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Katie's Cucina » Recipes » Main Dish

Dutch Oven Whole Chicken

Published: Jan 4, 2023 by Katie · This post may contain affiliate links

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White plate filled with a chicken leg and veggies with recipe title text on image for Pinterest.
Roasted whole chicken above recipe title text on image for Pinterest with a plate and piece of chicken and veggies below.
Oval baking dish filled with a browned whole chicken with recipe title text on image for Pinterest.
Oval baking dish with roasted vegetables and whole chicken with recipe title text on image for Pinterest.
Seasoned brown chicken in an oval baking dish filled with veggies and logo on the right corner.
Whole chicken in an oval baking dish divided by recipe title text with a white plate filled with chicken and vegetables below it.

Learn how to cook a whole chicken in a cast iron dutch oven with minimal prep and maximum flavors. This easy healthy chicken dinner is cooked alongside garlic cloves, onions, carrots, and parsnips. The meat comes out juicy and flavorful with crispy chicken skin.

Yellow oval baking dish with handles with a roasted whole chicken and vegetables inside.

If you are like me and looking for easy no-fuss meals you might find yourself grabbing a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store. I’ll admit I do that at least once a month when I know I’m going to be busy. However, if I can plan correctly I’ll make a whole chicken in my dutch oven on the weekend. This will ensure that I have a delicious dinner with my family, and then I will meal prep and use the leftovers for lunches for the week.

I love to pair roasted chicken with my Air Fryer Baked Potatoes, Israeli Couscous, or even baked risotto. If you’ve never cooked a whole chicken before it’s time to conquer your fears.

Jump to:
  • Why This Recipe Works
  • Ingredients
  • Directions
  • How to make chicken gravy
  • Recipe FAQs
  • Expert Tips and Tricks
  • Side Dishes for Chicken
  • Dutch Oven Whole Chicken

Why This Recipe Works

Minimal Prep – This recipe takes about 15 minutes to put together and then bakes for 90 minutes in the oven. You can even prep the vegetables ahead of time if you are trying to put this together in a hurry.

Maximum Flavor – The seasoning blend paired with the butter make for a delicious combination on both the chicken and the vegetables.

Easy – This is a super easy dinner. If you are new to cooking and want to learn how to roast a whole chicken this is the recipe for you.

Complete Dinner – Technically, you don’t need any sides dishes for this meal if you don’t want extra work. Vegetables are cooked alongside with the chicken. However, you can easily beef up the meal with bread, strawberry spinach salad, and my favorite sour cream and chive mashed potatoes if you have the time and energy.

Ingredients

ingredients on counter: whole chicken, carrots, parsnips, onions, garlic, paprika, house seasoning, butter, and lemon.
  • Whole Chicken – I like to buy a 2 pack from Costco or Sam’s Club. I find it’s a bit cheaper.
  • Spices – I use a mix of my house seasoning and paprika. The paprika is what is going to really give chicken skin that bronze color.
  • Dairy – A stick of butter is what you’ll need for the top of the chicken skin. The butter and juices melt down into the pot seasoning the vegetables.
  • Vegetables – I use carrots, parsnips, and onions for the bottom of the roast pan along with garlic cloves. I also like to add a few garlic cloves, halved lemon, and onion for the cavity of the chicken to give it additional flavor. After it’s done cooking you can always remove the lemon and squeeze the juices on top of the chicken.

Directions

Whole chicken with lemon and onion in the cavity sitting on a white plate.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and arrange the rack in the middle of the oven.

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with a few garlic cloves, 1 onion, and a lemon halved.

onions, carrots, and parsnips in a white and yellow oval pot.

Arrange remaining garlic, onions, carrots, and parsnips on the bottom of a 5-6 quart oven-safe baking dish to create a bed.

left: black basting brush - brushing butter onto a raw whole chicken. right: seasoning on a whole chicken.

Place chicken on top, brush the chicken with half the softened butter.

In a bowl mix together the house seasoning and paprika. Then sprinkle the seasoning on top of the chicken. Massaging onto the skin of the chicken so the seasoning is coated all over the chicken.

Add broth to baking dish, and cover tightly with foil. Roast until chicken reaches 135 to 140 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 1 hour.

