This easy Whole Roast Chicken Recipe is cooked to crispy-skin perfection in a Dutch Oven with Lemon, Garlic, and Rosemary Butter slathered on every bite! Add potatoes to the bottom of the pan and you’ve got yourself a complete, one-pot meal.
This is my favorite recipe for roast chicken. Cooking it in a dutch oven ensures the chicken is moist and flavorful, but still gets that awesome golden-brown, crispy skin.
Here’s what I LOVE about this roast chicken recipe:
- It uses only five ingredients (assuming you already have butter, salt, and pepper);
- The flavor combination of lemon, garlic, and rosemary creates amazing flavor;
- There is no waste– the lemon zest, juice, and rinds are used, as well as the onion, garlic, and rosemary scraps;
- While it takes a while to roast in the oven, the prep time is only 10-15 minutes!
- You can add potatoes to the bottom of the pan to cook and soak up all those delicious juices while the chicken roasts for an easy one-pot meal. YUM!
And the other thing? A whole roast chicken is a foolproof way to impress people. This recipe comes out gorgeous every time, and it’s perfect for a dinner party or date but also easy enough to make for your family on a whim.
Tips for making the BEST Whole Roast Chicken
- Pat the chicken dry. This will help the skin crisp up to perfection.
- Season the cavity. Add a LOT of salt and pepper inside, and stuff it with the lemon rinds, rosemary sprigs and stems, garlic scraps, and onion scraps. This will help keep it moist and flavor it from the inside out.
- Add the butter mixture under AND over the breast skin. Use your hands for this (then give them a good wash). It’s important to spread the mixture liberally over the entire chicken (every nook and cranny). In addition, I separate the skin from the top of the breast and spread some of the butter underneath, being careful not to tear the skin (intact skin helps the meat stay moist since it keeps the juices in). This creates extra crispy skin and helps flavor the meat better.
- Truss the chicken. Not in a complicated way- I just tie the legs tightly together using kitchen twine. This helps keep everything nice and neat and compact for even, consistent cooking. If the legs splay out too much, they will cook too quickly, causing them to become dry.
- Roast high, then low. Roast the chicken at 475 for 15 minutes- this gets the crispy skin process going. Then, turn the heat down and roast at 350 for approximately 20 minutes per pound, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees (I stick my meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast as far as it will go, then retract it just a little so it’s not touching the bone. It won’t read accurately if it is touching a bone)
- Let it sit for at least 10 minutes when it’s done. This will ensure that a) the chicken isn’t too hot to handle when you carve it, and b) that the juices have a chance to redistribute. If you cut into it too quickly, the juices will escape too fast and the chicken will become dry.
Roasting a Whole Chicken in your Dutch Oven
I have a blue Cuisinart Classic Enameled Cast Iron 5-1/2-Quart Oval dutch oven, which I LOVE and HIGHLY recommend. Conveniently, it perfectly fits a chicken, and because it gets so hot on the sides , it helps roast it evenly on all sides of the chicken for awesomely crispy skin.
Here are some tips to roasting a whole chicken in your dutch oven:
- Layer onions and potatoes (or another root veggie) on the bottom so you have a complete meal. The veggies will soak up all the juices as it cooks.
- Keep the cover off when roasting. If the skin browns too quickly on top, you can place the cover on ajar on top to help avoid direct hot heat, or tent it with foil if the cover doesn’t fit/the chicken is too tall.
By the way… a Dutch Oven is also an amazing thing to bake crusty, no knead artisan bread in!
If you don’t have a Dutch Oven…
You can easily make this recipe in a large casserole dish or roasting pan using the same method!
Or, you can use your slow cooker. Just keep in mind, you won’t have any crispy skin if you do this. Slather the chicken in the butter mixture, and set on top of onions (and potatoes, if you want) in your slow cooker. Cook for 4 hours on high. (more on how to cook a whole chicken in your slow cooker)
You may also be interested in another one-pan chicken recipe: Spiced Chicken and Rice with Apples and Raisins. YUM.
Don’t throw the chicken bones/carcass out!
Make homemade chicken stock with them. Just store the carcass/bones in your freezer in an airtight bag or container until you’re ready to make it!
Recipes to make with leftover roast chicken:
- Easy Chicken and Dumplings from Scratch
- Chicken Salad with Grapes and Walnuts
- Avgolemono (Greek Chicken Soup with Lemon)
- Cobb Salad with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
- Healthy 20-Minute Chicken and Mushroom Stroganoff
- Chicken and Corn Enchilada Casserole
- BBQ Chicken Naan Pizza
And check out these other easy recipes you can make in a dutch oven from Pinch of Yum!
