Dutch oven roast chicken is a whole chicken rubbed under and over the skin with garlic and herb butter, set on a bed of potatoes, carrots, parsnips and onions and roasted in a covered pot until it is tender and juicy. The lid comes off at the end and the heat goes up, so the skin turns deep golden. The vegetables cook in the buttery drippings underneath, which makes this a complete one-pot Sunday dinner for four, with pan juices to spoon over everything.
How to make Dutch oven roast chicken: Heat the oven to 400°F. Toss potatoes, carrots, parsnips, onions and half a lemon with olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Rub a 4 1/2 to 5 pound chicken under and over the skin with garlic herb butter, fill the cavity and tie the legs. Set it on the vegetables, cover and roast 1 hour 15 minutes. Uncover, raise the oven to 425°F and roast 30 minutes more, to 165°F.
Why You’ll Love It
- One pot. The chicken and the vegetables cook together.
- Juicy meat. The covered pot holds in the steam.
- Golden skin. The last half hour is uncovered and hotter.
- Vegetables with flavor. They roast in butter and chicken juices.
- Company-worthy. It looks impressive straight from the pot.
Ingredient Notes
Whole chicken. One bird of 4 1/2 to 5 pounds, with the giblets removed.
Yukon Gold potatoes. Four medium, quartered.
Carrots and parsnips. Three of each, peeled and cut into medium-large chunks.
Yellow onions. Two and a half. Two are quartered for the vegetable bed and the half goes into the cavity.
Lemon. One. The zest goes into the butter, half goes in with the vegetables and half in the cavity.
Unsalted butter. Eight tablespoons, softened.
Garlic. Five cloves, finely minced.
Fresh rosemary and thyme. Sprigs for the cavity and the pot, plus minced rosemary and thyme leaves for the butter.
Kosher salt and pepper. Two teaspoons of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper in the butter, plus more for the vegetables.
Olive oil. A few generous drizzles for the vegetables.
Ingredients
For the vegetables
- 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
- 3 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 1/2 medium yellow onions
- 1 lemon
- Olive oil, a few generous drizzles
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
For the chicken
- 1 whole chicken (4 1/2 to 5 pounds), giblets removed
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
For the herbed butter
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 5 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
How to Make Dutch Oven Roast Chicken
1. Heat the oven and prepare the vegetables. Heat the oven to 400°F. Put the potatoes, carrots, parsnips, 2 quartered onions and half the lemon in the Dutch oven. Toss with a few generous drizzles of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
2. Mix the herbed butter. Combine the softened butter, minced garlic, minced rosemary, thyme leaves, the zest of the lemon, 2 teaspoons of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper.
3. Butter and fill the chicken. Pat the chicken dry, including inside the cavity. Carefully loosen the skin over the breasts and legs without tearing it. Spread a generous amount of herbed butter beneath the skin and the rest over the outside. Put the remaining half onion, the remaining half lemon, 2 rosemary sprigs and 2 thyme sprigs in the cavity. Tie the legs with kitchen twine.
4. Arrange and roast covered. Set the chicken breast side up on the vegetables. Place the remaining rosemary and thyme sprigs around it. Cover securely and roast at 400°F for 1 hour 15 minutes.
5. Uncover and brown. Remove the lid, raise the oven temperature to 425°F and roast for another 30 minutes. If the vegetables start to burn, add a few splashes of chicken broth around the sides. If the chicken needs longer but is browning too fast, tent the dark spots with foil and keep roasting. It is done when a food thermometer reads at least 165°F in the center of the breast, without touching bone.
6. Rest and serve. Rest the chicken for 10 to 15 minutes before carving. Serve with the vegetables and spoon over the pan juices.
Covered or Uncovered?
Both, one after the other. The lid stays on for most of the cooking and comes off for the finish. Each stage does a different job.
| Stage | Oven | Time | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Covered | 400°F | 1 hour 15 minutes | Steam trapped in the pot cooks the bird gently and keeps the meat moist, and the vegetables soften in the juices |
| Uncovered | 425°F | 30 minutes | The steam escapes, the skin dries and browns, and the vegetables take on color |
| Resting | Out of the oven | 10 to 15 minutes | The juices settle, so the meat stays juicy when carved |
If the lid stayed on the whole time, the chicken would be tender but pale, with soft skin. If it were off from the start, the skin would brown long before the thick parts of the bird were cooked. Covering first and uncovering at the end gives you both.
