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.
Chris
I’ve made this a few times and it comes out amazing every time! I am not the biggest fan of rosemary, so I substituted fresh oregano, and it was the bomb! The lemon and oregano compliment each other beautifully! I also use EVOO instead of butter just to try and be a little bit more heart healthy, and it still comes out perfectly (I just toss the EVOO/garlic/lemon mixture in the freezer for a few to get that spreadable texture). Oh, and instead of roasting the veggies separately, I let them cook with the chicken, then while the chicken is resting, throw them on a sheet pan under the broiler for a few to get them brown, so you get the best of both worlds… all that flavor from the chicken juices and browning from the broiler! Cooking is all about experimentation right? Thank you for this recipe! I can’t wait to make this for friend once it’s safe to have dinner parties again lol.
Elizabeth Lindemann
LOVE that trick of freezing the oil for a little while so you can spread it! Genius! Thanks so much for the tip and so happy you liked the recipe :-) Here’s hoping dinner parties happen again soon!
Jen
This chicken was excellent! First time ever making a whole roasted chicken, can’t believe it turned out so great! The rosemary/garlic/lemon were perfect together. Prep took longer (not surprising for me) but it was super easy. Thanks!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Andrea
Ok made it a second time. 1st time I kept it at 475 the whole time, no wonder my juices burned. 2nd, layered potatoes, onions, carrots on the bottom, turned it down to 350 top looked great, good temp but when I went to separate the bottom was still pink I’m thinking because it wasn’t touching the bottom so I think next time I’ll use my bigger DO and put the vegetables around it. But definitely an increase in juice, and much more moist. Duh on me the first time lol
Elizabeth Lindemann
Haha it happens to the best of us! So glad you figured it out and enjoyed the recipe!
Jess
I have never made chicken so delicious! And I’ve made a lot of chickens! Now, I will say, give yourself more than 15 minutes to prep. I chopped onion, potatoes and carrots so I would say 30-40 minutes will suffice since cleaning out the chicken and buttering it takes a bit too. Other than that, I made the recipe exactly as stated, and the chicken was perfect! The timing and temp were spot on, and it registered at 165 degrees precisely when my timer went off. It was juicy, tasty and still crispy on the outside. I will never roast or crockpot a chicken again. This will be my go-to; everyone devoured it. Thank you for the recipe, Elizabeth!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it, and thanks for the honest feedback about prep time!
Laura Lovett
I was happy to use my homegrown herbs and chicken for this recipe. I added sweet potatoes to the bottom along with potatoes and a sprig of sage inside the chicken – it was really good.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Lisa-Marie Leanders
As suggested, we put carrots and potatoes in with the chicken and then removed and roasted them while the chicken rested. To be honest, we found everything way too lemony. The children complained of bitterness which was a shame.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Sorry you had a frustrating experience! This recipe is definitely lemony, and I suggest using only one lemon if strong lemon flavor is not suited to your (or anyone else reading this comment’s) tastes.
Pamela Thomas
This dish was SO easy to make! The prep time was fairly quick. I used carrots and onions on the bottom because I didn’t have any potatoes. They were well cooked and did not burn at all. I used WAY more garlic than the recipe called for (which I ALWAYS do). The result was oh, so yummy! The richness of the broth produced by the chicken and butter. The wonderfully flavorful garlic. The citrus from the lemon. Such a delicious combination! My only regret is not making some rice in the pot with the chicken or separately to take advantage of all delicious broth produced by the dish. There was easily enough to make some gravy. I’ll be freezing the broth to use later. Or cooking rice in the broth tomorrow. I can’t wait!
Elizabeth Lindemann
I’m glad you’ll be freezing the broth- I do that sometimes when I have extra and it always goes to good use! I like adding it to avgolemono, a Greek chicken soup with lemon and egg (the flavor is perfect with it). I use the fat instead of butter for sautéing the veggies and the rest of the drippings in with the chicken broth. So glad you liked the recipe!
Allyson
This was the best roasted chicken I’ve ever made, hands down. I used thyme instead of rosemary because it’s what I had on hand, and I pan-glazed some rainbow carrots as a side. My husband & I wolfed it down – no leftovers, no regrets.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Well done on taking the whole thing down! So happy you and your husband liked it.
Annie P
WOW as Escoffier said! Lemon-Rosemary infused in the chicken, delicious. Thank you, Annie
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Annemarie
This chicken is delicious! This was my first time ever roasting a bird, and I’m so glad I used this recipe. I look forward to trying the chicken dumpling soup with the leftover chicken.
