It’s been said before that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach; who knew it was true? According to Emily Blunt and Meghan Markle, Food Network star Ina Garten’s famous “engagement chicken” recipe had a hand in their love stories. Garten shared that the recipe earned its title in part because of a Glamour magazine editor who told her friends the dish got women engaged within 24 hours of making it for their boyfriends.
Emily Blunt ‘Loves’ The Recipe
Blunt recently shared that she served the dish to her then-boyfriend, now-husband John Krasinski in 2008. They were married just two years later.
Speaking with iHeartMedia’s River Cafe Table 4 podcast, The Jungle Cruise actress said, “I just made something that I knew he would love. That’s it — all it took!” Blunt added, “I mean, a roast chicken, who doesn’t love a roast chicken? The roast chicken I love is Ina Garten’s roast chicken, it’s called her ‘engagement chicken.’ When people make it for people, they get engaged.”
The recipe sounds fairly straightforward, with simple ingredients like “lemon, garlic, onions up the chicken, thyme, salt and pepper,” the Mary Poppins Returns star explained. “You scatter onions around the chicken, but you pack them in really tight into the tray. And then you roast them really high for about an hour and 20 minutes and they’re done and they’re perfect.”
Does The Royal Couple Owe It All To Ina Garten?
It sounds like Markle took a page out of Blunt’s book; apparently, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex got engaged soon after they ate the famous chicken! According to the Barefoot Contessa herself, Markle loved the roast chicken recipe. On a 2018 episode of Sunday Today with Willie Geist, the chef joked, “Without me, it never would have happened. Isn’t that a wonderful story? How powerful is that?”
She even congratulated the royal couple on Twitter after their engagement was announced, writing, “Congratulations to Prince Harry and Meghan! I always knew roast chicken had magic powers!! I’m so happy for both of you!”
The former Suits star has gone on the record with her love for the recipe. Markle told Good Housekeeping in 2016, “There is nothing as delicious (or as impressive) as a perfectly roasted chicken. If you have an Ina Garten-level roasted chicken recipe, it’s a game-changer. I bring that to parties and make a lot of friends.”
With all these successful marriages made with the Barefoot Contessa’s recipe, it looks like we finally have our answer to what the “food of love” is: roast chicken!