This Dutch Oven Whole Roasted Chicken recipe is so simple to make and wildly impressive to serve. Simply roasted with salt, pepper and paprika over a bed of potatoes, carrots, and onion that absorb all the delicious juices.
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Ingredients
This recipe for dutch oven roast chicken uses simple ingredients, with some swap suggestions as well under “ingredient substitutions.”
- Whole chicken: one 3 to 4 lb chicken works great here. This size chicken should easily feed 4 people. You can find whole chicken at your local grocery store or butcher. Pasture raised is always best because the chickens are fed the most well-rounded diet with ample sunlight and room to wander (aka are healthy).
- Spices: a combination of salt, black pepper, and paprika give the chicken great flavor but also a nice color.
- Potatoes: little golden potatoes to roast under the chicken; they are nice and tender by the end and super flavorful.
- Carrots: chopped into chunks and roasted under the chicken.
- Onion: a slice of yellow onion goes into the cavity of the chicken, and red onions get sliced and put in the bottom of the dutch oven to roast.
- Garlic: half a head gets put inside the cavity of the chicken and 6 full garlic cloves are smashed to roast.
- Fresh herbs: for inside the cavity – any of your favorite herbs are great for this but I particularly love fresh rosemary. Fresh thyme or fresh oregano would also be great.
- Lemon: the last thing that goes in the cavity, helps flavor everything and bring a little acidic balance.
- White wine: gets poured on the veg at the bottom of the dutch oven to help flavor the pan juices. A dry white wine is best, Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio are ideal.
Ingredient substitutions
- Potatoes: any potato really works here. If you use teeny ones then you don’t need to cut them, but if you have yukon gold or sweet potatoes they’ll need to be cut into 1-inch chunks.
- Carrots: turnips or parsnips can be used in their place, or most other root vegetables.
- Onion: you can use all yellow onion or all red onion if you'd like (as opposed to yellow onion in the cavity and red onion to roast).
- White wine: chicken broth would be the best substitute.
- Spices: feel free to add some onion powder or garlic powder if you're really a fan, but I don't think it's necessary if you want to keep it simple. The basting and everything in the cavity adds enough flavor!
How to make
1. Season the potatoes and vegetables. Put the potatoes, carrots, onion and smashed garlic at the bottom of the pot, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with 2 teaspoon kosher salt. Toss to combine, then pour the wine over top.
2. Prep chicken. Coat the chicken evenly with the salt, pepper, and paprika – in all the nooks and crannies. Stuff the lemon, garlic, onion, and herbs in the chicken cavity. Place it over the veg in the pot.
3. Bake. Bake in a 425°F oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake another 1 hour and 20 minutes, until the proper internal temperature has been reached. Baste once or twice while it's roasting through.
Tips and tricks
This one-pot meal is hopefully pretty straightforward, but there are a slew of tips and tricks that can help the process be even easier, check out below!
Pre-roasting
- Set your chicken out and pat it dry. Setting it out at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before you plan to roast it will help ensure it cooks evenly. And you want to pat it dry with paper towel before you season it so the seasoning sticks and really penetrates the skin.
- Dutch oven size and type. I used a 7 quart dutch oven for this recipe. It was a great size and everything fit in. Depending on the size of your chicken a 5.5 quart might also work. I recommend an enameled dutch oven for easier clean up.
- Combine the spices separately. Use a small bowl to combine the salt, pepper, and paprika together that way you don't risk cross contamination by touching your spice jars.
- Get the right temperature. Cooking time will vary based on the size chicken you have, so use a meat thermometer (or instant-read thermometer) to check that it’s properly cooked through. Inserted into the thickest part of the thigh just before hitting the bone, it should have an internal temperature of at least 165°F.
- Baste for more flavor. It’s not necessary, but you can baste the chicken half way through cooking with the juices that have dripped to the bottom of the pan. Doing so will help retain the moisture and give it more flavor.
- Tie the legs together if you'd like. Use kitchen twine to tie the legs together – it in theory helps the chicken cook more evenly by helping the steam remain in the cavity of the chicken, but with the size of this chicken I don't think it's necessary. If you have a larger chicken that needs to cook for longer, I'd recommend it.
- This can be made in a roasting pan if you don't have a dutch oven.
- Use an oven thermometer to make sure your oven temperature is correct.
How to carve a whole chicken
I’m not going to lie, it’s both easy and hard. I’m still practicing how to do it and I definitely don’t get it perfect.
- Let the baked chicken rest. When the chicken is done roasting, let it sit for at least 30 minutes before cutting into it to let the juices redistribute (yielding a more juicy chicken).
- Use a cutting board that has divots around the perimeter to catch any of the juices.
- Start by separating the legs, gently pull back and slice through where there is clear separation of the leg from the body - keep going until you hit the joint and then a hard chop through that. Repeat on the other side.
- Do the same for each of the wings.
- Then, cut down one side of the breast bone as close to the bone as you can, using a slicing motion gently slide your knife down, letting the weight of the knife and the natural breaking points guide you (stay as close to the bone as you can). Keep cutting until you have released the breast. Repeat on the other side.
Storage and reheating
- Store leftover dutch oven whole roasted chicken in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Reheat in the oven at 350°F for 15-20 minutes until warmed through.
- You can use the microwave as well but it’s not ideal.
Ways to use leftover roast chicken
- Make homemade chicken stock. Save your chicken carcass!! Make homemade stock by putting it in a large pot, cover with water, add any aromatics and simmer for a few hours. Strain then store in an airtight container. It’s good in the fridge for up to 5 days and freezer for 3-4 months.
- Shredded chicken sliders
- Puff pastry chicken pot pie
- Rotisserie chicken fried rice
FAQs
No, leave it uncovered to allow the skin to crisp up. If the skin starts to burn for some reason, then cover it loosely with foil (so the moisture can still escape and you don’t make the skin soggy).
This allows the skin to have maximum exposure to the heat and thus resulting in the crispiest skin possible.
It helps flavor the chicken from the inside out and also flavors the pan drippings which are used to baste the chicken and serve over everything at the end.
Cooking it at the right temperature for the right amount of time should do the trick. But if after the chicken is cooked through it’s not quite crispy enough for your liking, I suggest a few minutes under the broiler.
Did you make this recipe? Leave a rating and review below and tag me on social!
📖 Recipe
Dutch Oven Whole Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 lb whole chicken
For the outside of the chicken
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the chicken cavity
- ¼ white onion
- ½ head of garlic
- ¼ lemon
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
For the bottom of the dutch oven
- 1 lb baby potatoes
- 1 lb carrots cut into 3" pieces
- 1 large red onion (or 2 small) quartered
- 6 cloves garlic smashed
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup dry white wine
Instructions
- Put the potatoes, carrots, onion and smashed garlic at the bottom of the pot, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with 2 teaspoon kosher salt. Toss to combine, then pour the wine over top.
- Coat the chicken evenly with the salt, pepper, and paprika. Stuff the lemon, garlic, onion, and herbs in the chicken cavity. Place it over the veg in the pot. Drizzle with olive oil.
- Bake in a 425°F preheated oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake another 1 hour and 20 minutes, until the proper internal temperature has been reached. Baste once or twice while it's roasting.
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