Roasted chicken is one of life’s all-time comfort foods and this juicy whole chicken with fresh herbs and vegetables is a classic meal in one pot. This is a recipe to make and serve any week-night or Sunday dinner yet special enough for company.

Using a Dutch oven to cook the chicken is similar to using a crockpot but it will give you more flavor. Unlike the crockpot, more of the liquid evaporates and the flavors concentrate. The Dutch oven will also allow the chicken and vegetables to brown (the Maillard reaction) which you can’t get in a slow cooker.

This is the best roasted chicken!

Dutch Oven Chicken

This French-inspired, roasted chicken is such a simple way to serve up a no-fuss dinner, and you will love the moistness of the chicken. The Dutch oven does all the work and acts as a slow cooker but it will also brown the chicken and give it more flavor.

This is a one-pot meal with the chicken and vegetables all cooked in a covered brasier or Dutch oven. The chicken is moist and juicy; the vegetables are tender but still firm and the juices created a delicious sauce flavored with white wine, garlic, thyme, and a touch of Dijon mustard.

This recipe is like a pot roast dinner with a whole chicken instead of beef. It is comforting family food that brings everyone together at the dinner table. Serve it with some sourdough bread and a snap pea salad or a classic wedge with buttermilk ranch dressing. Finish dinner with a chocolate cake for a perfect meal.

It would be lovely to roast up one of those fat organic, free-range chickens for this recipe. The little farm where we buy our fresh eggs sells their home-grown chickens all ready to cook.

However, they are sold in lots of six for a cash outlay of $163. That is a hunka cash and calculates to almost $30 a chicken. I just couldn’t do it. I have no problem shelling out the big bucks for a whopping big prime rib roast or a hefty chunk of halibut. But chicken?? I’m just not there yet.

I would love to hear from you readers to let me know if I am truly missing out. For now, it will be a supermarket chicken.

How To Prepare This Pot Roasted Herb Chicken:

Here is a brief overview of the process. Scroll down to the printable recipe card to see all the details.

Prep the chicken. Season the chicken and sear it in the Dutch oven.
Start the chicken without the vegetables. Add the wine and aromatics to the pot and place it in a preheated oven.
Add the vegetables. Continue roasting in the oven until the temperature registered 175*F on the meat thermometer.
Make the sauce. Use the juices in the pot to make the gravy.

For the best results, use an instant-read meat thermometer and check the meat intermittently or use a leave-in meat thermometer so you don’t have to open the oven frequently. The above links are affiliate links from ThermoWorks . They make the best thermometers we have ever used and we highly recommend them.

A Great Flavored Finishing Sauce:

This chicken is moist, juicy, and tender. The vegetables cook to perfection and the juices make a wonderfully rich and flavorful sauce with white wine and Dijon mustard.

Our whole roasted chicken brings an ordinary chicken to the Wow! level. It is an easy recipe to prepare, healthy, great flavor, and a keeper.

Roasting a chicken in a Dutch oven is similar to using a crockpot but delivers better results. The chicken will be able to brown due to the Maillard reaction and that creates a tremendous amount of flavor.

Furthermore, you will get more evaporation in a Dutch oven which concentrates the flavors. It is an old-school method of slow cooking that will never get old.

Try it for dinner tonight! 🙂

More chicken recipes you may like:

Herb Roasted Chicken

Name: Herb Roasted Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 whole chicken (about 4 pounds); 1 teaspoon sea salt; 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1/4 teaspoon paprika; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1/2 cup white wine, divided; 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 1 small bunch of fresh thyme sprigs, tied with kitchen twine; 6 or 8 rainbow carrots, scrubbed clean but not peeled; 1-1/2 pounds red thumb fingerling potatoes; 12 small white mushrooms, whole and brushed free of soil; 2 cups chicken broth; 2 garlic cloves, grated or crushed; 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard; 2 tablespoons butter, softened; 2 tablespoons flour; Fresh thyme sprigs for garnish

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

A French-inspired Roasted Chicken that is moist, juicy, and tender. Served with rainbow carrots, fingerling potatoes, mushrooms and fresh thyme. Served with a wine-mustard sauce.

