Several years ago I offered to cook for the guy I was dating after weeks of itching to show off my skills in the kitchen. It took approximately 2.5 seconds to decide on a special (some even say magical) roast chicken recipe I had learned about from former magazine colleagues in New York.

The legacy of “Engagement Chicken” was born in the pages of Glamour, thanks to a fashion editor who shared her now-famous recipe with the staff decades ago. The story goes that several editors on staff ended up engaged shortly after preparing the dish for their partners. It eventually made its mainstream debut in the magazine and later in a cookbook with the claim that more than 60 women were engaged after preparing it.

Mind you, I wasn’t looking for marriage at the time I tried my hand at preparing Engagement Chicken. The dish just happens to be the perfect choice for trying to impress someone as it’s easy to make, beautiful on a platter and absolutely delicious.

With recent speculation that the popular recipe might have played a supporting role in the engagement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, I figure there’s no better occasion than Valentine’s Day to refresh the world’s memory on the powers of roast chicken.

And as far as my date went: No engagement, but we did end up having a beautiful child together, so there just might be a little magic in that chicken after all. (It’s also the only thing he’s ever asked me to cook again.)

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

1. • 1 whole chicken
   • 1/2 cup lemon juice, plus 3 whole lemons
   • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
   • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
   • Fresh herbs for garnish (Glamour recommends “4 rosemary sprigs, 4 sage sprigs, 8 thyme sprigs, and 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley“)

How to prepare Engagement Chicken (GLAMOUR.com)