Simple Dutch Oven Roasted Chicken – Whole30
Whether you’re looking for a simple weeknight dinner or a recipe to make you a meal prep master, this simple Dutch Oven Roasted Chicken with vegetables recipe is it! It’s Whole30, Paleo, Gluten Free and easily adapted to be Keto/Low Carb!
🧑🍳 Chicken Dinner (Winner Winner)
I’m of a mind that a simple roasted chicken is by far the most underrated meal there is. People think chicken is boring, I know, but there are a lot of reasons it’s NOT. Don’t believe me? I’ll list them out for you.
- Roasting chicken makes the whole house smell amazing.
- An entire meal is made in one pot, so clean up is a snap!
- Everybody in my family eats and enjoys chicken.
- I get to make a rocking homemade chicken stock after.
- I can customize the veggies to suit Whole30, GF, AIP, and Keto ways of eating.
And this simple Dutch Oven Roasted Chicken is absolutely wonderful. It’s a complete Whole30 and Paleo meal, bursting with savory flavor that’s super comforting and cozy. Sold yet? Good.
More Dutch Oven Recipes: German Pork & Sauerkraut, Maple Mustard Pork Loin, or Easy Beef Stew.
🍗 Ingredients
- Whole Chicken. I got this pastured, hormone free, humanely raised chicken from Porter Road.
- Vegetables of Choice: I used Carrots, Potatoes, Garlic, and Red Onions. Optionally, you can also use celery, sweet potatoes or any other root vegetable.
- Lemon. Don’t skip the lemon! It brightens and livens up the recipe. It’s absolutely wonderful!
- Ghee. Ghee is Whole30 and Paleo compliant, giving this dish so much lovely buttery richness. It’s also the secret to extra crispy chicken skin. You can substitute butter if that suits you better, however that won’t be Whole30 or Paleo compliant.
- Poultry Seasoning: This poultry seasoning blend is made with onion powder, garlic powder, ground coriander, dried rosemary, paprika, dried mustard, salt, cayenne pepper (optional), and black pepper. Aldi makes a great compliant poultry seasoning, if it works better to buy a store-bought blend!
🔪 Instructions
While your oven is preheating, quarter the potatoes and onions, and cut the carrots into 2-3 inch pieces. Slice the lemon. Take half of the onions, garlic, and lemon, and put those inside the cavity of the chicken.
Personally, I like to truss the chicken, but it’s an optional step. One of the benefits of using a dutch oven is that it cooks the contents evenly, so don’t worry one bit if you’d rather skip this step.
Tip: Slather the chicken with ghee on all sides and under the breast skin too, then sprinkle the chicken seasoning generously on top. The ghee inside and outside the skin is important — it’s the secret to getting a super crispy skin!
Before you add the vegetables to your dutch oven, spray or rub a bit of oil along the bottom and sides. You don’t need much, just enough to make sure the roasted veggies don’t stick.
Add the potatoes, carrots, onions, and lemon to dutch oven, then place the chicken on top. No liquid is needed in the dutch oven, unless you happen to want to add it. The chicken will produce enough liquid as it cooks to ensure a wonderful broth for the veggies to simmer in.
‼ The safe internal temperature of chicken is 165 F, per USDA.
- Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the roasted chicken has reached 165 F by inserting it into the thigh, without touching the thermometer to the bone.
If you don’t have a meat thermometer, you can check the chicken for doneness by making a slice along the leg and checking to see if the juice runs clear.
Once it’s cooked thoroughly, allow the chicken to rest for about 10-15 minutes before slicing.
Use leftovers to make my Low Carb Spaghetti Squash & Pesto Chicken Casserole or my Whole30 Chicken Fajita Stuffed Peppers recipes! And always, always, use the bones to make homemade chicken stock!
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Dutch Oven Roasted Chicken – Whole30, Paleo
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 3.5 lb whole chicken
- 3-4 carrots
- 4 medium potatoes
- 1 red onion
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 1 lemon
- 3 Tablespoon ghee
- 1-2 Tablespoon poultry seasoning see below
Poultry Seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon onion powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoons dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 1/2 teaspoons dried mustard
- 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1/8 teaspoons cayenne pepper optional
- 1/8 teaspoons black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Meanwhile, make the poultry seasoning. Mix all the ingredients together in a small dish.
- Quarter the potatoes and onion and cut the carrots into 3 inch pieces. Mince the garlic. Slice the lemon.
- Pat the chicken dry. Season lightly on the inside and outside of the chicken with salt and pepper. Use your hands to spread the ghee all over the chicken skin and under the breast skin (this is the key to crispy chicken skin). Put half of the lemon, half of the garlic, and half of the onion inside the chicken cavity. Optionally, you can truss the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken generously with the poultry seasoning.
- Spray or lightly oil the bottom and sides of the inside of the dutch oven. Add the rest of the vegetables to the bottom of the dutch oven, then set the chicken on top of the vegetables. The chicken should sit off the bottom of the dutch oven, but not so high that you can't put the lid on.
- Cover and bake in the oven for one hour. Remove the lid and cook with the lid off for another 30-35 minutes. If you like the skin a little extra crispy, turn on the broiler and broil the chicken for about 2 minutes.
- Remove the dutch oven from the oven and allow the chicken to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Before cooking, check to be sure to use a chicken that will fit into your dutch oven.
- Substitute any other root vegetables you like. Parsnips, beets, turnips, and sweet potatoes all work well.
- Always test the internal temperature of the chicken has reached 165°F (74°C), per USDA.
- To store leftovers: Transfer leftover chicken and vegetables to an airtight container or bag. Store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, per USDA.
- Repurpose leftover chicken in Chicken & Rice Soup, or make a healthy Chicken Salad!
- Get the air fryer recipe adaptation.
