With Puffy Heart Day (Valentine’s day) coming up, it’s only befitting I share my Proposal Chicken recipe. This is one of those meals where if you serve it to your loved one, not only are they going to fall in love with it but they just might fall deeper in love with you. I mean this very well could be that dish that finally opens up their eyes as to just how amazing you truly are; that you are the best thing since bacon (yeah I know it’s supposed to be ‘sliced bread’ but bacon trumps bread therefore it’s bacon… got it?). That you are the one they’ve been searching for or simply you’re that person they never knew they wanted but now they see you in a different light. They FINALLY see just how awesome you are. Perhaps this could lead to them getting down on one knee and popping the question soon. Perhaps they FINALLY ask you out on a real date instead of ‘hey let’s hang out’. Or perhaps finally they see you for the first time even though you’ve been there all along.
Know what I’m saying here guys? This could very well be THAT dish. You know the one I’m talking about here. Whether you’re hoping for an engagement ring, a real date or just a ‘hey, I kinda like you back’ response, this could very well be the dish that makes them wake up and realize you’re the one!
Should I give you a minute just to stare at this GORGEOUS bird?
*hands you a napkin* Um, you’re kinda drooling a little. But that’s a good thing! If just a picture is making your mouth water, just imagine the taste! This roasted chicken is truly the ultimate when it comes to roasting chickens. It’s SUPER moist and juicy, so tender, crispy skin and just packed full of incredible flavor.
Plus the best part, it’s soooooooooo embarrassingly easy to make too!
Now I’m old and married (well okay not that old) but I’ve been with Mr. Fantabulous I swear forever. However whenever I make this chicken you can see the joy on his gorgeous face as we eat. It’s funny as I’ve been making this for so many years is that as soon as he sees me get the chicken out and start to prep it, immediately he asks if I’m making the marriage chicken. LOL This is the dish he always tells me “Honey, if I wasn’t already married to you, I’d ask you to marry me right now!” as he would stuff another piece of chicken in his mouth. There’s just something magical about this chicken.
I always keep a few of these frozen chickens in the freezer. They are super cheap where I live (99 cents a pound) and 4lb roaster is perfect for 2 people plus enough for leftovers. AND you can get double duty out of it. After you’re done carving it, throw the carcass in a pot of water with some veggies and make the most amazing chicken stock ever (which again, just store in your freezer).
Growing up there were things that my mother said a good wife should always know how to make: amazing bread, great pasta sauce, no-fail dessert and roasted chicken. Now I’m taking Mom’s words and extending them to not just a good wife but rather EVERYONE should know how to make this stuff. I mean you should never have to rely on someone else to cook for you or a restaurant for that matter. Patience and respect is what you need in the kitchen. Follow the recipe and be willing to learn and you can make this.
Now back to this whole if I make this then I’ll get engaged thing… LOL I never said that BUT what I did say is that this is the ultimate roasted chicken. We’ve always been told that the way to a man’s heart it through his stomach. However today, women are just as much foodies as men. So don’t let this just be about the men here people. You wanna impress that lady of yours? You really want to blow her mind and knock her socks off? You want that WOW factor? Make the chicken! (well okay unless she’s a vegetarian then um… give her a salad and you eat the chicken). LOL I mean look at this thing! You can just see how crispy the skin is! And let’s talk about the juiciness!!!
After letting this rest for a bit when I went to slice into this I could hear that ‘crunch’ of the skin and then it just felt like I was cutting into soft butter that’s how tender and juicy the meat was.
Normally when I make this I serve this with a side of Parmesan Hasselback Potatoes, a strawberry spinach salad and a side of baked prosciutto wrapped asparagus. Now you could easily make mashed potatoes with this and with the pan drippings make a gravy but for me, I don’t want gravy on this bird. It’s perfect carved off of the bone!
So if you’re hoping for a ring, a real date or for that person to finally notice you I’m betting this dish could make one of those wishes happen. Putting forward an effort to make something personal for someone else speaks volumes; at least it does for me. Anyone can go out to a restaurant but when you take the time to make something from scratch for someone else… that’s priceless. It shows you truly care about them and want to make them happy. Now sure there may be an underlying ulterior motive with this dish (I mean who doesn’t want romance or even love?) but I think for this occasion the selfishness can be forgiven.
Now go out there and chase your dreams and make them a reality!
PrintProposal Chicken – Ultimate Roasted Chicken
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Ingredients
- 4lb chicken, giblets and neck removed
- 4 tablespoon butter, unsalted and softened but not melted
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, chopped
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F, middle rack.
- Run cold water inside the cavity of the chicken for 2 minutes.
- Pat dry inside and out.
- Place a rack in a roasting pan.
- In a bowl, mix together the butter, garlic, rosemary, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper and lemon juice. I found a whisk worked best here. The butter has to be soft! If your mixture is too soft, place it in the fridge for 10 minutes. You want a soft compound butter.
- Using your fingertips, gently separate the skin from the breast.
- Spread about 2 tablespoon of the butter between the skin and breast of each bird. Smooth skin back down to cover meat.
- Place the rest of the butter inside the cavity of the bird.
- Truss the chicken with kitchen twine (tucking the wings in).
- Place the chicken on the rack.
- Sprinkle the remaining salt and pepper on the outside of the bird.
- Bake at 450F for 20 minutes and without opening the door, reduce the heat to 350F.
- Cook for 40-50 minutes or until the juices run clear and a thermometer inserted into the inner thigh (but not touching the bone) reads 165F.
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15-20 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute then carve.
The best chicken I’ve ever had in my life! So tender and flavorful! This truly is the ultimate roasted chicken folks!
★★★★★
I’ve made this twice. So yummy!
★★★★★
Thank you so much Laurie!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
I was going to make this tonight with your hasselback potatoes, my problem is that I only have one oven. It can be used as convection or regular, if that changes anything. My question is, is there a way to change the temp of the potatoes so they match the temp of the chicken? Like possibly cook them longer at the lower temperature? Or would I be better off just making mashed potatoes or rice? Your recipes just sound so good AND sound so good together that I really would like to make them together, if possible. Thank you in advance for your help!!!
Hi Athena,
I wrote an article a while ago on how to convert regular oven recipes to convention (https://www.thekitchenwhisperer.net/2015/03/03/tuesdays-tip-with-the-kitchen-whisperer-convention-oven-to-convection-oven-temps-and-times/). Normally you would reduce the convection temp 25 degrees. Okay here’s how you can cook both at the same temp. Set the oven to 400F and start both at the same time. After 20 minutes , reduce the temp to 350F. Check the potatoes after 40 minutes for doneness.
Best Kitchen Wishes!