Did you make this Dutch Oven Whole Roast Chicken? Please comment below and Rate this Recipe
Dutch Oven Whole Roast Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken about 4-5 lbs.
- 2 lemons
- 5 cloves garlic 3 minced, 2 cut in half
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary 3 finely chopped, 1 left whole
- 2 large onions halved and thickly sliced, end scraps reserved
- 4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick)
- kosher salt see notes
- black pepper see notes
- 1.5 lbs. potatoes cut into 1" pieces, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.
- Melt butter (4 tablespoons) in small bowl (I used my Pyrex measuring cup); add minced garlic (3 cloves), chopped rosemary (from 3 sprigs, about 2 tablespoons), the zest of the two lemons, and plenty of kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Set aside.
- Place the onions in bottom of enameled cast iron dutch oven. Reserve the end scraps. If using potatoes, add them on top of the onions.
- Prepare chicken by removing giblets from cavity and patting dry with paper towels.
- Liberally season the cavity with salt and pepper. LIBERALLY.
- Cut the zested lemons in half; reserve juice and save rinds.
- The butter mixture will have hardened slightly by now. Using your hands, slather the mixture liberally over every part of the chicken and under the breast skin (being careful not to tear the skin).
- Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the lemon rinds, onion scraps, remaining 2 garlic cloves, and rosemary sprig/stems. Place in dutch oven on top of sliced onions and potatoes, if using.
- Tie the legs of the chicken together tightly using kitchen twine.
- Pour reserved lemon juice over the chicken.
- Roast chicken UNCOVERED for 15 minutes at 475, then reduce heat to 350 and cook STILL UNCOVERED for approximately 20 minutes PER POUND, or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees (about 1.5 hours for a 4.5 lb. chicken). The chicken should be uncovered the entire time it cooks, unless it seems like it's burning (see notes).
- Allow the chicken to rest for at least 10 minutes before carving.
Notes
- Basting: If you want to, baste the chicken approximately halfway through cooking process. You don't have to.
- Salt and pepper: You want to salt and pepper liberally- I’d say at least 1 tablespoon of kosher salt for a 4ish lb. bird (up to 2 tablespoons, if you have a larger chicken that’s more like 8 lbs.). Pepper you can do to your taste- it will give it a nice kick if you use a lot (around 2 teaspoons) but you can definitely get away with only 1/2 teaspoon.
- If chicken is burning: you should cook the chicken uncovered in the dutch oven, but if it starts to burn on top and the internal temperature is not high enough yet, you can place the lid on ajar to avoid direct heat and prevent further burning. Or, you can tent it with foil on top.
- Other vegetables: You can add carrots or other root veggies, that take a long time to cook, in the bottom of the pan in place of or in addition to the potatoes. Note: I actually prefer to roast my potatoes/veggies separately because they get more browned, but it's super convenient to cook them in the same pot!
- Slow cooker instructions: Place sliced onions in bottom of large slow cooker. Prepare chicken as directed above. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or high for 4-5, until the chicken is falling off the bone. (this method will not make crispy skin, but will still be delicious!
- Make it paleo/dairy free/Whole30: Use olive oil or ghee instead of butter.
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
- If you are sensitive to lemon flavor, you may want to use only 1 lemon. Same goes for if you are using extremely large or juicy lemons. Some readers have commented that the flavor is too lemony. I LOVE a really lemony chicken but no harm in cutting the amount in half if that's not your thing!
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
This recipe first appeared on Bowl of Delicious as “Lemon, Garlic, and Rosemary Whole Roast Chicken.” It has been updated with new photographs, clearer instructions, and the option of adding potatoes based on suggestions from reader comments.
Dori
The only chicken I could find was a two pack of whole chickens. Rather than cutting up the chicken, I went in search of a recipe and found this one, which was perfect, because I had all the other ingredients. I have now made this 3 times and it has become a favorite, and it makes delicious left overs. Thank you so much!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Oh yay, I’m so happy to hear you had success with this recipe! Thanks so much :-)
Ashley
Thank you for this delicious recipe, the chicken cooked perfectly! I used olive oil instead of butter and added potatoes, carrots, onion, and thyme. Everything was so flavorful, success! I can’t wait to check out your other recipes.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So happy you liked it!