I was very generous with salt, and I substituted sweet potatoes, which turned out tasting like caramelized buttery, lemony candy. Yum!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it and I loveeee the idea of those sweet potatoes- totally trying that next time!
patricia
This didn’t work for me. It took far longer then 20 minutes per pound to cook , and itt wasn’t particulary tasty . I don’t know if the presence of my baking stone in the bottom rack made the cooking go slower ? But there doesn’t seem much use to cooking anything in a dutch oven with the lid open and since a browning is needed, you might as well just place the chicken in a baking pan .
Elizabeth Lindemann
While the cooking time and temp works great for me, and most readers, I’ve received this feedback before that it wasn’t long enough. So next time you make this (or for anyone else reading this) it might be advantageous to do 375 degrees F instead of 350. The Dutch oven helps keep the moisture in all around the chicken so it comes out juicy, but still allows for crispy skin on the top, and also lets you cook veggies in the same pan for a one pot meal. That said, I roast chickens all the time on a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan! As for flavor, try more salt next time. Hope that helps and sorry you had a frustrating experience.
Jenny
I made this and followed the recipe exactly. It was the best chicken I’ve ever made! I used a 5qt oval Dutch oven. I used Japanese yams instead of potatoes because that’s what I had, and also threw some fresh thyme and sage in the cavity with everting else. Crispy skin and super flavorful!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So happy to hear you liked it! Love the idea of using Japanese yams and the thyme and sage. Thanks for the tips!
Sue
Going to try this recipe for dinner tonight. Usually I preheat my cast iron Dutch oven before adding ingredients. Your recipe doesn’t say — do you preheat or not?
Elizabeth Lindemann
Nope, you don’t need to preheat it! Hope it turns out well for you.
Sue
We did end up preheating the Dutch oven — onions got aromatic and gained some colour (but did not brown or burn) — I would do that again. We added potatoes and also carrots — and about half an hour after I turned the temperature down I added 1/2 cup beef broth. It was delicious! I think next time I would either add more liquid so the veggies are immersed — without a lid some of the carrots were “al dente” — or else would cook the carrots separately. Will do this one again. Thank you for your speedy response and also for a terrific recipe!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks for explaining what you did, and so glad it worked out well for you! :-)
Sekar
2 Times I try this recipe already.that great.thank you for u recipe 😊
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you like it!
Kerry
I will let you know. I preheated mine. I should have read comments before lol
Edna Sarah Fortune’
Soooooo DELICIOUS 😋
Elizabeth Lindemann
So happy you liked it!
Diane Condon
Best chicken i have ever made by far. I got a standing ovation at my house!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
A standing ovation! That’s amazing! So glad you and your family liked it :-)
Jamie
I just bought my first dutch oven. However it says I can only put it in the oven at a 400 degree temp. It is not a cuisinart. Any recommendations as to cooking times etc? Thank you so much!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Hm, it’s possible that your Dutch oven has plastic knobs or handles and that’s the reason why it’s only recommended to go to 400 degrees. You may want to double check that this is the case. If so, since you aren’t using the lid for this recipe, as long as there aren’t plastic handles on the lower part (I’ve never seen that), you may be able to go higher in temperature. That said, if you’re nervous about it or definitely can’t go higher in temp, just do 400 degrees for that initial roast instead of the higher temperature for 10 minutes longer, then lower the temp to 350 for the rest of the time. Hope that helps!
Derek
This is a very simple recipe that is almost impossible to get wrong. The results were beyond amazing!! The flavor was incredible that hit every taste bud just right, while the chicken was juicy, tender and moist. It just melted in my mouth leaving me wanting more. This will be my go to chicken recipe for the family and guest that I want to impress.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks so much, and really happy to hear the recipe worked well for you! :-)
Kim
This really is the most delicious chicken ever. I make it at least once a week now and it’s always so yummy. The flavour in the potatoes and the chicken is really good.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Dockerdog
I found this a disappointing recipe.
1) The prep time of 15 minutes is WAY off. Consider all you have to do: you’re measuring and melting butter, washing and chopping rosemary, zesting two washed lemons, and then mixing all together; halving and slicing two onions; removing giblets from the chicken cavity, patting it dry with paper towels, liberally seasoning the cavity with salt and pepper; cutting the zested lemons in half and squeezing juice from them; slathering the hardened butter mixture over every part of the chicken; and then stuffing the cavity of the chicken with the lemon rinds, onion scraps, remaining 2 garlic cloves, and rosemary sprig/stems. After all this, tie the legs of the chicken together with kitchen twine and place in a Dutch oven on top of sliced onions and potatoes. All of this in 15 minutes? No way – I’m an experienced cook and I found it closer to 45-60 minutes.
