What Is Meghan Markle's Connection To Ina Garten?

Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, and Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, are both queens (in our hearts), but did you know that there is actually another connection between the two? No, we don't think they're best friends quite yet, though Garten has quite an impressive list of celebrity fans and besties that includes Taylor Swift, Gwyneth Paltrow, Tina Fey, and the one-and-only Michelle Obama, and, according to People, many others. She's also been known to feature other A-list foodies as guests on her Food Network show, including the likes of Jennifer Garner and Lin Manuel Miranda, so we wouldn't rule out a potential collab in the future. 

But putting friendship fan-fiction aside for a second, we've learned that Meghan, like many others before her — including Emily Blunt and scores of normies — has a special connection to Garten's famous roast chicken recipe. Word on the street is that this chicken has magical powers. Scroll on.  

Speaking on the Today show in a 2018 interview, Ina Garten joked that her roast chicken recipe, sometimes referred to as "engagement chicken," is responsible for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry getting engaged. According to rumor, Meghan made the roast chicken for Harry while they were dating, and it was this that sealed the deal. "Without me, it never would have happened," Garten teased. 

Okay, so while we can't confirm that Garten is personally responsible for the epic love story that is Meghan and Harry, it's definitely true that Meghan loves both roast chicken and The Barefoot Contessa's recipes. In an interview with Good Housekeeping, Meghan said, "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 dinner parties and make a lot of friends." And look, Meghan wouldn't be the first to credit the epic chicken recipe for her engagement. Emily Blunt also said she made Garten's roast chicken for her now-husband John Krasinski when they were first dating. Blunt told a podcast (via the New York Post), "I just made something that I knew he would love. That's it — all it took!" Well, there you have it folks.