Michael
I’ve roasted a lot of chickens over the years, and this method reached the best results I’ve ever had. Incredibly moist flavorful chicken. It’s true that I used only one lemon (only cause I had only one) and that it took a lot longer than expected, and that I basted with a little olive oil half way through. But all the same, I was amazed and will never roast another way! Due to the long cook time my family ended up eating this after we were all full of the rest of dinner. But it was so tasty that we nearly finished the chicken and the potatoes too. Fat acid salt! We even ate all the lemon rinds.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So happy you liked it! Sorry it took longer than expected- time will vary depending on a few factors, so that’s why I always suggest checking the temp just to make sure! Thanks for the thoughtful comment :-)
Eva
Lol! I poured the reserved lemon juice over the bird just like you said, and the juice washed off most of the yummy butter and herb garlic mixture. So sad!
Elizabeth Lindemann
I find that even though the lemon juice washes off some of the butter it still comes out great and it’s an awesome way to get that lemon flavor on the top of the chicken. You could always mix some lemon juice (maybe a little less) with the butter mixture if it bothers you next time :-) I also find if my chicken is cold, the butter kind of solidifies as I add it on top, and it’s less likely to completely wash off. Hope you ended up liking it!
Michael
Too zesty. 2 lemons are too much for the dish. Cooking time has to be longer. I’d say 10-15 percent more. The onion and potatoes if cooked together become too greasy and zesty as well. This recipe is I’d say an amateur improvisation. Cooking with the lid off doesn’t make much sense to me, but I understand why it was suggested. Even though my wife liked I’d not cook it again. Too zesty and too labor consuming especially prep time.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Oh no! Sorry you had a disappointing experience. My suggestion to anyone else reading this is simply leave a lemon out if you aren’t too keen on lemon flavors (or if your lemons are really big- they very in size quite a bit). And leaving it uncovered helps crisp up the top of the chicken (while the sides of the DO keep everything nice and juicy). The chicken can be covered if you don’t care about having crispy skin. Hope that helps, and better luck next time!
Melanie
This chicken was delicious and perfect. Looked exactly like the picture!! I only substituted olive oil instead of butter. It was crispy skin, tender meat, and the potatoes that cooked underneath It were super. Thank you! I’m back on here today to get a broth recipe for the carcass!!!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it and thanks very much for the comment! I did the same thing the other night- made it with olive oil (and other herbs instead of rosemary), then made stock the next day from it. Yum!
Christopher Tordini
hi! i am planning on making this in a few days. one question – when you reduce the heat to 350, do you cover it up then, or does it remain uncovered throughout? please let me know if you can. thanks
Elizabeth Lindemann
It remains uncovered the whole time! I’m going to make that more clear in the recipe card right now :-) Thanks for bringing this up!
Ruth M
Have you tried adding greens beans? Want to try but worried they will turn to mush
Elizabeth Lindemann
I haven’t tried it, but I’ve found that when you cook fresh green beans it takes a reallllly long time for them to become mush. In this recipe I cook them under chicken thighs in the slow cooker for hours… so I don’t see why it wouldn’t work! https://www.bowlofdelicious.com/slow-cooker-greek-style-green-beans-and-chicken-thighs/ If you try it, I’d love to know how it comes out :-)
elaine
The taste was amazing but somehow the skin did not get crispy. I even put the oven up to 450 at the end to try to get it to brown. Also are you supposed to cover for the 2nd part when you put it back in at lower temp? I didn’t cover the whole time which I would have thought would have helped with browning of skin. Thanks!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Oh no! That must have been frustrating to not have crispy skin. The chicken should cook UNCOVERED for the ENTIRE time. Unless it looks like it’s burning, at which point you can put the lid on ajar. I’m going to make sure that’s a little more clear in the recipe card right now. Better luck next time!
Alice
Thank you so much for this recipe! I make a roasted chicken once a week and my previous recipe was delicious but it trigger smoke alarms and was a mess to clean up. This recipe was perfect, and so delicious. I added some carrots and they were delicious as well. My husband even liked it – a lot! Which is impressive on it’s own. This is now my go to recipe. Again, thank you so much!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So happy you liked it!
Cole Williams
Great recipe! Took not time to prep and was super juicy and delicious. Will be making this again for sure. Next time I will thinly slice my potatoes so they cook a little more and maybe even crisp around the edges. Also might try other root veggies in the bottom. Can’t wait to make a soup from the scraps!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Great idea about thinly slicing the potatoes! So glad you liked it.
