Dutch Oven Whole Roast Chicken with Potatoes
Dutch Oven Whole Roast Chicken with Potatoes and Onions is the best stress-free dinner. This herb-roasted whole chicken is perfectly juicy and falling off-the-bone tender with crispy skin thanks to cooking it in a cast iron Dutch oven. This one-pot meal takes 20 minutes to prep then it’s off to the oven to finish cooking!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read the full disclosure here.
A roasted whole chicken is a complete meal that hardly takes any time to prep. Cooking it in a Dutch oven is the best way to get crispy chicken skin and meat that remains juicy and literally falls off the bone in 1.5 hours(with most of that time being hands-free cooking in the oven). It’s such a comforting and easy meal to make and serve during the holidays in place of turkey with Homemade Gravy using the pan drippings from this recipe, Roasted Broccoli or Turkey Cornbread Dressing.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
One-pot meal – Add cubed potatoes, carrots or sweet potatoes to the pot with the chicken to make it a filling one-pot meal.
Affordable and meal prep friendly! – It costs about $10 for a free-range non-gmo whole chicken and another $5 – 8 for the potatoes, onions and herbs. You can feed the whole family for weeknight dinner or you can use the meat for meal prep throughout the week to make Roasted Chicken Salad or add it to this Kale Chicken Salad, grain bowls, or pasta dishes.
Recipe Ingredients
- Whole chicken – 1 (4 – 4.5 pound) chicken will fit perfectly with the vegetables in a 7-quart cast iron Dutch oven. Make sure it’s fully thawed so you can stuff it and tie the legs together which will make it easier to turn and roast.
- Herbs – Fresh and dried rosemary and thyme are the perfect herbs for a roast chicken. It’s simple but still very flavorful.
- Garlic – 3 large garlic cloves are stuffed inside the cavity to flavor the meat from the inside along with fresh rosemary and thyme.
- Chicken broth – Broth (water is fine to use too) is added to the pot to keep the chicken tender while it’s roasting, it also adds more flavor to the meat and keeps the bottom of the chicken from sticking and burning.
- Vegetables – Sliced yellow onions and yellow potatoes are added towards the end of the cooking time to serve with the roast chicken. You could add fingerling potatoes, carrots, or some other root vegetable or simply leave the vegetables off.
How to Make Dutch Oven Whole Roast Chicken with Potatoes
All ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Remove the bags with the giblets if left inside the bird’s cavity then rinse and pat dry.
- Prep and truss chicken. Next in a small bowl, mix together dried herbs, salt, ground black pepper, and vegetable oil. Pour seasonings over the whole chicken, rubbing it all over making sure to add some to the inside of the chicken as well. Stuff garlic cloves and fresh herbs inside the bird’s cavity, then use a piece of kitchen twine to tie the legs together.
- Brown chicken on the stove. Heat a large cast iron Dutch oven on medium heat, once hot add the chicken- breast side down, brown for 3 minutes then use a pair of tongs to turn and repeat until all the sides are nicely browned. Next, remove the Dutch oven from the heat, turn the chicken so that it’s breast-side up then pour chicken broth or water into the pot then immediately top with the lid.
- Roasting the chicken. Roast chicken for 40 minutes, remove from the oven then add the onions and potatoes, if using, all around the chicken. Cover with the lid then roast for another 45 minutes or until the chicken is nicely browned and the skin is crispy. A meat thermometer stuck inside the breast- away from the bone, should read at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Serving. Place chicken on a serving platter with potatoes and onions then serve.
Serving ideas for a Whole Roast Chicken
- Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Heavy Cream
- Creamy Garlic Red Mashed Potatoes
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Mushrooms
- Green Beans with Mushrooms
- Naturally-Sweetened Orange Cranberry Sauce
- Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread or Rosemary Polenta Cornbread
- Spicy Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Variations
Use your favorite herbs and spices, in addition to or in place of rosemary and thyme.
Switch up the vegetables. Use cubed sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, or leeks.
