the recipe seemed simple and easy to understand so I decided to give it a whirl. To my surprise, the chicken turned out perfect and everything was delicious. My husband, to his surprise, even agreed. Oh, and they aren’t kidding about the “marry me juices;” they really make the dish. I just had to share this unique story and recipe. I hope you [and your fiance] enjoy this little dish as much as we did!

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (approx. 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 flat-leaf parsley)

Preparation:

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 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.

3) Prick 2 whole lemons three times in three different places on each 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 countertop with your palm before pricking to get the juices flowing.)

4) Put the chicken in the oven, lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees 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 degrees 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 for a stuffed chicken that is 4 pounds.

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.

Glamour girl tip: Carving a bird takes a lot of practice, so don’t expect it to be perfect on your first try. The most important thing is to have a sharp knife (preferably one made specifically for carving). Start by slicing the breasts, removing as much meat as possible, and then remove the legs and the wings (using kitchen shears work swell too). Don’t worry if it looks messy; it will taste just as good.

Below is a video from Glamour’s website about the birth of Engagement Chicken. It’s really cute.