Roasting the chicken slowly in a Dutch oven makes a tender, juicy chicken that gets perfectly browned.

Ingredients

1 whole chicken (about 4 pounds)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup white wine, divided
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 small bunch of fresh thyme sprigs, tied with kitchen twine
6 or 8 rainbow carrots, scrubbed clean but not peeled
1-1/2 pounds red thumb fingerling potatoes
12 small white mushrooms, whole and brushed free of soil

For the Wine-Dijon Sauce:

2 cups chicken broth
2 garlic cloves, grated or crushed
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons flour
Fresh thyme sprigs for garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F
In a small dish, combine the sea salt, black pepper, and paprika and sprinkle on the inside and outside of the chicken. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine.
Add the oil to a Dutch oven or brasier pot set over medium heat, and when it is hot but not smoking add the chicken, breast side down and brown lightly. Rotate the bird to brown each side, about 8 minutes. Turn the chicken onto its back and drizzle 1/4 cup of the white wine into the pan. Add the garlic slices and the thyme sprig bundle.
Place the lid on the pot and transfer to the middle rack of the oven. Roast for 45 minutes. Remove the pot from the oven and baste the chicken with a few spoons full of the pan juices.
Arrange the vegetables around the chicken, add the lid and transfer back to the oven. Roast for about 30 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer reads 160° in the thickest part of the breast and 175° in the thickest part of the thigh. The juices should run clear.
Transfer the chicken to a serving platter, cut and discard the trussing twine from the legs and arrange the vegetables around the chicken, cover lightly with foil and allow to rest while preparing the sauce. When ready to serve, garnish the chicken and vegetables with fresh thyme sprigs.

For the Wine-Dijon Sauce:

Remove the thyme bundle and pour the pan juices through a strainer into a small saucepan. Skim off and discard as much of the fat as possible. Add the remaining wine, the chicken broth, and garlic.
Bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes, reducing the liquid to 2 cups. Whisk in the Dijon mustard, taste, and adjust seasoning if needed.
In a small dish add the butter and flour. Blend with the back of a spoon to make a paste. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the paste, whisking until it is melted.
Return the saucepan back to the stovetop over medium heat. Continue to cook for 2-3 minutes until slightly thickened. Transfer the sauce to a serving pitcher and pass with the chicken and vegetables.

Notes

If your chicken is large and touches the lid spray the inside of the lid with non-stick oil spray to prevent the flesh from sticking and ripping when the lid is removed.
Aluminum foil can be substituted for a lid, spray the inside of the foil with non-stick oil spray and cover the pot tightly.
Nutrition Values is for chicken only

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 349Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 86mgSodium: 82mgCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 26g

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Cindy Gordon

Wednesday 12th of October 2016

What beautiful photos you have! The chicken looks very juicy and flavorful! Perfect for the upcoming holidays!

Pat

Hi, Cindy....You are right, this will be great for the holidays, maybe a small turkey? Thanks for your comments :)

Platter Talk

Beautifully done chicken! I love the roast veggies with the gravy pouring down on the thigh. Exactly how I like it! Very nice.

Thank you, this is a great recipe....nice moist chicken with all those veggies cooked in the same pot and even a little gravy. Sunday dinner? Thanks for the comments :)

Kate @ Veggie Desserts

One pot meals are the absolute best! And herbs make everything even better.

Hi, Kate....yes, and one pot meals are usually easy to put together, as is this recipe. Thanks for the comments :)

Elizabeth

MMmm the ultimate comfort food! I do love a roast chicken this time of year :)

Hi, Elizabeth....Roast chicken is definitely my comfort food, this was a great Sunday dinner :)

Sarah @ Champagne Tastes

That might just be the prettiest chicken I've ever seen! (But I bet that didn't stop you from eating it lol). Looks amazing!!!!

Hi, Sara....Thank you for that compliment! Yep, it was delicious :)

Dutch Oven Chicken

How To Prepare This Pot Roasted Herb Chicken:

A Great Flavored Finishing Sauce:

More chicken recipes you may like:

Ingredients

For the Wine-Dijon Sauce:

Instructions

For the Wine-Dijon Sauce:

Notes

Nutrition Information:

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