Ok, I have a confession, I am one of those girls who see’s something on the TV and if I like it or if it looks good/cute, I buy it.  You never know when it could be the “best money ever spent”!  Recently, I saw on The Today Show a cookbook by Cini Leive, Editor of Glamour magazine, “100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know”.  It has an adorable cover and fun recipes, but the one that struck my interest was the, “Engagement Chicken”.  At first I thought this had to be a joke, but I had room on my bookshelf, so there I was on Amazon purchasing my next cookbook.

When I received it in the mail, I went straight to this Engagement Chicken recipe and read all the SUCCESS stories behind this chicken…they have heard from sixty-plus women who have gotten married (or plan to) after making this dinner (they also feature some of the stories).

So to all my friends, family and future clients… try this… and if you get a ring be sure to let me know!!!

Engagement Chicken

1 whole chicken (I used 6.5 lbs) it calls for 4lbs

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, plus 2 or 3 lemons

1 tbspn kosher salt (or sea salt)

1/2 tspn ground pepper

Fresh herbs for garnish (4 rosemary sprigs, 4 sage sprigs, 8 thyme sprigs and 1 bunch of parsley)

1.  Preheat oven to 400*.  Remove the giblets from the chicken- wash chicken inside and out with cold water, then let chicken drain, cavity down, in colander for 2 minutes.

2) Pat down with paper towel.  Place chicken breast-side down in medium roasting pan fitted.  Pour the lemon juice all over chicken, both inside and out.  Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper inside and out.

3) Prick whole lemons three times in different spots and place deep inside cavity of chicken.  (tip if the lemons are not soft, roll them on counter first).  If lemon is partly sticking out, it’s ok.  I used tooth picks to keep it in.

4) Put in oven at 350* for 2 hours.  (the book calls for 1.5 but the bag on chicken said 3) I got lucky and guessed because I don’t own a meat thermometer, if you do, 180* is the goal.  Every 30 minutes I poured the lemon juice over chicken, I was afraid it was going to be dry if not.

5) When it has a nice golden brown color, place the garnishes on top.  Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.  Serve chicken with a little juice.

I had my in-laws over for dinner for a test, and everyone LOVED it!

Ryan, “What did you marinade this with?”

Lauri, “This meat is perfect!”

Mark, well he was too busy eating…

I felt like I won a gold metal in the food olympics

To say the least, I will for sure make this again and I used this book for everything I made; Engagement Chicken, I’ll Take Care of You Mashed Potatoes, Beyond Basic Broccoli and Mea Culpa Cheesecake.  So if you have a Bridal Shower coming up or just need a great gift idea…I highly suggest this fabulous cookbook!

Cheers!