How to know when to stop
The times are a guide. Birds differ in size and shape, and so do ovens. Push a thermometer into the center of the thickest part of the breast, keeping the tip away from the bone. The chicken is done at 165°F. If it is not there after the uncovered half hour, keep roasting and check again, with foil over any spots that are already dark enough.
Tips for Success
What size Dutch oven do I need?
A large one, 7 or 8 quarts. An oval pot fits a whole chicken and its vegetables best.
Why pat the chicken dry?
Butter will not stick to wet skin, and dry skin browns better once the lid is off.
How do I get butter under the skin?
Slide your fingers gently between the skin and the meat at the neck end to make a pocket, then push the soft butter in and smooth it from the outside.
Why tie the legs?
Tied legs keep the bird compact, so it cooks more evenly and fits under the lid.
What if the vegetables are browning too much?
Add a few splashes of chicken broth around the edge of the pot.
Storage and Reheating
Cut leftover chicken into smaller portions and refrigerate it within 2 hours, in shallow, covered containers. It keeps for 3 to 4 days in the fridge or 3 to 4 months in the freezer. Thaw in the refrigerator, and reheat to 165°F in the oven, on the stove or in the microwave.
What to Serve With It
The vegetables are already in the pot, so a green salad or warm bread is all you need. To use up leftover chicken, make the Ritz cracker chicken casserole, the slow cooker chicken pot pie or chicken and dumplings with biscuits. For a hands-off bird, try the 5-ingredient slow cooker whole roast chicken. And for other easy dinners, there is the slow cooker Amish chicken and sweet potatoes and the 4-ingredient French onion chicken.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I roast chicken in the Dutch oven covered or uncovered?
Covered first, then uncovered at a higher heat to brown the skin.
How long does it take to roast chicken in a Dutch oven?
About 1 hour 15 minutes covered and 30 minutes uncovered, until the breast reads 165°F.
Is a Dutch oven good for roasting chicken?
Yes. The heavy pot and lid hold in moisture, and the vegetables cook underneath in the drippings.
Is it better to roast chicken at 350 or 400?
This recipe uses 400°F covered and 425°F uncovered. Other methods use other temperatures and times.
Final Notes
I take the butter out of the fridge an hour ahead, so it is soft enough to spread under the skin without tearing it. If you make it, leave a comment to tell me how it turned out or ask a question.
Dutch Oven Roast Chicken
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Ingredients
- 4 Yukon Gold potatoes medium; quartered
- 3 carrots medium; peeled and cut into medium-large chunks
- 3 parsnips medium; peeled and cut into medium-large chunks
- 2 1/2 yellow onions medium; peel and quarter 2 for the vegetable bed and 1/2 for the cavity
- 1 lemon use half in the vegetable bed and half in the cavity; zest for the butter
- olive oil a few generous drizzles for the vegetables
- salt and black pepper to taste for the vegetables
- 1 whole chicken 4 1/2 to 5 pounds; giblets removed
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary 2 for the cavity and 2 around the chicken
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme 2 for the cavity and 2 around the chicken
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 5 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary minced, for the butter
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves for the butter
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt for the butter
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper for the butter
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Put the potatoes, carrots, parsnips, 2 quartered onions and half the lemon in the Dutch oven. Toss with a few generous drizzles of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
- Combine the softened butter, minced garlic, minced rosemary, thyme leaves, the zest of the lemon, 2 teaspoons of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper.
- Pat the chicken dry, including inside the cavity. Carefully loosen the skin over the breasts and legs without tearing it. Spread a generous amount of herbed butter beneath the skin and the rest over the outside. Put the remaining half onion, the remaining half lemon, 2 rosemary sprigs and 2 thyme sprigs in the cavity. Tie the legs with kitchen twine.
- Set the chicken breast side up on the vegetables. Place the remaining rosemary and thyme sprigs around it. Cover securely and roast at 400°F for 1 hour 15 minutes.
- Remove the lid, raise the oven temperature to 425°F and roast for another 30 minutes. If the vegetables start to burn, add a few splashes of chicken broth around the sides. If the chicken needs longer but is browning too fast, tent the dark spots with foil and keep roasting. It is done when a food thermometer reads at least 165°F in the center of the breast, without touching bone.
- Rest the chicken for 10 to 15 minutes before carving. Serve with the vegetables and spoon over the pan juices.
Notes
Nutrition
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