Willie Geist Calls This Classic Ina Garten Recipe His 'Go-To' (Exclusive)
- Willie Geist's favorite Ina Garten recipe is crispy chicken with lemon orzo, which his wife makes for family dinner frequently.
On May 19, Sunday Today host Willie Geist hosted his second Sunday Sitdown Live in front of a live audience at City Winery in New York City and Parade was in the audience. His guest? None other than Ina Garten .
In a chat that felt more like a dinner catch-up between friends, the two spoke on a range of juicy topics, including the stories behind Ina's most iconic recipes, her dinner party faux pas, cooking with Taylor Swift and how her enormous food career started. (To see the full Sunday Sitdown Live conversation between Geist and Garten, tune in to Sunday Today on June 1st at 8 a.m.)
Speaking with Parade backstage before his conversation with Ina, Geist shared some of his favorite personal Ina Garten memories, plus his favorite Ina recipe.
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The Classic Ina Garten Recipe Willie Geist Loves
Of course, we had to ask the most burning question: What is Willie Geist's favorite Ina recipe ? "My go-to Ina Garten recipe is the crispy chicken with lemon orzo ," he said, explaining that his wife, Christina, makes it for family dinner "all the time." Geist also references Ina's cookbooks whenever he wants to make classic chicken dishes. "I trust her implicitly," he says.
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Willie Geist's Favorite Real-Life Moment with Ina Garten
Geist went on to tell Parade that the sit-down interview would be modeled after real meals he's been lucky to share with the Barefoot Contessa, including a particularly memorable one that happened last summer.
"We were [both] at the Paris Olympics last summer and she texted me and said, 'Hey, we're going to lunch, do you wanna come?' A rhetorical question. When Ina says, do you wanna come the answer is yes, you want to come," the Morning Joe co-anchor recounts.
"So we went with Kate, her book editor and friend, and the three of us sat in a little corner table in Paris in a little cafe, like the fantasy of every Ina Garten fan. I got to live it out. I felt a little unworthy of it frankly, but I will always cherish it."
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What Willie Geist Would Make If Ina Garten Were Coming Over For Dinner
In the past, Ina Garten has gushed about how much she loves to talk to Geist. You would think being so friendly with Ina would level the playing field in the kitchen just a bit, but Willie tells Parade that the thought of hosting her for dinner at his house remains "a little stress-y."
"Even though she's the least judgmental, friendliest, nicest, most loving person I have ever met, she's also Ina Garten right?" Geist says. "What are you making? Are you preparing it correctly? Are you putting out the appetizers the right way? Are your appetizers right? Is the wine good? Did I cook the chicken long enough? What about the dessert platter? Did I get an arrangement of different shapes and colors? So much to think about. But with all that said, it would be a little stressful BUT she would love you anyway, as long as it tastes good and we're having a good time."
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Willie Geist Calls This Classic Ina Garten Recipe His 'Go-To' (Exclusive) first appeared on Parade on May 27, 2025
