Engagement Chicken

I am fairly sure that most girls my age have heard of the Engagement Chicken recipe.  The story goes that there once was a young magazine assistant desperate to become engaged to her boyfriend.  One evening she made a classic roast chicken dinner based on the recipe her boss, a Glamour magazine editor, had given to her.  Within days, her beau was down on one knee proposing.  That was not it - three more staffers cooked the chicken and all three got engaged.  The recipe was published in Glamour magazine and has now been responsible for hundreds of engagement dreams coming true.

Glamour recently printed the recipe in their May 2011 magazine and it is in their new cookbook, 100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know.  I am not one to follow recipes but I decided to give it a go.  I added lots of fresh herbs from our garden, but other than that followed the recipe to the letter.  I am already lucky enough to be engaged to my prince charming, but Alex loved it all the same and I feel sure he would have proposed to me after if we were not engaged already.  As a matter of fact he has asked me to cook it 3 times since the first attempt.  So ladies (and gents) who are looking for an amazing dish guaranteed to wow, I encourage you give it a try.  You never know!!

The first fruits of our garden.  So pitiful in comparison to the bounty we have now.

Beets, zuchinni, yellow cauliflower, lemons, red pepper, sugar snap peas, thyme, sage, oregano, rosemary

THE recipe

Rinse chicken, let drain and pat dry.

This recipes calls for lots and lots of lemon juice.

When roasting, it is always best to use a roasting rack.  It adjusts to the size of what you are cooking and elevates the meat off of the roasting pan to ensure more even cooking.

Chicken was drenched in lemon juice and rubbed with salt and pepper. I added fresh chopped herbs.  Make sure you not only rub the outer skin with the herbs and seasonings, but make a pocket under the skin and apply directly to the meat.

Ready to roast.

Fresh garden beets, ready to also be roasted.  Look at the poor white one - kind of like the Ugly Duckling.  You never know what you are going to pull out of the garden.

The first of our sugar snap peas.  They taste like candy from the vine.  When we have children these and cherry tomatoes WILL be their candy.

Blanching cauliflower

Roasting zucchini and red peppers.  I think this is a Carmen Pepper from our garden.  Unfortunately, we have not had many this season :-(

I mixed the cauliflower, zucchini and pepper together in a glass dish and added butter, breadcrumbs and Parmesan.  Into the oven it went.

Roasted Beet and Avocado Salad

Garden Vegetable Gratin

The Engagement Chicken emerging from the oven.  You will have tons of amazing lemon sauce at the bottom of the pan.  Make sure to reserve and serve over carved chicken pieces.

Serve on a dish and garish with lemon halves and fresh herbs.

Lore says you will be engaged in no time!