By pxlz
It’s not every day that people rave about poultry, but when it comes to “marry me chicken” and its cousin, “engagement chicken,” people can’t seem to get enough. It’s not just the catchy names, though that certainly helps. It’s also the fact that some people — celebrities included — swear the dishes are so delicious that they inspire partners to get down on one knee and propose marriage, which only adds to the mythology and allure of these recipes.
Prince Harry proposed to Meghan Markle while she was cooking what many believe was “engagement chicken.” Emily Blunt made it for John Krasinski and has said “that’s all it took” for him to pop the question. “Marry me chicken” even got Demi Lovato’s fiancé, Jordan Lutes, to ask her to marry him a second time. Noncelebrities have their stories too: “I made this chicken and my husband proposed shortly after,” reads a YouTube comment. One Reddit user put it this way: “I wanted to marry myself the first time I made it.”
So are these chicken recipes really that good? Can they actually lead you down the aisle? And how did it all start?
The origin stories
“Engagement chicken,” a classic roast chicken with lemons and garlic, dates back to 1982, when a Glamour magazine fashion editor shared her roast chicken recipe with her assistant. The assistant made it for her boyfriend, who proposed (albeit a month later). While Glamour admits that the proposal was likely “due to the fact that their committed, loving relationship was heading in that direction and not because of a roast chicken,” the assistant shared the recipe with three other staffers who also got engaged after making the meal. Glamour published the recipe in January 2004, and “engagement chicken” was born.
However, the most famous version is arguably Ina Garten’s “engagement chicken” recipe from her 1999 cookbook, The Barefoot Contessa. Twenty years later, she shared the recipe on her cooking show, saying, “This is my version of the Glamour magazine girls’ engagement chicken.”
“Engagement chicken” walked so “marry me chicken” could run.
In 2016, Lindsay Funston, the former executive editor of the recipe site Delish, came up with a Sicilian chicken skillet recipe using chicken breasts, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, heavy cream and Parmesan, but was underwhelmed by the name. Lightning struck at a video shoot for the recipe when Delish’s videographer took a bite of the dish. “She blurted out, ‘I’d marry you for that chicken!’ and the now-famous name was born,” Funston shared with Delish, along with the step-by-step recipe.
“Engagement chicken” is a classic roast chicken with lots of lemons and garlic. (Getty Images)
What makes these recipes so appealing?
The goal of any dish, of course, is to taste great, and “both of these recipes have that element clearly,” Adam Dolge, a recipe developer and food writer, tells Yahoo Life.
“Engagement chicken” takes a classic roast chicken and adds lots of lemon, which goes from acidic to caramelized and sweet in high heat, says Dolge. With “marry me chicken,” it’s all about the sauce, which Sara Haas, a registered dietitian and recipe developer, calls “umami, salty goodness” thanks to the broth, heavy cream, garlic and Parmesan, along with sun-dried tomatoes that “add a little sweetness to balance that salty creaminess,” she tells Yahoo Life.
But what adds to the appeal is that the recipes are “super accessible,” says Dolge — no gourmet grocery runs to track down the ingredients or special cooking tools required. They use standard ingredients that just about anybody can find in a supermarket. “They’re not very complex recipes,” he says. “That’s not to put these down at all — that really gets at the heart of what makes a recipe really connect with people.”
While the recipe names likely draw people in, “once you see it’s chicken, you think, ‘I can handle chicken,’” says Haas. (It doesn’t hurt that Haas has called “engagement chicken” “the best recipe I’ve ever had.”)
Dani Dominguez, a registered dietitian and founder of SunBright Wellness, agrees. “The real magic is that they’re simple, but they look really impressive,” she tells Yahoo Life. “And they taste like you’ve been cooking your whole life.”
“Marry me chicken” has a creamy sauce made with heavy cream, chicken broth and garlic, with sun-dried tomatoes tossed in. (Getty Images)
Why chicken and not, say, steak?
Granted, steak seems like more of a special occasion food than poultry, but chicken is a savvy choice for several reasons, say experts. “People love chicken,” says Haas. Dominguez agrees, calling chicken “the ultimate people pleaser,” adding, “I think of it as the golden retriever of protein because it’s easygoing, versatile and impossible not to love.”
Chicken is also familiar and less intimidating to make. It’s fairly easy to cook and incredibly versatile too. “It’s such a blank canvas, so you can easily dress it up and make it something fancy when it’s really just a chicken breast,” Haas says.
Dominguez says chicken is a “flavor sponge” that soaks up sauces beautifully. “Steak, on the other hand, gives off that special occasion vibe, but it’s very bold and a little bit high maintenance, and it’s not as forgiving if you mess up.”
For those keeping an eye on grocery prices (and who isn’t these days?), chicken is also typically more affordable than steak. “I think people are fearful of messing up a nicer cut of protein,” says Haas. “If I buy a $30 filet, I’m going to be a little paranoid about messing it up. With chicken, I’ll just run back to the store. Especially now. No one is super excited about spending more on food.”
But what if the love of your life is a red meat lover? You can make “marry me short ribs” instead. Or if you’re head over heels for a pescatarian, there’s “marry me salmon,” and yes, even “marry me tofu.” (I’m just the messenger.)
So will making ‘marry me chicken’ or ‘engagement chicken’ lead to a proposal?
Don’t start picking out a wedding venue just yet. While there are success stories, there are also plenty of people who made the recipes without ever getting a proposal, like Reddit user SkySong13, who recently wrote, “They’re very good recipes. I made the chicken one for my boyfriend. He loved it. He dumped me recently because he thought he was holding me back, so the ‘marry me’ bit is definitely not accurate.”
Another Reddit user, Secretrink, made it for her boyfriend and also got dumped. “I honestly can’t even stomach the leftovers,” she wrote. There’s also this writer who made it for her partner, hoping for a proposal (no dice). Despite that, she declared, “It was some of the best chicken I’d ever had.”
While there may not be matrimonial magic in these tasty recipes, that doesn’t take away from the fact that there is something special about cooking for someone you love.
“I definitely think cooking food for people is one of the best ways to show love,” says Dolge. “I like to think I won my wife over by cooking for her. It might have been an all-day Bolognese or a super-quick skillet salmon with rice and vegetables. One of those meals likely sealed the proposal.”
When you cook for someone, it says, “I thought about you and I want to take care of you,” says Dominguez. “I don’t know if you’ll get a proposal out of making these dishes, but it’s the message behind them — how you’re caring for this person and nourishing them.”
Dominguez understands the hopes and dreams that some people pin on these recipes. “Let’s be honest, people just love a good love story,” she says. “It’s even better when it comes with a side of chicken.”
Need relationship advice? Ask Yahoo’s celebrity columnists.
🚨 Do you have a relationship problem that could use the help of celebrity advice columnists? Fill out this form or email us — [email protected] — your question (the juicier the better).