Dutch Oven Whole Chicken
Dutch Oven Whole Chicken is a classic recipe, made with a whole chicken roasted on top of potatoes and carrots, coated with olive oil and seasoning until it’s tender and juicy!
Dutch Oven Whole Chicken is a staple in my house, because one-pot meals are easy to make and easy cleanup! It’s made with simple ingredients and minimal prep time, but has a ton of flavor.
The meat turns out tender and juicy, and the chicken broth that drips down adds a lot of seasoning to the carrots and potatoes under it. This is also great for meal prep for the week. It will quickly become your new favorite recipe!
If I’m trying to get dinner on the table in an hour or less, I like to make this Instant Pot Whole Chicken. If you want something even easier, try these Dutch Oven Chicken Breasts with Potatoes or Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs.
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Easy! There’s no crazy instructions for this recipe, but it will taste like you took all day to make it. It’s a classic recipe that has been a family staple for many years!
Leftovers. I use this recipe to feed my family, and always have leftovers for the next day. Use the extra chicken meat to make chicken salad for lunch, or chicken soup for dinner. You can also use the bones to make homemade chicken stock.
Gluten Free. You can feel good knowing that this is 100% gluten free!
Wholesome Ingredients. We’re using real, wholesome ingredients for this dinner, and nothing that’s heavily processed or full of sugar!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Whole Chicken. For this recipe you’ll need a 4-5 pound whole chicken. Any bigger and the chicken may need additional cook time, and might not fit in the dutch oven when you try to close the lid.
Remember to remove the giblets from the cavity of the chicken before stuffing it. You can discard them.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This helps the seasoning evenly coat and stick to the chicken skin. You can also use vegetable oil or avocado oil.
Butter. I like to stuff the bird with veggies and butter, which helps keep the meat really moist and adds a lot of flavor. I use unsalted butter, because i’m adding salt in the seasoning mixture.
Potatoes. I like to use Yukon gold potatoes, because they hold up well during the cooking process. You can also use red potatoes or sweet potatoes. Just make sure to cut them into 1-inch pieces, so everything cooks in time.
Carrots. These help balance out the savory notes in the dish by adding some sweetness, and color for presentation. Don’t cut your carrots too small or they’ll get mushy. You can also use baby carrots.
Celery. This adds a lot of flavor, and also moisture to the chicken as it cooks. Plus, it’s really cost effective and easy to prep.
Onion. I like to use either Vidalia onion or yellow onion. Just like the celery, this also adds flavor and moisture to the chicken. It also brings flavor to the drippings, if you wanted to make gravy afterwards.
Spices. For this recipe, I’m keeping it easy with some Italian Seasoning for flavor, paprika for flavor and color, and some kosher salt and black pepper for flavor. If you don’t have Italian seasoning, you can use a teaspoon each of garlic powder, onion powder, and dried parsley.
You can also use fresh flavors like lemon juice, lemon zest, or fresh rosemary in the seasoning mixture.
If you want a more rotisserie style chicken, check out my favorite seasoning blend, Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning!
Kitchen Tools
For this recipe you’ll need a 6-7 quart dutch oven.
If you have a smaller size dutch oven, as long as the entire chicken fits in, you may have to cook the carrots and potatoes in a separate dish.
If you don’t have a dutch oven, you can also use a roasting pan or casserole dish covered with tinfoil.
How to Make Dutch Oven Whole Chicken
Time needed: 1 hour and 30 minutes
- Preheat the oven.
Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat oven to 375°F and grease the bottom of the dutch oven with olive oil. Add the potatoes and carrots to the dutch oven.
- Mix the seasoning.
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil and spices.
- Prep the chicken.
Prepare the whole chicken by patting dry with a paper towel, and making sure the giblets are removed from the cavity and discarded. Stuff the chicken cavity with the celery pieces, butter, and onion.
Use a piece of kitchen twine to tie the drumsticks together, and place the chicken on top of the potatoes in the dutch oven. Drizzle the oil seasoning mixture over the chicken and use your hands to rub it all over the chicken until evenly coated. - Bake the chicken.
Place the lid on the dutch oven and place the chicken on the middle rack in the oven. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, then remove the lid of the dutch oven and roast for an additional 20-30 minutes.
- Make sure it’s cooked through.
Make sure the chicken has finished cooking by using a meat thermometer to check that the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165°F in the innermost part of the thigh, and that the juices are running clear. Let the chicken rest for 15 minutes before carving, then serve.
Recipe Variations
- For an even more flavorful chicken, you can try using something like this Compound Butter which uses roasted garlic and herbs. Use a spoon to gently loosen the skin of the bird on the chicken breast, then use your hands to evenly distribute the butter under the skin. It will melt and add moisture to the meat as the chicken roasts. Be careful not to break the skin.
- Make this dutch oven roast chicken spicy by adding a pinch of cayenne pepper or hot sauce to the spice mixture.
- Add other veggies in with the potatoes like chopped parsnips, turnips, or Brussel sprouts. This recipe works well with root vegetables. Or make my Roasted Vegetables on the side.
