Dutch Oven Whole Chicken is an easy weeknight dinner treat! It’s a succulent, mouthwatering chicken recipe with all your favorite veggies. Perfect to serve for an elegant night in or for as a tasty, crave-able meal prep recipe for the week!
Why you’ll love this roast chicken in a dutch oven
Easy prep! While the cook time for this Dutch oven whole chicken recipe is a bit lengthy, the active prep time is a breeze. All you have to do is season your chicken, throw everything in the pot, and let your Dutch oven work its magic.
Perfect make ahead! Because that prep time is so simple, this is also the perfect make-ahead chicken recipe. Season ahead of time so all you have to do is pop it in the oven for dinnertime. It’s perfect for meal prep, makes delicious leftovers, and is super easy to make! Plus, it’s much healthier than ordering chicken from a restaurant, and I get to make it diet-friendly. It also makes a wonderful and fancy Sunday dinner.
Great leftovers! Speaking of eating this roast chicken throughout the week — I always love having these leftovers. I like to shred the chicken and top salads, sandwiches, or a quick pasta salad. As long as you store it correctly in an airtight container, like a ziplock bag or Tupperware, your leftover roast chicken will last 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
Rotisserie-style chicken is one of my favorite healthy chicken recipes. Here’s a list of what we need:
- Whole chicken
- Olive oil
- Ghee or butter
- Rosemary
- Paprika
- Smoked paprika
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Kosher salt
- Cracked black pepper
- Lemon
- Garlic cloves
- Yellow onion
- Yukon gold potatoes
- Carrots
- Parsley
Ingredient substitutions and notes:
- Look for a whole chicken in the poultry section of grocery stores. Make sure the weight is somewhere in the range of 4-5 lbs.
- I prefer using ghee over butter, which makes the whole recipe dairy-free, too! But use whichever you have on hand.
- Add a few thyme leaves or some chopped sage along with the rosemary.
- A dash of cayenne pepper would add a nice kick of spice.
- No need to peel the garlic cloves, since they are going into the cavity of the chicken and will be discarded after cooking.
How to make
Cooked in a Dutch oven with chopped carrots, Yukon potatoes, and fresh lemon, this tender, juicy chicken requires just half an hour of active prep time! Simply chop your veggies, combine the ingredients, season the chicken, and let it cook. Here’s how I like to do it:
- Prep Chicken: Remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes prior to roasting in the oven. On a large sheet pan, prepare the whole chicken by removing the giblets and patting the entire chicken dry with paper towels.
- Season Chicken: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a small bowl whisk together 2 tbsp olive oil, melted butter or ghee, rosemary, paprika, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Rub the seasoning mixture all over the chicken and carefully underneath the skin.
- Stuff Chicken: Stuff the chicken cavity with lemon quarters and crushed garlic cloves. Truss the chicken by tying together the legs with kitchen twine and tucking wings underneath to prevent burning.
- Prep vegetables: Place onions, potatoes, and carrots into the bottom of the dutch oven. Drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and season evenly with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
- Roast Chicken: Place the whole chicken on top of the vegetables with the tressed side/breasts facing upwards. Roast the chicken, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Then, turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees F and continue roasting the chicken, uncovered, for an additional 15 minutes per pound (i.e. 4 lb chicken = 60 minutes additional roasting time). The internal temperature of the thickest part of the breast should be 165 degrees F.
- Broil Chicken (optional): If you want your chicken to be a bit crispier you can broil the chicken, uncovered, for 5-7 minutes. Just watch it carefully as it will burn quickly!
- Rest and Serve: Remove the chicken and let rest for 10 minutes before carving. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with roasted vegetables.
Serving suggestions
Nothing says baked chicken in a dutch oven more than the beautiful presentation and serving style. Some of my favorite ways to serve include:
- Easy weeknight dinner: Serve this chicken as is, with your favorite salad or green veggie to round out the meal.
- Elegant dinner party: Become the ultimate dinner host! Serve it to a table full of lucky eaters, alongside kale caesar salad, extra herb roasted potatoes and plenty of wine to wash it all down.
How to store – meal prep tricks
My favorite part about this dutch oven whole chicken is the mountain of leftovers, especially if you live in a small household of one or two.
Storage: Cut up the chicken into pieces. Store the leftover chicken and vegetables in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheating instructions: Pop a piece of chicken or two and some veggies in the microwave in 30-second increments, until warmed through. Or, reheat over medium heat in a small skillet or on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven for 10-15 minutes.
Inspiring leftovers
Looking for ways to reinvent this whole roasted chicken throughout the week? Shred or dice and use it to top salads or pasta, or stuff it into sandwiches, wraps, pita or anything your heart desires.
Recipe tips:
- Broil the chicken. If you want your chicken to be a bit crispier, broil the chicken uncovered for an additional 5-7 minutes after it’s finished cooking. Just be careful and keep a close eye on it, as the chicken will burn quickly.
