When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their engagement, the Duchess of Sussex revealed Harry had proposed whilst she was roasting a chicken at home. It was the roast chicken meal that sealed a royal romance. Meghan famously revealed in an interview in 2017 that she was preparing a roast chicken meal recipe from chef Ina Garten when Prince Harry got down on one knee to propose marriage. Royal fans and foodies alike are still enjoying this delicious dish five years later, and chef Helen Tzouganatos revealed how to make the so-called royal or engagement chicken dish last year. Helen explained that as well as Meghan, actress Emily Blunt also used the same recipe while courting her fellow actor and now-husband, John Krasinski.
Engagement Roast Chicken – recipe
Total time: One hour 40 minutes. Preparation: five minutes. Cook: one hour 35 minutes.
Yield: three servings.
Ingredients
One roasting chicken
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Two lemons
One whole head of garlic, cut in half crosswise
Good olive oil
Two Spanish onions, peeled and thickly sliced
Half cup of dry white wine
Half cup chicken stock, preferably homemade
One tablespoon of all-purpose flour
READ MORE: Meghan and Harry’s matching bracelets they wore when dating in secret
Method
Preheat the oven to 220C.
Remove and discard the chicken giblets. Pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken.
Cut the lemons in quarters, place two quarters in the chicken along with the garlic and reserve the rest of the lemons.
DON’T MISS:
Brush the outside of the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle the chicken liberally with salt and pepper.
Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken.
Place the chicken in a small (11×14-inch) roasting pan. (If the pan is too large, the onions will burn.)
Place the reserved lemons and the sliced onions in a large bowl and toss with two tablespoons of olive oil, one teaspoon of salt, and half a teaspoon of pepper.
Pour the mixture around the chicken in the pan.
Roast the chicken for about one hour and 15 minutes, until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and a thigh.
Remove the chicken to a platter, cover with aluminium foil, and allow to rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the sauce, leaving the lemons and onions in the pan.
Place the pan on top of the stove and turn the heat to medium-high.
Add the wine and stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits.
Then, add the stock and sprinkle on the flour, stirring constantly for a minute, until the sauce thickens.
Next, add any juices that collect under the chicken.
Carve the chicken onto a platter and serve with the lemons, onions, and warm sauce.
Royal fan @PositiveSussex tweeted about the recipe: “I made this and it’s so good!”
