Mom's Dutch Oven Whole Chicken

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Mom's dutch oven whole chicken is an easy recipe that's perfect for the whole family! With incredibly simple ingredients and a few easy steps you can have this crispy skin, juicy center roast chicken on the table in no time!

Here's why you should choose this one

Easy clean up - Dutch oven recipes are the best because they require very few dishes which means easy clean up! Not only that, but the cooking time in a dutch oven is often quicker than in the oven or in a slow cooker. That's what I love about this recipe.

Mom's classic recipe - When I say this truly is the BEST roast chicken recipe, I mean it. My mom used to make this at least one Sunday a month. It's just so easy to throw in a dutch oven and let it cook for a few hours.

Perfect for leftovers - Another reason why this is a favorite recipe of mine is because it makes great leftovers! You can use the extra meat in gluten-free chicken noodle soup, enchiladas, salads, or make gluten-free chicken pot pie.

Ingredients for Dutch oven roast chicken

When I say these ingredients are simple, I mean it! You probably have most of these ingredients and spices in your home already.

Whole Chicken - For this whole chicken recipe you can use a thawed frozen chicken or buy a fresh whole chicken at the store, the choice is yours. I do recommend a high quality chicken though for the best flavor.

Coconut Oil - For crispy skin and in order for the spices to stick, you need coconut oil or olive oil. You can melt coconut oil in a small bowl if needed. I found that it works better than olive oil with its higher smoke point.
And the coconut flavor doesn't over power at all.

Spices - I like Real salt, Real onion salt, Real seasoned salt, cayenne, paprika, and other fresh herbs. You can add whatever spices you'd like.

How to make it

This is one of the easiest meals because all you have to do is season the chicken, place it in the bottom of the pan, then let it bake! No need to add spices or stuffing to the cavity of the chicken either!

Before seasoning the chicken, it's important to massage the chicken with oil so that the spices will stick and the skin comes out crispy. After the chicken is covered in oil, you can add the spices and place in the bottom of the dutch oven.

Bake for 2 ½ hours or until chicken is fully cooked. I like to use a meat thermometer on the thickest part of the thigh and make sure the chicken is 165 degrees f.

Pro tip: Serve with fresh veggies, lemon juice, and a sprinkle of parsley for an easy way to spice up this recipe!

5 and 6 quart dutch ovens are large enough to cook a whole chicken and even bake an entire loaf of bread! But for this recipe, simply place the chicken in the bottom of the pan and roast until the internal temperature is 165 degrees f.

Pro tip: For juicy meat it's best to cook your chicken covered but if you want crispy skin, feel free to cook your chicken uncovered for the 2nd portion of the cook time.

 

This post was originally published in December 2017 but was updated in March 2022.