Engagement Chicken

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Total Time 2 hrs

Servings

Calories 1635 kcal

Equipment

Mandoline
Chopping board
Chopping knife
Vegetable peeler
Measuring jug
Roasting dish
Sieve
Saucepan
Grater

Ingredients

1 whole free-range chicken about 1.2-1.5kg
2 lemon
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
75 g unsalted butter
1 whole garlic bulb cut in half
4 shallot peeled and cut into wedges
2 tsp plain flour
150 ml white wine
150 ml chicken stock
salt
ground black pepper

For the celeriac gratin:

350 ml milk
350 ml single cream
2 garlic bashed
1 onion peeled and thinly sliced
500 g potatoes peeled and thinly sliced on a mandoline
500 g celeriac peeled and thinly sliced on a mandoline

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/450°F/Gas Mark 5. For the gratin, peel and bash the garlic cloves and thinly slice the onion.
Place the milk, cream, bashed garlic cloves and onion into a saucepan and place over a medium heat. Bring to just below boiling point then remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Remove the garlic cloves and discard then strain the milk into a jug, reserving the onions.
Peel and thinly slice the celeriac and potatoes.
In an ovenproof dish, layer the potatoes, celeriac and onions, seasoning each layer as you go, until you have used up all the ingredients.
Pour the milk mixture over the top and set aside.
Zest 1 lemon then cut all of the lemons in half and finely chop the leaves from 1 sprig of rosemary. Place into a bowl with the butter, mix and season well with salt and pepper.
Peel and cut the shallots in garlic and half.
Next work on the chicken. Place the chicken on a board and snip off any string to un-truss it. Use your hands to loosen the chicken skin away from the breasts on each side of the chicken then push most of the butter mix into the gap you made. Rub the rest of the butter all over the outside of the chicken, season with salt and pepper.
In a small roasting dish, add the remaining 2 lemon halves and the shallots. Add the flour and toss together to coat everything. Pour in the wine and chicken stock then place the chicken on top.
Stuff the cavity with 2 of the lemon halves, the remaining rosemary springs and the garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken and gratin into the oven and cook both for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through - to check, insert a skewer into the thigh and if the juices run clear the bird is cooked
When cooked the gratin is golden and tender. Rest the chicken and gratin for 5 minutes before serving then carve and serve with the shallot sauce and some steamed greens.

Notes

Next a cult classic in America: Engagement Chicken. It's basically a really good roast chicken recipe that did the rounds in the 90’s after a glamour magazine staffer touted it as the reason she got engaged. Many others followed suit and it has done the rounds as the key to taking relationships to the next stage throughout the world. Believe in the hype or not, I have provided a great roast chicken recipe which may seal the deal and if not at least you will have a full belly

Nutrition

Calories: 1635kcal

Keyword Serves 2

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!