More often than not, you can find me in the kitchen roasting a whole chicken. It’s incredibly easy to do and in addition to feeding your entire family, will likely leave you with plenty of leftovers for other dishes.
If you haven’t made the splurge, I highly suggest you invest in a dutch oven pot with a lid. These things, albeit pricey, are worth the cost. They’re easy to clean, easy to cook in, and can be used on the stove, in the oven, and placed right in the fridge with leftovers for easy clean up.
I was lucky enough to receive one as a gift over 10 years ago, and it’s still going strong! I use it for chili, soups, one-pot rice and pasta dishes, and my favorite: whole chickens. But enough about the pot…let’s get to the recipe!
Jump to RecipeKey Tips:
- Be sure your chicken is completely thawed before roasting, to ensure it cooks fully.
- Invest in a small pack or box of disposable gloves to keep your hands clean while handling the chicken.
- As long as your chicken fits in the pot with the lid on top, it’ll cook. Cram that baby in there!
- Throw away any remaining packaging and giblets into your trash bag and place the bag in an outdoor bin. DO NOT leave it in your house- it’ll STINK by morning!
Dutch Oven Whole Chicken
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit/ 246 degrees Celsius.
- Prepare vegetables & potatoes by peeling and chopping. Place the ingredients into the bottom of the Dutch Oven, ensuring they lie mostly flat along the bottom.
- Prepare your rub. Take all desired spices & seasonings and mix them together in a small- to medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
- Pour olive oil into a small bowl or cup. Set aside.
- Grab several sheets of paper towels and place them nearby.
- Put on disposable gloves. Place the thawed whole chicken inside of a large mixing bowl, legs up. Slice the top of the packaging with kitchen shears and gently cut down the sides of the package to ensure liquid spills into the bowl.
- Remove giblets and discard. Lift chicken carefully out of the bowl and tip upside down to drain remaining fluid in cavity into the bowl. Grab paper towels and pat the chicken dry before immediately transferring it to the Dutch Oven.
- Discard paper towels in the garbage and place the bowl with chicken juice into the sink for washing.
- Change your gloves to a clean set. LEAVE ONE HAND CLEAN- Do not touch one hand to the chicken in case you need to use it to add more seasonings or oil (you'll thank me later for this).
- With your chosen "clean" hand, dump olive oil bowl over chicken. Rub olive oil over chicken with chosen "dirty" hand. Lift chicken with "dirty" hand and continue rubbing oil on the opposite side.
- Take your "clean" hand and dump the seasoning bowl over the chicken. Repeat the process, same as oil, with "dirty" hand, ensuring the entire chicken is covered with oil and seasonings. If you need more of either, you can add it with your "clean" hand.
- Once your chicken is thoroughly coated in oil and seasonings, ensure it rests on top of your vegetables, breast side up. Place the lid over the Dutch Oven. Discard gloves.
- Place the entire Dutch Oven into your preheated oven and cook for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit/ 176 degrees Celsius and cook an additional 15-20 minutes per pound of chicken.
- Once the thigh temp reaches 175 degrees Fahrenheit/ 80 degrees Celsius, rest the chicken with the lid off, on top of your stove for 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving with cooked vegetables.
*You can store leftovers directly in the Dutch Oven, in our refrigerator, or carve meat and place in a separate container. Typically, I store everything together until I am ready to boil the carcass for broth and remove every last bit of meat for future recipes.