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    Cooking Gorgeous » All Recipes » Main Dishes

    Dutch Oven Roast Chicken

    Published: Nov 16, 2021 · Modified: Mar 8, 2022 by Ayla Clulee · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This Dutch Oven Roast Chicken recipe is a delicious and comforting dish that requires minimal preparation with just a handful of ingredients. It is a very simple yet perfect one-pot dish whether you serve it as a weekday meal or a weekend roast dinner.

    whole roast chicken in dutch oven
    Jump to:
    • Why This Recipe Works?
    • Ingredients and Substitutes
    • Step by Step Instructions
    • Related Recipes
    • Best Side Dishes for Roast Chicken
    • Top Tip From the Chef
    • Dutch Oven Roast Chicken

    The Dutch oven retains and evenly distributes the heat so it cuts down on the roasting time while keeping the chicken moist and flavourful. It is one of my favorite kitchen tools and I use it for making hearty stews like Kuru Fasulye and Turkish Lamb Stew with Chickpeas or warming soups like Autumn Squash Soup and Ezo Gelin Corba. I even bake sourdough bread in my Dutch oven, it is so versatile!

    Juicy & delicious roast chicken served with roast potatoes and carrots

    If you don't have a Dutch oven, you can make this delicious chicken dish on a baking tray or an oven-safe dish. Place the chicken on top of the carrots and garlic so that the drippings from the chicken create flavourful vegetables!

    If you like roast chicken and want something different for your festive dinner, check my Rice Stuffed Chicken recipe which is perfect for smaller parties and gatherings.

    Why This Recipe Works?

    • You need only a few ingredients for this simple roast chicken dish.
    • Roasting the chicken in a Dutch oven makes it perfectly crispy on the outside and juicy inside.
    • It is versatile, therefore you can use any vegetables you like to eat with your roast chicken.
    • One-pot dish with a minimum washing up.
    • Simple yet super delicious and impressive enough to serve for your dinner guests.

    Ingredients and Substitutes

    Ingredients for Dutch Oven roast chicken
    • Chicken - A young, free-range, or Corn fed chicken that weighs between 1.5 kg and 2 kg is ideal for roasting. They are extremely flavourful and cook quickly. Always check the best-by date before buying to ensure the freshness of the bird.
    • Garlic - Use fresh garlic without peeling. They will release enough flavor for both vegetables and the chicken. I keep the whole roasted garlic to use later for flavoring other dishes.
    • Thyme - This aromatic herb goes great with roast chicken. You can replace it with oregano or rosemary.
    • Olive Oil - Helps the chicken skin crisp and brown easily. You can replace it with butter or vegetable oil.
    • Carrots - They are the perfect sides for roast chicken. You can use other vegetables such as cauliflower, parsnip, courgettes, swede, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and potatoes.
    • Salt - Use a generous amount of salt for chicken, especially for the cavity and the skin. Salt helps brown the skin and make it crispy.
    • Freshly ground black pepper - It has a much better aroma and texture compared to powder versions.

    Step by Step Instructions

    Making this Dutch oven roast chicken is surprisingly easy and straightforward. Here are a few simple steps that you need to follow:

    • Preheat the oven to 180° C - 356° F and then pat dry the chicken with a kitchen towel. Dry skin is the guarantee of a crispy chicken. Prepare the carrots or any other vegetables that you want to cook underneath the chicken. Peel and then cut them in chunks if you are using large carrots. I sometimes buy baby carrots of different colors and leave them whole or just cut them in halves, depending on the size. Place the garlic, carrots, and thyme on the bottom of your dutch oven.
    • Massage the chicken all over with olive oil, and then season the cavity and skin with salt & pepper. Place the chicken on top of the carrots, in the middle of the dutch oven.
    place the chicken on top of the vegetables
    • Cook the chicken in preheated oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and then rest it for a minimum of 20 minutes, covered with tin foil or a lid. If you want to crisp the carrots a bit more, place them back in the oven while the chicken is roasting.
    roasted whole chicken in dutch oven

    Related Recipes

    For more delicious chicken recipes why not try:

    • Chicken Stir Fry Noodles
    • Spicy Chicken Wings
    • Shish Tawook (Turkish Chicken Kebab)
    • Easy Chicken Stock (Bone Broth)
    • Chicken Liver Pâté
    • Salt and Pepper Chicken
    • Rice Stuffed Chicken
    • Chicken and Chorizo Pasta
    • Hot and Sour Chicken Soup
    How to check if the chicken is cooked?

