From It's Complicated · 2009 · Reconstructed
Jake's Favorite Roast Chicken Dinner
Serve when
Jane names the whole menu out loud before it's even plated — that's how you know it's on.
In the movie
Theatrical
- ~01:14:00 Jane promises Jake "the roast chicken, the mashed potatoes, sauteed string beans and double fudge chocolate cake" — "your favorite dinner, Jakey" — and pulls the chicken from the oven that evening
- ~01:18:30 The next day, with the kids home for the weekend, Jane serves last night's roast chicken as leftovers and slices it at the table while Jake looks on
Jane recites the menu — roast chicken, mashed potatoes, sauteed string beans, chocolate cake — from memory, as a deliberate gesture: it's the dinner she used to make Jake when they were married, and cooking it again is her way of meeting him halfway during their reconciliation. It reappears the very next day as leftovers, when the kids come home for the weekend and Jane serves the same chicken again, this time sliced and eaten cold at the kitchen table while Jake stands around wishing he still had a seat at it — the dinner that meant something the night before is, twelve hours later, just what's left in the fridge.
Ingredients
- For the chicken:
- For the mashed potatoes:
- For the string beans:
Method
- Pat the chicken dry, season the cavity, and stuff it with the lemon halves, thyme, and garlic. Rub the skin all over with the softened butter and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Roast at 425°F, breast side up, for 60–75 minutes, until a thermometer in the thigh reads 165°F and the skin is deeply golden. Rest 15 minutes before carving.
- Meanwhile, boil the potatoes until fork-tender, then drain and mash with the warm milk and butter until smooth. Season with salt.
- Blanch the string beans in boiling salted water for 3 minutes, then shock in ice water. Just before serving, sauté them briefly in butter with the minced garlic until heated through.
- Carve the chicken and serve alongside the mashed potatoes and string beans.
Beyond the recipe
Watch & shop
As an Amazon Associate, FlixNFood earns from qualifying purchases.