The Celebrated Barefoot Contessa Engagement Roast Chicken Recipe
Barefoot Contessa engagement roast chicken transforms ordinary poultry into an extraordinary culinary experience that captivates taste buds and hearts.
Succulent meat infused with aromatic herbs creates a sensational dining moment that feels both intimate and comforting.
Home cooks adore this recipe for its elegant simplicity and remarkable flavor profile.
Each carefully seasoned bite promises a delightful journey through robust, harmonious ingredients.
The technique elevates traditional roasting methods with unexpected depth and character.
Crispy skin and tender meat combine in a delectable dance of textures that surprises and delights.
Why Engagement Roast Chicken Deserves a Standing Ovation
Pick These Ingredients for a Chicken Worth Proposing Over
Main Ingredients:
Whole Chicken: Centerpiece of the dish, best when fresh and plump with no blemishes.
Lemons: Bright citrus that adds zesty flavor and helps tenderize the meat, choose firm and heavy fruits.
Onions: Provide sweet roasted base flavor, look for firm and glossy varieties.
Seasoning Ingredients:
Salt and Pepper: Essential for enhancing overall chicken flavor, use freshly ground black pepper.
Garlic: Adds robust depth to the chicken, select firm bulbs with no soft spots.
Cooking and Sauce Ingredients:
Olive Oil: Helps create crispy skin and promotes even browning, extra virgin preferred.
White Wine: Adds depth to pan sauce, choose a dry variety like Sauvignon Blanc.
Chicken Stock: Creates rich sauce base, low-sodium recommended for better control.
All-Purpose Flour: Thickens sauce and creates smooth consistency, sift to prevent lumps.
Kitchen Tools:
Kitchen String: Helps truss chicken for even cooking, cotton twine works best.
Roasting Pan: Supports even heat distribution, choose heavy-gauge metal pan.
Aluminium Foil: Helps retain chicken’s moisture during resting period.
Roast Chicken Moments That Might Just Seal the Deal
Step 1: Warm Up The Oven
Fire up your oven to a toasty 220°C (200°C fan) or 425°F. Get ready for some serious chicken magic!
Step 2: Prep The Feathered Friend
Grab your chicken and remove those mysterious giblets. Give the bird a gentle pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle salt and pepper inside like you’re seasoning a secret. Slice lemons into quarters and nestle two inside the chicken along with garlic halves.
Ingredients for coating:Brush the chicken’s exterior with olive oil, then shower it with salt and pepper. Tie those chicken legs together using kitchen string and tuck the wing tips underneath.
Step 3: Roasting Ritual
Place the chicken in a compact roasting pan. Toss the remaining lemon quarters and sliced onions with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Scatter this zesty mixture around the chicken. Roast for about 75 minutes until juices run clear when you slice between leg and thigh.
Step 4: Chicken’s Relaxation Time
Transfer the chicken to a platter and cover with aluminum foil. Let it rest peacefully for 10 minutes.
Step 5: Create Magical Sauce
Move the roasting pan to the stovetop over medium-high heat. Pour in white wine and scrape up those delicious brown bits. Stir in chicken stock and sprinkle flour. Keep stirring for about a minute until the sauce transforms and thickens. Add any collected chicken juices.
Step 6: Serve With Flair
Carve the chicken onto a beautiful platter. Surround it with roasted lemons and onions. Drizzle the warm, rich sauce over everything.
Tricks to Roast Chicken That Impress at First Bite
How to Keep Engagement Chicken Tasting Just-Roasted
Swap In Surprises That Keep This Chicken Romantic
A Toast to the Chicken That Starts Love Stories
Roast chicken becomes more than mere sustenance – it transforms intimate gatherings with Barefoot Contessa’s legendary recipe.
Mediterranean flavors dance through perfectly seasoned meat, creating an unforgettable culinary experience.
Lemon and garlic infuse natural richness into each succulent bite, promising restaurant-quality results from your kitchen.
