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Make a Whole Roasted Chicken that will blow your family away with this simple-to-follow recipe. Crispy skin, tender meat, and seasoned veggies make a delicious centerpiece at any gathering or Sunday feast. The best part? Leftovers for days and a base for the best chicken stock you’ve ever had!

Serve your Whole Roasted Chicken with a side of brown sugar cornbread, rustic dinner rolls, cheesy mashed potatoes, or skillet-fried potatoes.

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My Go-To Dinner: Whole Roasted Chicken

I’m always of the belief that you really don’t need much to create an incredible whole roasted chicken recipe — just a Dutch oven and a few minutes of prep time.

As many of you know, we have a homestead here and my parents have a farm just down the road. Every year we purchase pigs and meat birds from them. I’ve gotten into the habit now of working towards the food for a year goal. What that means when it comes to meat for our large family is planning out what we’re going to eat a year at a time. For chickens, that looks like a whole bird every week. So this past year I ordered 52 chickens for example.

We don’t get to a whole bird every week, like when my husband gets a deer each fall we go a little venison crazy for a few weeks eating backstrap and all those delicious cuts. But for the rest of the year I’m cooking up whole chickens on the regular. Sometimes we’re making chicken tacos, sometimes chicken salad or chicken gnocchi soup in the colder months – but mostly it’s just a basic (delicious) whole roasted chicken with herbs that I can then use as my base for homemade chicken stock.

I love the classic and cozy flavors of Italian herbed butter to season my chicken both on and under the skin. It keeps the meat moist, flavorful, and crisps the skin at the end. I also stuff the chicken much like a turkey, with hearty vegetables and add a bed of carrots, onions, and celery to the bottom of the Dutch oven. I honestly don’t know if I prefer the aromas as it cooks or the actual flavors as I dig in. Okay, okay, I like eating it more!

If roasting a whole chicken sounds intimidating, just trust me and follow along with this recipe and watch my short video with how I do it. I promise you are going to be pleasantly surprised at how simple and foolproof it is! With one pot and virtually no hands-on time, you’ll be enjoying a perfectly moist chicken with golden and crispy skin any night of the week (as long as it’s thawed!).

And if you find yourself still a bit too intimidated to try, check out how to make shredded chicken in the Dutch oven to help bulk prep your meals for the week.

Cast Iron Dutch Oven Tips

If you couldn’t already tell, I’m a huge proponent of utilizing the incredible properties of cast iron in my recipes. Unmatched durability with even heat distribution makes for a perfect option when it comes to long braises, slow-simmering, and in this case, roasting.

Cast-iron Dutch ovens are particularly useful for roasting chicken. The sides trap moisture, the lid controls the browning process, and the material ensures an even cook of the whole chicken.

Bonus fact: Did you know that the designs and nubs on the bottom of your lid are drip guides? It helps to collect condensation as the item cooks and drops the liquid back onto the meat and acts as a self-basting mechanism.

Dutch ovens usually come in two varieties — traditional cast iron or cast iron with an enamel coating. Either one will work for this recipe, but I suggest it be in the range of 6 quarts or larger for a 5 pound bird or larger. If you’re going to make stock using the carcass right after, I suggest using an enameled dutch oven so you can just add water and be on your way!

Not sure if enameled cast iron is for you? Check out this video to learn more!

If it doesn’t have an enamel coasting, you will need to add oil to the bottom before the bird. If you’re using an enamel coating, you can get away with just water since the fat from the chicken will render as it cooks and should be enough.

How to Cook a Frozen Chicken

Okay, this isn’t my usual call-out and I’m sure I’ll have some readers gasping as I suggest something other than cast iron… but mommas – let me introduce you to my secret weapon: the Instant Pot. There have been plenty of times that I have been caught between a timer and hungry children with no meat thawed to cook. The Instant Pot has saved me time and time again!

I will add a cup of broth or water to the bottom of the pot followed by the entire frozen raw chicken, sprinkle in salt, pepper, onion powder, and whatever leftover herbs or veggies that are on the way out, into the pot and seal it. It really isn’t anything fancy but I’m telling you it is delicious and saves the day every. stinkin. time! Pressure cook on High for 30 minutes and natural release for about 10. Manually release the pressure for the remaining pressure and serve. Then you can return the carcass back to the pot, add water, and put on high pressure for about 1 hour with a natural release… BOOM! Chicken stock! Strain and store in mason jars.

Okay – I feel better. Now back to the cast iron…

Ingredients for a Whole Roasted Chicken, and stock!