2) I always read comments before attemping a new recipe and based on recommendations I significantly reduced the amount of lemon juice poured over the chicken to about 1/4. I’m glad I did, my opinion is the full amount of juice from two lemons would have been overwhelming. Keep in mind you’ve already used lemon zest in the butter mixture as well as stuffing the chicken cavity with lemon rinds. Too much sour citrus.
3) Mine was a 4-1/2 lb. whole chicken, after prepping I placed it into my Dutch oven on top of the sliced onions and 1″ potatoes. I cooked it uncovered based on the specific recommended times and oven temperatures. This was WAY off. Upon testing chicken temperature with a thermometer at the end it was still underdone. After cutting it up I finally ended up microwaving the choken pieces in our microwave. (NOTE: About 30 years ago my spouse and I both had severe cases of salmonella poisoning from an undercooked chicken recipe by a Emeril Lagasse; we’ve learned from that experience, we don’t eat even slightly undercooked poultry.)
4) Potatoes in the Dutch oven were only half-done, I had to finish them off in the microwave oven as well.
Nevertheless, despite my personal disappointment in this recipe I give credit to Elizabeth for her website and success for other recipes.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Sorry you had a frustrating experience! Thanks for the feedback. It’s always interesting to me when a recipe with rave reviews doesn’t work for a few people, and the specific feedback is helpful here so I can troubleshoot.
I think next time I make this, I’m going to set a timer to see how long it takes me to prep, so I can adjust the time if necessary (though I will say it’s practically impossible to accurately represent prep time, as everyone works very differently in the kitchen! This is probably the most challenging aspect of writing an accurate recipe that I’ve found).
You can roast whole chickens at a variety of oven temperatures. It may be that your oven just needed more time at 350 than my oven, or the chicken was colder when it was put in, or the chicken was just a little different (cooking time may vary with free range, water packed vs. air chilled, etc.). I find that 350 works perfectly for not overcooking the chicken on the outside but still getting a beautiful crispy skin, but it wouldn’t hurt to experiment with a higher temp, like 375 or 400, next time (or for anyone else reading this that runs into this issue). And I definitely recommend planning for extra cooking time if you’re new to this recipe, just in case.
I prefer my potatoes roasted separately, as I found they weren’t tender enough as well- that said, so many people have loved the potatoes cooked with the chicken that I left it in the instructions.
Anyway, better luck next time, and sorry again that you had a frustrating experience with this recipe!
Rachel
This comment made me lol! Why on earth if the chicken AND potatoes are undercooked would you ever finish them off IN A MICROWAVE haha! We don’t even own a microwave, but even if we did, I would still finish cooking the meat and taters in the dutch oven. If you are finishing a dutch oven dish in a microwave, for any reason and with any recipe, I would rethink that choice just because someone got food poisoning back in the day lol. Thanks for the laughs about the prep work too, it’s not that hard and should take an accomplished cook 20 min. Tops. Lol!
Melinda
Made this recipe tonight and it was great!!! Only thing was the roasting at a lower temp for me had to be 425 vs. 350 – it’s all about knowing your oven
.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Glad you liked it! Agreed- everyone’s ovens are different.
M K
If I am roasting 3 chickens (5-6 lbs each) at once, should I multiply the total weight by 20 minutes? Or an average of the weights multiplied by 20 minutes?
Elizabeth Lindemann
Good question. Will the chickens be in separate baking pans/Dutch ovens? If so, I would take the heaviest chicken and do the cooking time for that one. Set a timer for the smallest chicken as well, so you can take the smaller ones out a little early. If you do an average, the largest one may be undercooked and the smaller one overcooked. You definitely don’t want to multiply the total weight of all three chickens- that would be too much time. But if you are trying to squeeze two or three chickens in one baking dish, you might need a little longer (note: I don’t recommend that, as they will cook unevenly and not get crispy all the way around). Sometimes you can fit two chickens on one roasting pan without them touching (or barely touching) and that would be fine. Hope that helps, and hope you like it!