- For additional flavor, top the chicken with fresh herbs before serving like fresh thyme or fresh parsley. Or use lemon wedges and thyme springs in the stuffing.
Recipe Tip! You don’t have to tie the drumsticks together, but I find that it makes it easier to hold everything that was stuffed into the cavity of the bird in place when cooking.
Frequently Asked Questions
For a really juicy chicken, I recommend covering the chicken for the first hour that it’s roasting, then uncovering it for the remaining 30 minutes. It helps the chicken cook evenly and keeps it juicy by preventing moisture from leaving the pot. The final uncovered 30 minutes will help create a crispy skin (use the broiler at the very end for just a few minutes if needed).
For this recipe especially, we’re using a mixture of herbs and spices mixed with oil on the skin, and I find that some of the herbs will burn if you leave the chicken uncovered for the entire time.
If your roasted chicken turned out dry, try using an oven thermometer to make sure your oven temperature is what it was set for. This is a pretty common problem, usually caused by a faulty sensor that can cause your oven to cook too high or too low.
If your chicken cooked at too high of a temperature, it can lose more moisture and dry out. The same goes for cooking time, make sure it doesn’t cook for too long or you’ll make your chicken dry.
Recipe Tip! If all of the onion doesn’t fit into the cavity of the bird, just distribute it around the carrots and potatoes at the bottom of the pan. You can also push the potatoes more to the sides of the chicken, to make sure the lid fits nicely onto the dutch oven.
More Chicken Recipes
- Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken
- Greek Marinated Chicken Thighs
- Baked Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
- Marinated Chicken Drumsticks
- Italian Dressing Chicken
Storage
Refrigerate leftover roast chicken and potatoes in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Freeze dutch oven whole chicken and potatoes for 2-3 months in a freezer-safe container.
Cooking Tips
- Top with a few thyme sprigs right before serving to give this a really nice presentation. I do this when I have company over.
- As a rule of thumb, a whole chicken takes about 15 minutes per pound to cook. This increases if you stuff the chicken, or by the size of the bird.
- I had a 4.5 pound whole chicken for this recipe. If you have a smaller bird, then decrease the cooking time. For larger chickens, increase the time. Use a meat thermometer to make sure it’s finished cooking.
- If you want a crispier skin, turn the broiler on for 2-3 minutes after the chicken is cooked through. Watch it closely to make sure the skin doesn’t burn, which can happen quickly!
- If you don’t have a dutch oven, you can use a regular roasting pan or baking dish covered with tinfoil.
- You want to bring the chicken out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before roasting it to give it a chance to come to room temperature. You do not want to do this sooner, because raw meat should not sit at room temperature for too long.
- Save the bones of the chicken to make chicken stock or soup later!
- Try to cut the potatoes and carrots evenly, to make sure all of the vegetables finish cooking at the same time.
If you loved this recipe, be sure to leave a 5 Star review below, and tag me with a photo of your finished recipe on Instagram @Jacqui_DishingDelish!
Dutch Oven Whole Chicken and Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 4-5 lb whole chicken, giblets removed, patted dry with a paper towel
- 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, washed, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 large carrots, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 3 medium celery stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Equipment
- 1 6-7 quart dutch oven
- kitchen twine to tie the drumsticks
Instructions
- Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat oven to 375°F and grease the bottom of the dutch oven with olive oil. Add the potatoes and carrots to the dutch oven.
- Stuff the chicken cavity with the celery pieces, butter, and onion. Use a piece of kitchen twine to tie the drumsticks together, and place the chicken breast-side-up on top of the potatoes in the dutch oven.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil and spices. Drizzle the oil mixture over the chicken and use your hands to rub all over the chicken until evenly coated.
- Place the lid on the dutch oven and place the chicken on the middle rack in the oven. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, then remove the lid of the dutch oven and roast for an additional 20-30 minutes.
- Make sure the chicken has finished cooking by using an oven thermometer to check that the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165°F in the innermost part of the thigh, and that the juices are running clear.
- Let the chicken rest for 15 minutes before carving.
Notes
- As a rule of thumb, a whole chicken takes about 15 minutes per pound to cook. This increases if you stuff the chicken, or by the size of the bird.
- If you want a crispier skin, turn the broiler on for 2-3 minutes after the chicken is cooked through. Watch it closely to make sure the skin doesn’t burn, which can happen quickly!
- If you don’t have a dutch oven, you can use a regular roasting pan or baking dish covered with tinfoil.
- You want to bring the chicken out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before roasting it to give it a chance to come to room temperature. You do not want to do this sooner, because raw meat should not sit at room temperature for too long.
- Try to cut the potatoes and carrots evenly, to make sure all of the vegetables finish cooking at the same time.
Nutrition
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Do you know how to instant pot this recipe?
I’m actually buying my first instant pot for the holidays, so check back for some great recipes!
I’m going to be doing this recipe tomorrow night and already prepped the chicken with your dry rub. Can’t wait!
I assume that the 1 cup of sliced mushrooms goes in with the rest of the vegetables in Step 2, right?
Yes that is correct.
uncovered? mine seemed dry