A
Family loved this. Can you add cut corn cobs?
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you and your family liked it! I don’t see why you couldn’t add cut corn cobs… they may overcook a little but I bet they’ll be delicious, and the starch and flavor from the cobs themselves will infuse everything in the bottom. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out!
MS
I could NOT get the butter to spread no matter how hard I tried! It wouldn’t stick to the chicken. It slid right off. What am I doing wrong? Do I need to use a lot more butter?
Elizabeth Lindemann
Oh man, how frustrating! First, it’s OK if the butter doesn’t look “pretty” when you spread it- it can be in clumps and not very evenly distributed, because it’s just going to melt. But I do have a couple of tips. First, pat the chicken dry. If it’s too wet, the butter will just slide right off. Second, your chicken was probably very cold which caused the butter to solidify too fast. You might want to try completely melting the butter just before spreading it on the chicken- if it hardens a bit as it sits, it might be harder to spread. Or, you can leave the chicken out at room temperature for 20 minutes or so to let the outside warm up a bit (this will also help dry it out more). Hope that helps! If it was really frustrating to try to spread it, you can just pour/spoon the mixture on top of the whole chicken after you put it in the Dutch oven next time- it might not get into every nook and cranny but it will still flavor everything really well!
MS
Ah thank you so much for replying. Based on what you said (and considering how great it ended up tasting!)I think it was a combination of factors: I used a 5.5 lb bird so needed more butter to begin with, the butter was too thick (both because I used too much rosemary and garlic as a ratio to butter and because the butter was too congealed), and my bird might’ve still needed some drying.
Wonderful recipe and easy. I needed an additional 20 minutes in the oven FYI
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks for the follow-up, so glad to hear it turned out good for you!
Liz Foley
I made this recipe to have a nice Sunday dinner. This was the best roast chicken recipe I have ever had. I can’t thank you enough. Even my husband, who is not as much of a fan of roast chicken as I am, said that it was very good. That says something!!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Aw yay! What a nice comment, thank you so much for taking the time to leave it. So glad you and your husband liked it!
amy
I have not tried this particular recipe yet but whenever I roast a chicken it splatters terribly and sets off smoke alarms. Any advice for this problem?
Elizabeth Lindemann
Oh man, that sounds frustrating! Have you ever tried roasting it like this method in a Dutch oven? Did it still happen? If not, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Because only the top of the chicken is exposed to the oven, the likelihood of it splattering everywhere is less. The watery veggies are all the way on the bottom of the pan, so the chance of the water reacting with the fat and creating a splatter and jumping all the way out of the Dutch oven is less likely. Try using a smallish chicken so it doesn’t come out the top of the Dutch oven, and try putting a baking sheet on the rack under the chicken so if something drips down, it will catch on the sheet rather than drip onto the bottom of your oven. You can also tent the chicken with foil if it seems too hot/splattery on the top (this would work with any method, not just Dutch oven, I imagine), or with a Dutch oven you can place the cover on top, ajar, while it cooks (this would result in less crispy skin though). Hope that helps and let me know if this method works out for you!
Priscilla Emery
This turned out absolutely delicious. Now a favorite.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thank you! So glad you liked it :-)
Marie
The best roast chicken recipe I’ve found!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thank you! So glad you liked it.
Corina
The best roast chicken recipe! The only drawback? The family devoured it and there was hardly any meat left to make chicken soup. I didn’t have rosemary, so I used dried poultry seasoning. I filled the bottom of the cast iron Dutch oven with what I had handy that needed to be cooked: onions, squash, fennel bulbs, green beans and sweet potato. The vegetables were absolutely perfect. Thank you for this deliciousness!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Oh those veggies sound divine! Green beans! I bet those were delicious. So happy you and your family liked it!
Estela
I love this recipe! However, this time my local stores don’t have fresh rosemary. Are we able to use dried rosemary?
Elizabeth Lindemann
You can absolutely use dried rosemary! The general rule is substituting 1/3 of dried herbs for fresh. So, 1 teaspoon for every tablespoon of fresh herbs. This recipe is very flexible. You can also use another fresh herb, such as thyme, parsley, and/or oregano, or dried, or dried spice combo (such as Italian seasoning). Hope that helps!
Cissystix
Excellent recipe. ! I used Meyer lemons as that was what I had on hand and it was divine!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thank you! Glad you liked it :-)