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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.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
2 hrs
Additional Time
10 mins
Total Time
2 hrs 20 mins
Servings: 6
Calories: 816 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

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

    Cup of Yum
  1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and arrange the rack in the middle of the oven.
  2. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with a few garlic cloves, 1 onion, and a lemon halved.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Add broth to baking dish. Cover and roast until chicken reaches 135 to 140 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 1 hour.
  6. 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.
  7. Let the whole chicken rest 10 minutes before carving. Carve chicken and serve each portion with 1 head of garlic and pan sauce. 

Notes

  • 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.
  • 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.

Nutrition Information

Serving 12ounces Calories 816kcal (41%) Carbohydrates 36g (12%) Protein 38g (76%) Fat 59g (91%) Saturated Fat 27g (135%) Polyunsaturated Fat 7g Monounsaturated Fat 20g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 217mg (72%) Sodium 332mg (14%) Potassium 1183mg (34%) Fiber 10g (40%) Sugar 12g (24%) Vitamin A 14982IU (300%) Vitamin C 40mg (44%) Calcium 146mg (15%) Iron 4mg (22%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 816

% Daily Value*

Serving 12ounces
Calories 816kcal 41%
Carbohydrates 36g 12%
Protein 38g 76%
Fat 59g 91%
Saturated Fat 27g 135%
Polyunsaturated Fat 7g 41%
Monounsaturated Fat 20g 100%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 217mg 72%
Sodium 332mg 14%
Potassium 1183mg 25%
Fiber 10g 40%
Sugar 12g 24%
Vitamin A 14982IU 300%
Vitamin C 40mg 44%
Calcium 146mg 15%
Iron 4mg 22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.