    The best way to check if the chicken is cooked is to use a meat thermometer. Simply insert it into the thickest part of the thigh without touching the bone. The inside temperature of the chicken should be a minimum of 74° C (165° F). If you don't have a meat thermometer, use a toothpick to check if the chicken is cooked. Pierce it into the thickest part of the chicken and remove the toothpick. If the juice comes out pink, it is not cooked (contains blood. If the juice comes clear, it is cooked.

    Why rest the chicken after cooking?

    When the chicken is cooked, you should let it rest for at least 20 minutes before carving. If you cut it immediately after cooking, all the juices will flood out and you will end up with dry and tasteless meat. Resting the chicken helps the juices redistribute themselves back through the meat, seal in the moisture and increase the flavor.

    Best Side Dishes for Roast Chicken

    • Duck Fat Roasted Potatoes
    • Swede and Carrot Mash
    • Saksuka (Turkish Vegetable Meze)
    • Bulgur Pilavi (Turkish Bulgur Pilaf)
    • Turkish Shepherd Salad (Coban Salatasi)

    Top Tip From the Chef

    Take the chicken out of the fridge half an hour before roasting to bring it to room temperature. This will allow the chicken to cook evenly inside and outside. A cold chicken's outside is going to get dried out by the time the inside is cooked fully.

    I hope you enjoy the process of making this crispy outside, and juicy inside the whole roast chicken as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂

    Bon appétit! / Afiyet Olsun!

    whole roast chicken in dutch oven

    Dutch Oven Roast Chicken

    Ayla Clulee
    Juicy inside, crispy outside roasted chicken in a Dutch oven on a bed of vegetables. A perfect one-pot dish to please everyone!
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 1 hr 20 mins
    Total Time 1 hr 30 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American, british, English, Mediterranean
    Servings 4 people
    Calories 497 kcal

    Equipment

    • 1 Lodge 6 Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven.
    • 1 Meat Thermometer
    • 1 Measuring Spoons
    • 1 sharp knife

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 1 whole chicken (approximately 1 ½ kg)
    • 400 g carrots
    • 2 tablespoon olive oil
    • 5 cloves garlic
    • 1 ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • 5-6 sprigs thyme

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat the oven to 180° C and pat dry the chicken with a kitchen towel.
    • Peel and cut your carrots in chunks.
    • Place the garlic, carrots and thyme on the bottom of your dutch oven.
    • Brush the chicken all over with olive oil and season the cavity and skin with salt and pepper.
    • Place the chicken on top of the carrots, in the middle of the dutch oven.
    • Cook the chicken in preheated oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes.
    • Remove the dutch oven from the oven and rest the chicken for a minimum of 20 minutes covered with tin foil or a lid.
    • If you want to crisp the carrots a bit more, place them back in the oven while the chicken is roasting.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 497kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 35gFat: 34gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 135mgSodium: 1068mgPotassium: 683mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 17018IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 65mgIron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @cookingorgeous or tag #cookingorgeous!

    FOOD SAFETY

    • Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
    • Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
    • Never leave cooking food unattended
    • Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
    • Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

    See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

    This post use affiliate links. This means that if you click on them and then buy something, we get a small amount of commission to keep the site running, but it doesn’t cost you anything more.

    Did you make this recipe?

    Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Fiona

      January 04, 2022 at 4:03 pm

      5 stars
      This looks amazing, I am looking forward to try this recipe for Sunday roast.

      Reply
    2. Jennifer

      April 29, 2022 at 3:30 pm

      5 stars
      Yum! So easy and delicious!!

      Reply
    3. Nia

      June 08, 2022 at 2:14 pm

      5 stars
      What a brilliant recipe. So easy to put together and delicious ! All my family loved it.

      Reply

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    Hi! Thank you for visiting Cooking Gorgeous. My name is Ayla, and I’m a professional chef based in the UK. The kitchen is my happy place and cooking is my therapy. To me, food is more than ingredients and nutrition; it is a language of love, a way of expressing compassion.

    More about me →

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