M K
Thank you so much! I’ll plan to do in separate pots then! This is making it to our Thanksgiving Dinner this year 😊
Jamie O
Made this last night with a pre-marinated Mediterranean chicken from the local store; however, I followed the cooking method and root veggies and the family loved it! Cooking a whole chicken has always scared me so I’m glad this worked out. Thanks!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! I find this the least intimidating way to roast a whole chicken. Slow cookers are great too if you’ve never tried it, but you don’t get the crispy skin.
Sara
Made for dinner tonight, and it was a big hit! I will definitely be making this again.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Con
Made this last night. It was a huge success. This is the first time I’ve roasted a chicken without the lid on my cast iron dutch oven. I’ve found that roasting with the lid on is more like stewing a chicken. Even though it had amazing flavor I was missing the crispy skin you get from a roasted chicken. Following your suggestion of using root vegetables to lift the chicken off the bottom of the pot, I was expecting them to be over cooked and smashed. Instead they were crazy flavorful and perfectly tender. Thank you for clarifying what you meant by a “liberal” amount of salt. I started with two tablespoons and backed off to about one and a half table spoons thinking the chicken would be too salty but after dinner realized two tablespoons, maybe a little more, would go into my next chicken. I also roasted vegetables on the side wanting a choice of crispy vegetable and found everyone enjoyed them both ways. I will definitely make this again.
Consuelo
Made this last night. It was a huge success. I was expecting the root vegetables added the bottom to be over cooked and smashed instead they were them crazy flavorful and surprisingly tender. Thank you for clarifying what you meant by a “liberal” amount of salt. I started with two tablespoons and backed off to about one and a half table spoons thinking the chicken would be too salty and after dinner realized two tablespoons, maybe a little more would go into my next chicken. I also roasted vegetables on the side wanting a choice of crispy vegetable and found everyone enjoyed them both ways. I will definitely make this again.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So happy to hear you liked it!
Z
I roast a chicken every single week for Shabbat and have tried many roast chicken recipes. Honestly, I was pretty disappointed by this one and did not think that it was worth the effort it took to make it. The author says it takes 15 minutes for prep but this is not true. Prep takes much longer. I also roasted this chicken uncovered for an 1 hr 30 just like it said and it still was not done. But most disappointing to me was that the flavors were not very strong. Much better have been the Simple Roast Chicken by Barbara Kafka which is roasted at 500, takes one hour, and is so delicious and Ina Garten’s Engagement Chicken which is extremely flavorful. One thing I also do not like about this recipe is that the potatoes do not crisp up like they would in a roasting pan.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Oh no! Sorry you had a frustrating experience. If you decide to try it again (or if any other readers are concerned about this), here are my tips based on this feedback. My first thought is that the chicken probably needed more salt. I recommend being extremely heavy handed on adding salt to the cavity of the chicken and to the herb and butter mixture, especially if you are roasting a larger chicken. The prep time is more for just the chicken and doesn’t include the vegetables, and I’ll add that establishing an accurate prep time is probably the most difficult (and almost impossible) part of recipe writing as this will vary greatly depending on the cook. Cooking time may vary depending on a few factors, such as how cold the chicken is to start, how much water content is in the chicken, and how hot your oven runs, so it’s definitely important to use a meat thermometer and allow for extra time just in case. Finally- cooking the potatoes in the bottom of the Dutch oven definitely won’t result in a crisp, browned result- I suggested in the recipe notes to roast them in a separate pan if that’s how you like them. I’m always looking for new recipes so thanks for your suggestions- I’ll check them out! Hope that helps!
Bryan
Much like another person. 1) Prep time should be 30 min. 2) Cook time took longer, 1.5hrs and still needed more time, even the potatos and carrots. Mine was a 4-5lbs bird, maybe it needed to be covered at some point. 3) Taste was simple, especially the potatos and carrots. Maybe toss them in oil salt and pepper before putting in dutch oven. Or like was said, roast seperate. 4) Plenty of salt was added inside and out. 2 tbsp. Still took a long time.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks for the feedback- I’m not sure why the flavor tasted bland other than it might have needed even MORE salt (try 3 tablespoons next time), and great idea about seasoning the veggies before adding them for extra flavor. As for cooking time, this may have varied based on a few factors (such as water content in the chicken and beginning temperature, temp of the oven, etc.). For you, or anyone else reading this, it’s easy to let a roast chicken rest for a half hour or even more after cooking, so it’s better to err on the side of more cooking time (that way if you are done early, you can just let it rest until you’re ready to eat). Hope that helps, and sorry this recipe didn’t meet your expectations!