All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
As the story goes: In 1982, an editor in Glamour’s fashion department gave her assistant a recipe for the most delicious roast chicken she’d ever tasted. The assistant then cooked this chicken for her boyfriend, who proposed a month later. Indeed, the proposal was likely due to the fact that their committed, loving relationship was heading in that direction and not because of a roast chicken, but the assistant passed the recipe along to three more staffers who, upon cooking it for their partners also got engaged. The recipe was published in the January 2004 issue of Glamour, and "Engagement Chicken" was born. Things were different in 2004, we're aware.
In the years since though, the recipe has been credited with dozens of marriage proposals, including some speculation that a roast chicken might have led to the engagement of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. Former Glamour editor-in-chief Cindi Leive cooked the recipe with Martha Stewart, and the bird also showed up in an episode of The Barefoot Contessa.
The truth is, you can cook this chicken for or with whomever you want. The things women want change—and so do women's magazines. Whether you cook it with someone you love, whip it up for dinner party, make it for your parents, or eat it by yourself while watching Netflix, it's still a damn good recipe that's easy and really, really good. Do with it what you will.
'Engagement' Chicken
Serves 2 to 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 flat-leaf parsley)
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.
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.
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 countertop with your palm before pricking to get the juices flowing.)
Put the chicken in the oven, lower the oven temperature to 350°F, and roast, 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 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.
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. Garnish with fresh herbs and lemon slices.
Want more recipes? Get Glamour's cookbook, 100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know
