‘He got on one knee’: engagement chicken recipe so good it may have prompted Prince Harry’s proposal to Meghan Markle
- The legend of ‘engagement chicken’ goes back to 1982, while chef Ina Garten’s version from 1999 is the most famous
- The recipe is said to be so good that it has sparked multiple marriage proposals, including perhaps Prince Harry’s to Meghan Markle
Celebrity chef Ina Garten has achieved many things in her life, from publishing more than a dozen cookbooks to winning multiple Emmys.
But, for some fans, her greatest impact has been with her roast-chicken recipe – a dish that’s so good, it’s reportedly sparked marriage proposals.
According to Glamour magazine, the concept of “engagement chicken” came about in 1982, when a fashion editor at the magazine shared a roast-chicken recipe with an assistant. After the assistant cooked the chicken for her boyfriend, he proposed a month later. She then shared the recipe with multiple colleagues, who were all engaged soon after making it.
Thus, the legend of engagement chicken was born.
The recipe was officially published in a 2004 issue of Glamour. Still, other recipes for engagement chicken have since been popularised, including one by Rachael Ray and, perhaps most famous of all, Ina Garten’s recipe, which was published in her first cookbook, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, in 1999.
Prince Harry proposed to Meghan Markle in November 2017 in Kensington Palace’s north garden. Before the proposal, Meghan was roasting a chicken and Harry popped a bottle of champagne, even though he doesn’t drink it.