Sophisticated yet approachable, this dish guarantees memorable moments around family tables.
Complex layers of taste emerge from simple, quality ingredients masterfully combined.
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Barefoot Contessa Engagement Roast Chicken Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
Barefoot Contessa’s engagement roast chicken whispers romance through classic French culinary techniques. Herbes de Provence, lemon, and butter create a masterpiece that promises to enchant dinner guests and kindle passionate memories.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients:
- 1 (1.8 to 2.3 kg or 4 to 5 pounds) roasting chicken
- 2 Spanish onions, peeled and thickly sliced
- 1 whole head of garlic, cut in half crosswise
- 2 lemons
Liquid Ingredients:
- 120 milliliters (4 fluid ounces) dry white wine
- 120 milliliters (4 fluid ounces) chicken stock (preferably homemade)
Seasoning and Thickening Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon (about 8 grams) all-purpose flour
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Good olive oil
Instructions
- Warm the cooking chamber to 220°C (200°C fan) or 425°F, ensuring the rack is positioned in the center for even heat distribution.
- Cleanse the whole chicken by removing internal organs. Gently blot the exterior using paper towels to eliminate excess moisture. Liberally season the cavity with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Quarter the lemons and nestle two wedges inside the chicken alongside halved garlic cloves. Massage the exterior with extra virgin olive oil, creating a uniform coating. Generously sprinkle additional salt and black pepper across the skin. Secure the legs using culinary twine and delicately tuck wing extremities underneath the body.
- Position the chicken in a compact roasting vessel approximately 28×35 centimeters. Combine remaining lemon quarters and thinly sliced onions with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Distribute this aromatic mixture surrounding the poultry. Roast for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes until internal juices emerge clear when piercing between leg and thigh junction.
- Extract the chicken from the oven and transfer to a serving platter. Drape with aluminum foil, allowing the meat to rest and redistribute internal juices for 10 minutes.
- Transform the roasting pan into a sauce preparation surface by placing over medium-high heat. Deglaze with white wine, utilizing a wooden spoon to liberate caramelized bits from the pan’s base. Incorporate chicken stock and sprinkle flour, continuously stirring for approximately 1 minute until the liquid thickens. Integrate any accumulated chicken drippings.
- Elegantly carve the roasted chicken and present alongside caramelized lemon wedges, roasted onions, and the velvety warm sauce.
Notes
- Choose a small roasting pan that fits the chicken snugly to prevent onions from scorching and promote even cooking.
- Dry the chicken thoroughly with paper towels to achieve a perfectly crispy golden skin that crackles when sliced.
- Add extra herbs like rosemary or thyme if you want to customize the seasoning and make the dish uniquely yours.
- Prepare homemade stock for an incredibly rich sauce, though quality store-bought options work beautifully as a convenient alternative.
- Allow the roasted chicken to rest for 10 minutes after cooking, ensuring the internal juices redistribute and create supremely tender meat.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 477.8 kcal
- Sugar: 1.8 g
- Sodium: 159.3 mg
- Fat: 20.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 9.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 7.1 g
- Fiber: 0.9 g
- Protein: 53.3 g
- Cholesterol: 147.7 mg
Isabella Rodriguez
Co-Founder & Content Creator
Expertise
Pastry Arts and Dessert Innovation, French and European Baking Techniques, Food Writing and Blogging, Culinary Event Planning
Education
Le Cordon Bleu Paris
Isabella Rodriguez is the co-founder and pastry chef at wd-50.com. She studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, where she earned the Grand Diplôme®, a top award in both cooking and baking. After working in fancy bakeries and as a personal pastry chef, Isabella now shares her love for desserts in an easy way for home bakers to enjoy.
At wd-50.com, Isabella creates recipes for cookies, cakes, tarts, and more, always with clear steps and helpful tips. She believes baking should be fun, not stressful, and she hopes her recipes bring joy to your kitchen and smiles to your table.