Black silicon brush basting butter on a whole chicken in a white pot.

Remove foil, brush chicken with pan juices, and increase oven temperature to 450 degrees F. Roast, basting occasionally with remaining butter (melted), until temperature of chicken on inner thigh is 165 degrees Fahrenheit, skin is golden brown, and juices run clear, about 30 to 40 additional minutes more.

Wood cutting board with whole chicken cut into pieces.

Let the whole chicken rest 10 minutes before carving. Carve chicken and serve each portion with 1 head of garlic and pan sauce. 

How to make chicken gravy

To make gravy from the juices, remove everything out of the Dutch oven. Mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water. Bring the juices to a simmer over medium heat, begin to whisk in the cornstarch slurry until gravy is at desired consistency (about 5-7 minutes). Taste and adjust seasoning, as desired.

Recipe FAQs

White plate filled with a quarter roasted chicken with carrots and parsnips with a yellow baking dish in the background.
Do you roast a chicken covered or uncovered?

If you have a larger chicken, like this recipe calls for you want to cover it for the first 30-60 minutes to get the cooking process moving along. After that, you need to remove the cover so that you can begin to crisp up the skin. Don’t forget to baste the chicken with additional butter, to help brown and flavor the skin.

How do you keep a roasted chicken from drying out?

When roasting a whole chicken in the oven, you need to baste the chicken with butter (or olive oil) often to ensure it will not dry out. This also helps the skin get that nice, crispy brown color and gives moisture inside the bird, so the meat stays tender and juicy.

How long does an average whole chicken take to cook?

The rule of thumb to go by is that it will take about 25 minutes per pound to cook a whole chicken in the oven. I almost always have a 5 pound chicken so on average it takes about 125 minutes which is a little over 2 hours.

How do you know when a whole roasted chicken is done?

An instant read meat thermometer will help you determining when you know a whole roasted chicken is done. The thermometer should be inserted in the thickest part of the whole chicken which will be the breast area. I always check multiple areas before determining the chicken is done. You will want all areas of the bird to read at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Anything under 200 degrees Fahrenheit will yield you a juicy piece of chicken. Anything over, and you may have dried out the chicken.

Expert Tips and Tricks

whole roasted chicken on top of vegetables in a white oval baking dish.

I have been slow roasting a whole chicken in my cast iron dutch oven for two decades now. Here are some of my favorite tips and tricks I have found helpful when making this recipe.

  • Seasoning – Don’t feel that you have to stick to the seasoning blend I used on this recipe. You can use whatever blend you would like, just remember the vegetables will take on the blend too. So you could have a completely different taste then what this recipe was intended to be like.
  • Smaller Portion – Cooking for say, just two and don’t want a lot of leftovers? You can roast a half chicken by splitting the whole chicken in half (make sure to remove the backbone). Cooking time will be almost half of what a whole chicken takes to cook.
  • Vegetables – I have found that any root vegetable works best for the slow roasting in the oven. You can always add potatoes to this blend as well as Brussels sprouts make for a great addition.
  • Meal Prep – Looking to meal prep either lunches or dinner for the week? This is the perfect recipe to do so. Roast the chicken and vegetables, let cool, then cut meat, divide and package.

Side Dishes for Chicken

White plate filled with roasted chicken leg and vegetables on a blue and white checkered cloth.

If you are looking to serve additional side dishes with the whole chicken I’m here to share with you a few of my favorites.

  • Two loaves of garlic cheese bread with one cut into 4 pieces resting on a wood cutting board.
    Garlic Cheese Bread
  • Close up shot of sautéed zucchini and tomatoes resting in a pan.
    Sauteed Zucchini and Tomatoes
  • White oval dish filled with beets, feta, spinach, and balsamic drizzle.
    Beet Salad with Feta
  • White bowl filled with cooked beets.
    Instant Pot Beets
  • Close up of beet greens in a frying pan on a white and blue striped cloth.
    Sautéed Beet Greens
  • White oval dish filled with black eyed peas.
    Slow Cooker Black Eyed Peas
  • Glass bowl filled with wooden spoon with mango cranberry sauce on a marble countertop.
    Mango Cranberry Sauce
  • White oval dish filled with creamed spinach on a blue and white striped towel.
    Steakhouse Creamed Spinach

If you make this dutch oven whole chicken recipe, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a ⭐ star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!

