Tag: easy baked whole chicken

Dutch Oven Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

Dutch Oven Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

by Engineered Mama ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

As much as I love grabbing a rotisserie chicken while I’m picking up groceries, there’s just nothing like a homemade roasted chicken. I have adapted this recipe from Cooking for My Soul, which is simple and flavorful and it’s my go-to when I want to roast a whole chicken. The best part of this recipe is you can save the carcass and vegetable scraps to make homemade bone broth later!

Ingredients

Vegetable Bed

  • 9-12 small potatoes (I prefer Little Duos or Little Trios from The Little Potato Company for some variety)
  • 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 2 medium yellow onions, peeled and quartered
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Chicken

  • 1 5-pound whole chicken – giblets removed
  • 1 stick herbed butter
  • 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered
  • 5 sprigs fresh rosemary, divided
  • 5 sprigs fresh thyme, divided

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Place the cut up vegetables for the vegetable bed (potatoes, carrots, onions) in the bottom of a large 7-8 quart Dutch oven pot. Toss with a few drizzles of olive oil, plus salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
  3. Pat the chicken dry with paper towel thoroughly, including inside the cavity. Rub half of the herbed butter under the skin (carefully separate the skin from the flesh to create “pockets” for the butter, mainly around the breast and legs). Then, rub the remaining half butter on the outside, all over the top, legs, and wings. Tip: Patting dry the chicken thoroughly will help you get crispier skin.
  4. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with 1 quartered and peeled onion, 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, and 2 sprigs fresh thyme.
  5. Place the prepared chicken in a roasting pan, breast side up. Tuck in wings under the chicken, or clip the wing tips to prevent them from burning. Place the remaining 3 sprigs of rosemary and 3 sprigs of thyme around the chicken.
  6. Cover with the lid securely, and roast for 1 hour and 15 minutes COVERED. Then, UNCOVER and roast for another 30 minute to allow the skin to crisp up and turn more golden brown. If the vegetables look like they are burning, add a few splashes of chicken broth. It’s ready when a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F. Tip: Avoid opening the oven too much to prevent the heat from escaping. If needed, rotate the chicken if you notice certain spots browning more, or tent any spots that are browning too fast with aluminum foil. 
  7. Let it rest in the Dutch oven for 15 minutes before serving, along with the vegetables. Serve and enjoy!