Dutch Oven Whole Roast Chicken

• portions: 4 servings
• temps actif: 30 minutes
• temps total: 2 hours 10 minutes

Ingrédients

4 medium yukon gold potatoes (quartered)

3 medium carrots (peeled and cut into medium-large chunks)

3 medium parsnips (peeled and cut into medium-large chunks)

2 medium yellow onions (peeled and quartered)

½ a lemon (halved)

Olive oil

Salt and pepper (to taste)

4 ½ to 5 pounds whole chicken (giblets removed)

½ a medium yellow onion (peeled and quartered)

½ lemon (halved or quartered)

4 sprigs fresh rosemary (divided)

4 sprigs fresh thyme (divided)

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

5 cloves garlic (finely minced)

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary (minced)

2 teaspoons thyme leaves

Zest of 1 lemon

2 teaspoons Kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Optional: Let chicken sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. This way, it will cook more evenly from the start.

Prepare the vegetable bed: Place the cut up vegetables (potatoes, carrots, parsnips, onions, lemon) in the bottom of a large 7- or 8-quart Dutch oven pot, preferably an oval-shaped one. Toss with a few generous drizzles of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Make the herbed butter: In a bowl, mix the herbed butter ingredients (listed above) until evenly combined. Set aside.

Prep chicken: Thoroughly pat the chicken dry with paper towels, including inside the cavity. This will help the skin get golden and crispy.

Rub chicken with the herbed butter: Carefully insert a spoon in between the skin and the meat to create pockets, mainly on the breast and legs (be careful not to tear the skin). Then, using the spoon, insert a very generous amount of the herbed butter inside these pockets, pressing to spread evenly. Then, rub the rest of the butter all over the top on the outside, including the wings and legs.

Stuff the cavity of the chicken with ½ a medium onion (quartered), ½ a lemon, 2 sprigs rosemary and 2 sprigs thyme. Tie the chicken legs with kitchen twine. Note: Tying the legs helps with even cooking and makes it more presentable. If you don't have kitchen twine, you can skip this, it will be fine.

Arrange chicken in Dutch oven: Place the prepared chicken on top of the vegetables in the Dutch oven pot, breast side up. Place the remaining 2 sprigs of rosemary and thyme around the chicken. Optional: Tuck in the wings tips under, or clip them so they don’t burn.

Roast: Cover with the lid securely, and roast at 400ºF for 1 hour 15 minutes COVERED. Then, remove the lid, increase oven temp to 425ºF, and finish cooking UNCOVERED for another 30 minutes to allow the skin to crisp up and turn more golden brown. Tip: Avoid opening the oven, this prevents the heat from escaping. Note: See notes below for more information on roasting/cooking times by pound.

Adjust as needed: While cooking uncovered, 1) If the vegetables look like they are starting to burn, add a few splashes of chicken broth around the sides of the veggies. 2) If after the last 30 minutes the chicken is still not fully done, tent any browning spots with foil and return to the oven for another 10-15 mins. It’s ready when the center of the breast reaches 165ºF (180ºF in the thigh).

Rest and carve: Let the chicken rest for 10-15 minutes before carving. Serve with the vegetables and spoon over the juices. Enjoy!

Nutrition

• Calories: 1008 kcal
• Lipides Totaux: 60 g
• Lipides Saturés: 25 g
• Lipides Insaturés: 30 g
• Acides Gras Trans: 1 g
• Cholestérol: 244 mg
• Sodium: 1395 mg
• Glucides Totaux: 66 g
• Fibres Diététiques: 13 g
• Sucres Totaux: 13 g
• Protéines: 52 g