Tips and Tricks
- Don’t add the potatoes and onions too soon. I like to add the vegetables about halfway through the cooking process so they don’t soak up too much of the chicken juices and become mushy.
- Pat the chicken dry. This will help the chicken get a nice sear before roasting in the oven. If the skin is wet it will try to steam instead of browning and searing.
- Tie the chicken legs together. This will make it easier to turn the chicken while it’s browning on the stove and it will brown more evenly and it overall looks nicer to serve.
Frequently Asked Questions —
A 4 – 5lb pound whole chicken will fit perfectly in a 7-quart cast iron Dutch oven. If you aren’t including vegetables with the chicken you could probably get away with using a 5 – 6 quart Dutch oven instead.
No, not at all. I made this recipe without searing it first and it came out perfectly- the skin just isn’t as crispy and golden brown looking. You could try taking the lid off towards the end of the cooking time and turning up the heat to brown the skin.
Roast the chicken for 20 minutes per pound of meat and use a meat thermometer to check for doneness. It should read at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
I like to cook the chicken covered for the whole cooking process. Even with the lid on, the chicken skin gets crispy by the time it’s done. Alternatively, you could roast the chicken covered then in the last 30 minutes of the cooking time remove the lid to ensure the skin stays crispy.
Simply use a large 12-inch cast iron skillet instead. Cover the chicken with aluminum foil then remove it in the last 30 minutes of the cooking time.
Looking For More Dinner Recipes?
- Oven-Roasted Whole Duck Recipe
- Braised Boneless Leg of Lamb
- Crispy Fried Chicken without Buttermilk
- Jalapeno Honey Cornbread
- Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread
- Rosemary Polenta Cornbread
- Grandpa’s Southern Turkey Cornbread Dressing Recipe
- Southern Deviled Eggs
If you love this recipe, 📌 save it to Pinterest for later or leave this recipe a ⭐️ 5-star rating! Subscribe to The Midwest Kitchen Blog’s Newsletter for more recipes like this delivered straight to your inbox!
Dutch Oven Whole Roast Chicken with Potatoes
Equipment
- 1 Cast Iron Dutch Oven (10.25 inches or 6- 7 quarts) with a lid or a large 12-inch cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 1(4-4.5) lb whole chicken giblets removed
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 3 large garlic cloves peeled
- Sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary
- ½ cup water or chicken broth
- 1 lb small yellow potatoes sliced in half, optional
- ½ medium yellow onion sliced, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Rinse out the inside of the chicken and remove and discard the bag with the giblets if included. Pat dry with paper towels.
- In a small bowl mix together vegetable oil, salt, black pepper, dried thyme and rosemary. Rub all over the chicken including the inside. Next, stuff the chicken with the garlic cloves and fresh herbs. Finally, use a piece of kitchen twine to tie the legs together.
- Heat a large cast iron dutch oven(10.25-inch or 6-7 quarts) on medium heat until hot, then carefully place the chicken inside. Sear one side for 3 minutes then use a pair of tongs to turn and sear the chicken on the next side, repeating until all the sides are nicely browned. Remove the pot from the heat.
- Turn the chicken breast side up, pour in water or chicken broth then top with a lid. Bake chicken in the center of the preheated 350-degree F oven for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven then add your sliced onions and potatoes if using, all around the chicken. Roast for another 40-45 minutes or until the chicken is falling off the bone tender with an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove chicken from the oven then transfer to a serving platter and enjoy!
Notes
Tips and Tricks
- Don’t add the potatoes and onions too soon. I like to add the vegetables about halfway through the cooking process so they don’t soak up too much of the chicken juices and become mushy.
- Pat the chicken dry. This will help the chicken get a nice sear before roasting in the oven. If the skin is wet it will try to steam instead of browning and searing.
- Tie the chicken legs together. This will make it easier to turn the chicken while it’s browning on the stove and it will brown more evenly and it overall looks nicer to serve.
Nutrition
All nutrition information is automatically generated and should be only used as a rough estimate. This recipe card may contain affiliate links.
