Is there anything more perfect for Sunday supper than a roast chicken dinner?  My favorite way to prepare a whole roasted chicken is in a dutch oven, which cuts down on the roasting time and keeps the chicken moist and tender. You’ll love this easy all-in-one method for a delicious dutch oven chicken and veggies.

Perfect Roasted Chicken Recipe

This recipe for dutch oven roasted chicken is moist, flavorful and juicy — not to mention it’s an easy one-pot meal!  If you’ve never tried roasting a whole chicken in a dutch oven, you need to try it!  I’m a total convert to this method.

Prep takes just 10 minutes, and the rest of the cooking time is almost hands-off. There’s very little clean-up as everything roasts together in one pot.  Bonus — you can even serve this easy chicken dinner straight from the dutch oven.

How long does it take to roast a whole chicken in a dutch oven?  Well, that depends on the size of your chicken.  I cooked my 4lb chicken for 50 minutes covered + 30 minutes uncovered, for a total of 1 hour 20 minutes.

I suggest to cook your chicken for a total of approximately 20 minutes per pound, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.  If you are looking for an accurate, easy-to-use meat thermometer, I swear by this one.  (I’ve actually purchased a second, after my mom stole my first! Haha!)

Roasting a Whole Chicken in a Dutch Oven

This method for roasting a chicken in a dutch oven couldn’t be simpler.  For this recipe, I like to use use a large dutch oven with a lid.  You’ll want a dutch oven that can go from stovetop to the oven, too.

This Calphalon stainless steel dutch oven works perfectly for this recipe because it has a heavy-gauge construction to quickly and evenly distribute heat.  It works on all stovetop types — even induction – and it’s oven safe up to 450°F.

To start, you’ll season the chicken. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, and season inside and out with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Feel free to experiment with other seasonings, too, if you like.  Fresh herbs, lemon pepper, jerk seasoning, herbes de provence — whatever you like.

Then, I like to truss the legs of the chicken with kitchen twine to help it cook evenly. And for extra insurance, I also tuck the wings of the chicken behind. Set aside while the oven preheats and you prepare the vegetables.

If you don’t have kitchen twine on hand to truss your chicken, fear not.  Here’s a video showing how to truss a chicken without string or twine.

Then, place your dutch oven over medium heat, and begin to cook the bacon.  Cook until browned, then remove the bacon from the pan. Keep the bacon fat in the pan to cook the vegetables.

The next step is to prepare the vegetables.  If you’re looking to limit your carb intake, I suggest using lower-carb vegetables like celery, onions, kale, other greens, and radishes.  Roasted radishes actually make a pretty good swap for roasted potatoes!

Check out this guide to keto vegetables to learn more about which vegetables are the most keto-friendly.

After you’ve got all your ingredients back in the dutch oven, it’s time to get roasting. Roast the chicken for approximately 20 minutes per pound, or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees (about 1 hour 15 minutes for a 4 lb chicken)

If you like crispy chicken skin — and who doesn’t — remove the lid for the last 30 minutes of roasting.  You’ll know that your roast chicken is finished cooking with the thigh meat registers 165º degrees on a thermometer.

Recipes for Leftover Roast Chicken

I love roasting a whole chicken in a dutch oven on the weekend because it sets me up with leftover chicken for easy meals during the week.  You can use leftover roast chicken in a variety of recipes.

One of my favorite ways to use leftover chicken is in the Keto Chicken Enchiladas recipe.  It’s so good, and really quick to put together if you have cooked chicken on hand.

Another great leftover chicken recipe is this Thai Peanut Chicken Salad.  Its a great crunchy salad with a delicious peanut dressing.

Dutch Oven Roasted Chicken with Radishes

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

A whole roasted chicken cooked in a dutch oven.  An easy one-pot method for cooking moist, tender, and flavorful roasted chicken.

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Ingredients

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, 4-5 lbs.
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder or 2 fresh cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 6 pieces bacon, diced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 bunches radishes, trimmed, scrubbed, cut in half
• 1 head of kale, chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Arrange a rack in the lower third of the oven, remove the racks above it.
2. Season the chicken. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Season inside and out with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Truss the legs with kitchen twine, if desired. Tuck the wings of the chicken. Set aside while the oven preheats and you prepare the vegetables.
3. Cook the bacon. Place the dutch oven over medium heat, and cook the bacon until browned. Once cooked, remove the bacon from the pan. Keep the bacon fat in the pan to cook the vegetables.
4. Prepare the vegetables. Place the onions, radishes, and kale into the dutch oven. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables. Return the reserved bacon to the pan.
5. Roast the chicken: Roast the chicken for 50 minutes, covered. Then, for the last 30 minutes of roasting, remove the lid. Cook until the skin is golden and crisp, and the chicken registers 165º degrees on a thermometer.
6. Rest the chicken. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and carve. Serve with vegetables.

Notes

Roast chicken for approximately 20 minutes per pound, or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees (about 1 hour 15 minutes for a 4 lb chicken)

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 313Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 99mgSodium: 1342mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 32g

The nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. It was calculated by Nutritionix with the recommended brands and ingredients. All brands are different, so please verify the macros with your specific ingredients to ensure accuracy.

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