Engagement Chicken

WHOA IT'S BEEN AWHILE. So sorry my blogger folks, I finished finals and then flew home for a whirlwind 10 day trip to spend time with my family. The result is neglected blogging, but man do I have a back-up of posts for you! I'm trying to balance my schedule of summer classes and work currently, but will try to keep up with my blogging to supply you with everlasting recipes. However, when I started this blog I wanted to make sure it was a tool to give me a break from busy graduate life and not something to stress even more about. So I guess if I do neglect sometimes...sorry I'm not sorry? :)

So Engagement Chicken! Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa) calls it this, because I guess this dish is SOOO tasty that if women make it for their boyfriends they end up receiving a proposal. Since that is not something I'm looking for at the moment, I made it with my family. This was a new challenge for me because I've never worked with a WHOLE chicken before, but it turns out it's quite easy.

Engagement Chicken

What ya need:

1 (4 to 5 pound) roasting chicken

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 lemons

1 whole head garlic, cut in 1/2 crosswise

Good olive oil

2 Spanish onions, peeled and thickly sliced

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

What ya do:

*Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

*Remove and discard the chicken giblets. Pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken.

*Cut the lemons in quarters, place 2 quarters in the chicken along with the garlic and reserve the rest of the lemons. Brush the outside of the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle the chicken liberally with salt and pepper.

*Place the chicken in a small (11 by 14-inch) roasting pan. (If the pan is too large, the onions will burn.) Place the reserved lemons and the sliced onions in a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Pour the mixture around the chicken in the pan.

*Roast the chicken for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and a thigh. Remove the chicken to a platter, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the sauce, leaving the lemons and onions in the pan.

*Place the pan on top of the stove and turn the heat to medium-high. Add the wine and stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits. Add the stock and sprinkle on the flour, stirring constantly for a minute, until the sauce thickens. Add any juices that collect under the chicken. Carve the chicken onto a platter and serve with the lemons, onions, and warm sauce

This dish was incredibly juicy and tender. If it results in any proposals...let me know! Happy eating :)