- Get the right size Dutch oven. The size of your Dutch oven will definitely dictate the size of the whole chicken you should buy. A round, 5-quart Dutch oven will fit a 4-pound whole chicken well, but there won’t be much room for your carrots, potatoes, and other veggies. I like to use a round, 7-quart Dutch oven to ensure everything has plenty of room to cook.
- Avoid dry chicken. Worried you might end up with dry chicken? You can always brine your chicken for a day or two before you cook it. To brine your chicken, soak the meat in a water and salt mixture. It helps to make the chicken super juicy, but it does take at least 12 hours to really work.
- Rest. It’s important to rest the chicken for at least 10 minutes after it comes out of the oven. This allows time for the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, meaning juicy chicken every time.
Looking for more savory dinner recipes? Give these a try!
- Truffle Herb Butter Cornish Hens
- Creamy Mushroom Gnocchi
- Salmon Stir Fry
- Pot Roast 101
- Salmon and Leek Risotto
Other chicken recipes you’ll love:
- Grilled Lemon Chicken
- Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
- Easy Spicy Chicken Ramen Soup
- Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Bake
- Easy Cashew Chicken and Veggies
If you make this Dutch Oven Whole Chicken recipe, be sure to tag me on Pinterest and Instagram!
I seriously love seeing what you guys are making and sharing your creations with the College Housewife community!
Roast Chicken in a Dutch Oven
ingredients
- 1 whole chicken about 4–5 pounds
- 3 tbsp olive oil divided
- 2 tbsp melted butter or ghee divided
- 1 tbsp minced fresh rosemary
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 4 tsp kosher salt plus more for vegetables
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper plus more for vegetables
- 1 lemon quartered
- 6 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 yellow onion peeled and quartered
- 2 golden Yukon potatoes cubed into 2 inch pieces
- 3 carrots peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
- Freshly chopped parsley for garnish
instructions
- Prep Chicken: Remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes prior to roasting in the oven. On a large sheet pan, prepare the whole chicken by removing the giblets and patting the entire chicken dry with paper towels.
- Season Chicken: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a small bowl whisk together 2 tbsp olive oil, melted butter or ghee, rosemary, paprika, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Rub the seasoning mixture all over the chicken and carefully underneath the skin.
- Stuff Chicken: Stuff the chicken cavity with lemon quarters and crushed garlic cloves. Truss the chicken by tying together the legs with kitchen twine and tucking wings underneath to prevent burning.
- Prep vegetables: Place onions, potatoes, and carrots into the bottom of the dutch oven. Drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and season evenly with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
- Roast Chicken: Place the whole chicken on top of the vegetables with the tressed side/breasts facing upwards. Roast the chicken, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Then, turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees F and continue roasting the chicken, uncovered, for an additional 15 minutes per pound (i.e. 4 lb chicken = 60 minutes additional roasting time). The internal temperature of the thickest part of the breast should be 165 degrees F.
- Broil Chicken (optional): If you want your chicken to be a bit crispier you can broil the chicken, uncovered, for 5-7 minutes. Just watch it carefully as it will burn quickly!
- Rest and Serve: Remove the chicken and let rest for 10 minutes before carving. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with roasted vegetables.
notes
Love this recipe especially how the chicken jus tastes. I brined the chicken overnight first and used just 1 tsp salt in the mix instead of 4. It came out very juicy. The only thing is the potatoes and carrots were still not cooked after a whole hour of roasting. I’ll probably roast root veggies first halfway and add chicken next time I do it.
thanks for this information
Nicely written recipe. Would love to try it.
I recently tried your Roast Chicken in a Dutch Oven recipe, and it was a game changer! The chicken turned out juicy, flavorful, and perfectly browned, thanks to the Dutch oven’s heat retention and even cooking. I loved the combination of herbs, lemon, and garlic, which added a zesty and aromatic touch to the dish. The recipe was straightforward and easy to follow, even for a novice cook like myself. Plus, it made for great leftovers and meal prep options throughout the week. Overall, a fantastic recipe that I highly recommend trying!
Amazing taste,
Amazing delicious mmmmmm
Great article. I wil try it.
This was the first recipe I ever made in my Dutch oven that I bought myself. I’ve made this several times now, and we love it every time. I’ve even used some of the leftover chicken to make hot wraps later in the week. I just realized I read the instructions wrong and cover it after the first 20 minutes. Still turns out good, just the skin is a little soggy. Regardless, delicious, easy recipe that we keep coming back to on weekends! Highly recommend!
Yes, this is what deserves so much as I promise there is no one who has come up with such a delicious recipe like this.I made this for my kids and really got appreciated so much all thanks to you.
Made this recipe for dinner tonight and my hubby was blown away! He kept asking what I did, what it was seasoned with, yada yada yada, needless to say it was a hit in our home lol. Next time I’ll be adding a few more potatoes and carrots to fill up my pot and have some more leftovers 🙂
wow really delicious mmmmmm
So happy you loved it! Thank you for sharing!
OOOO…..WOW Really Delicious! ,, Thanks a lot
Absolutely delicious! Made multiple times. Family requests often.