Engagement Chicken and Easter

Today was our first Easter as a married couple and usually for Easter, we join the rest of the Buzzard clan at my Grandma and Papaw’s house for ham, mashed potatoes and the best fried chicken in the world.

Not this year. This year we’re in Australia and I was in charge of Easter dinner. I accidentally found a recipe for Engagement Chicken on a Yahoo! blog. According to the author of the blog, the recipe is named Engagement Chicken because there have been several young women who made this dish and then a month or two later their boyfriends proposed. Something to do with it being the type of homemade meal their mom would make.

Recipe is below:
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 fl at-leaf parsley)

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 fi tted 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 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.)
4. Put the chicken in the oven, lower the oven temperature to 350°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°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.
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.

Here is how it ended up – super juicy but not much to look at because I didn’t want to spend $10 on garnishes. But Hyatt said it was delicious 🙂

That’s a lemon sticking out, btw.

Post lemon-removal:

Total cost of our meal?
Chicken – $5.32
Green beans – $1.00
Lemons – $2.50
Total cost of meal: $8.82 for two people = $4.41 per person. AND we had leftovers 🙂

I am not sure how I feel about this domesticated wifey-ness thing I’ve got going on. Strange.

I hope that you all have a special Easter, wherever you are, and that you take time to remember the real reason for Easter. To celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Best wishes for a blessed holiday.

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~