Don’t forget to FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram, and subscribe to my email list!

oval baking dish with a whole chicken and vegetables.

Dutch Oven Whole Chicken

Learn how to cook a whole chicken in a cast iron dutch oven with minimal prep and maximum flavors. This easy healthy chicken dinner is cooked alongside garlic cloves, onions, carrots, and parsnips. The meat comes out juicy and flavorful with crispy chicken skin.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Resting Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 816kcal
Author: Katie

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch Oven
  • 1 Silicone Brush
  • 1 Bowl
  • 2 Oven
  • 1 Cutting Board
  • 1 Carving Knife

Ingredients

  • 5 pound Whole chicken
  • 1 lemon halved
  • 3 Onions divided
  • 8 garlic cloves
  • 4 Parsnips peeled and cut
  • 8 Carrots peeled and cut
  • 1 stick Salted Butter
  • 2 teaspoons House Seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon Paprika
  • ½ cup Unsalted Butter softened and divided
  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

Instructions

  • Heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and arrange the rack in the middle of the oven.
  • Rinse chicken and pat dry. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with a few garlic cloves, 1 onion, and a lemon halved.
  • Arrange remaining garlic, onions, carrots, and parsnips on the bottom of a 5-6 quart oven-safe baking dish to create a bed. Place chicken on top, brush the chicken with half the softened butter.
  • In a bowl mix together the house seasoning and paprika. Then sprinkle the seasoning on top of the chicken. Massaging onto the skin of the chicken so the seasoning is coated all over the chicken.
  • Add broth to baking dish. Cover and roast until chicken reaches 135 to 140 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 1 hour.
  • Remove foil, brush chicken with pan juices, and increase oven temperature to 450 degrees F. Roast, basting occasionally with remaining butter (melted), until temperature of chicken on inner thigh is 165 degrees Fahrenheit, skin is golden brown, and juices run clear, about 30 to 40 additional minutes more.
  • Let the whole chicken rest 10 minutes before carving. Carve chicken and serve each portion with 1 head of garlic and pan sauce. 

Notes

  • Seasoning – Don’t feel that you have to stick to the seasoning blend I used on this recipe. You can use whatever blend you would like, just remember the vegetables will take on the blend too. So you could have a completely different taste then what this recipe was intended to be like.
  • Smaller Portion – Cooking for say, just two and don’t want a lot of leftovers? You can roast a half chicken by splitting the whole chicken in half (make sure to remove the backbone). Cooking time will be almost half of what a whole chicken takes to cook.
  • Vegetables – I have found that any root vegetable works best for the slow roasting in the oven. You can always add potatoes to this blend as well as Brussels sprouts make for a great addition.
  • Meal Prep – Looking to meal prep either lunches or dinner for the week? This is the perfect recipe to do so. Roast the chicken and vegetables, let cool, then cut meat, divide and package.
  • Chicken Gravy – To make gravy from the juices, remove everything out of the Dutch oven. Mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water. Bring the juices to a simmer over medium heat, begin to whisk in the cornstarch slurry until gravy is at desired consistency (about 5-7 minutes). Taste and adjust seasoning, as desired.
Calories calculated are not always accurate. Ingredients used and serving sizes will vary on calories of a dish.

Nutrition

Serving: 12ounces | Calories: 816kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 59g | Saturated Fat: 27g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 217mg | Sodium: 332mg | Potassium: 1183mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 14982IU | Vitamin C: 40mg | Calcium: 146mg | Iron: 4mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @KatieJasiewicz or tag #katiescucina!
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About Katie

Katie is a busy mom of 2 children who loves to feed her family delicious meals that don't take hours to cook! She started her blog 10 years ago as a way to help others get cooking in the kitchen.

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I'm Katie Jasiewicz: home cook, food blogger, and recipe developer. A busy mom of two children who loves to feed her family delicious meals that don’t take hours to cook! My mission is to create easy-to-make modern comfort food for the busy family. (more)

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