Don’t be intimidated by preparing a whole roasted chicken! This meal is made with simple ingredients, and it’s quite straightforward to prepare. Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients for a Whole Roasted Chicken in the Dutch Oven

Whole chicken – Remove any innards (if it still has them) and thoroughly pat the chicken dry. For reference, I used a 6-pound whole chicken (raised here on the farm) in my 6-quart Dutch oven. It was a little large for the Dutch oven and I ended up having to tent it with tinfoil instead of the lid. So know that is an option.
Butter – To coat the outside of the chicken, creating a golden and crispy layer. Keep it unsalted for better control over the sodium level in the recipe. Also, make sure it is softened for an easier application.
Oil – Also for the outside of the bird and the bottom of the Dutch oven. I personally use olive oil, but other neutral vegetable oils work as well.
Filling – Both carrots and onions will be used to stuff the bird. You can substitute these with apples, celery, garlic, or lemon.
Vegetable bed – I prefer celery, carrots, and onions as the layer that will sit underneath the chicken as I always turn drippings and the carcass into a stock after.
Seasonings – We’re keeping things classic with Italian herbs, salt, and pepper. If you’d prefer, you can experiment with additional herbs and spices to suit your taste.

More Whole Chicken Recipes: I’m working on building up my collection of recipes and ways of cooking whole chickens, so be sure to check this category for more ideas as they arrive!

How to Make a Whole Roasted Chicken in a Dutch Oven

Once you have the vegetables chopped up, this whole roasted chicken recipe comes together quite easily. Check out this detailed collage and printable instructions if it’s your first time making one.

First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Roughly chop the carrots, celery, and onions into chunks and layer them in the bottom of your Dutch oven (save some carrots and onions for stuffing the bird).
Add a few drizzles of olive oil, about a cup of water, salt, and pepper. If you’re using an enameled Dutch oven, you can skip the oil. But, you will definitely need oil if you are using a traditional Dutch oven.
Combine the softened butter with Italian herbs, salt, and pepper. Next, gently separate the skin from the chicken to create little pockets. Rub about half of the herbed butter mixture in between the pockets, then rub the rest on the outside of the skin.
Stuff the cavity with the rest of the chopped onions and carrots, then tie the legs with kitchen twine to secure the bird (if you have it).
Place the seasoned and stuffed chicken on top of the bed of vegetables, cover the Dutch oven, and roast the chicken for about 30 minutes.
Remove the lid and roast the chicken for an additional 10 minutes, or until the skin is crispy and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F in the thickest part. Let the chicken rest for about 10-15 minutes uncovered before serving it.

Chef Tip: do not cover your chicken while it rests or all the steam will get trapped and ruin your crispy skin! We just want the internal juices to redistribute.

Now that is a hands-off recipe if you ask me! See the recipe card below for a quick printout of these instructions.

Tips for the Perfect Chicken Every Time!

Dry the chicken. Thoroughly patting the chicken dry not only helps the seasoning mixture stick, but it’s also another tip to achieving extra-crispy skin!

Season properly. For the crispiest skin and evenly dispersed seasoning, mix the room temperature butter with the seasonings before covering the chicken. Then spread the butter mixture in pockets beneath the skin and on the outside. Be generous with it too!

Let the chicken rest. Letting your meat rest after roasting allows the juices time to settle and redistribute, resulting in a tender, moist, and juicy texture. Prevent dry chicken by letting it sit for about 10-15 minutes after taking it out of the oven.

Use a thermometer. All oven temperatures vary slightly, and the weight of your chicken will likely be a little different than mine. It’s always best to use a meat thermometer to determine whether or not your meat is done rather than rely on time alone. For chicken, it should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F at the thickest part of the breast, towards the back of the chicken.

Truss the chicken. You don’t have to do anything fancy here, but I do recommend tying the legs together to keep everything neat and cook the chicken evenly. I’ll be honest though, we rarely do it.

How to Store Roasted Chicken Leftovers

It’s always hard to know if our family prefers the initial whole roasted chicken or leftovers the next day! Whatever the case is for your family, follow these tips to store any extra chicken.

For the fridge, cut the chicken into pieces and keep it in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Store the vegetables together with the chicken or separately if you prefer.

To freeze, transfer the completely cooled chicken to a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. In this case, I would suggest freezing the chicken separately from the vegetables.

When you’re ready to serve the chicken again, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, add it back to your Dutch oven (or baking sheet), and heat it for 10-15 minutes. Be careful not to cook the chicken for too long since it has a tendency to dry out.

What to serve for a full meal

While you can absolutely serve this chicken with the vegetables it’s cooked on and a loaf of French bread, you could also get a little fancy with it. Don’t save these classics for a holiday when they’re so easy and tasty to serve on any Wednesday night! Try these side dishes with your whole roasted chicken this week!

Whole Roasted Chicken