One-Pot Family Meals: Roasted Chicken

This easy recipe for whole roast chicken is cooked in a dutch oven and has crispy skin smothered in lemon, garlic, rosemary butter!

Ingredients

  • 1 whole chicken about 4-5 lbs.
  • 2 lemons
  • 5 cloves garlic 3 minced, 2 cut in half
  • 4 sprigs fresh rosemary 3 finely chopped, 1 left whole
  • 2 large onions halved and thickly sliced
  • 4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick)
  • kosher salt see notes
  • black pepper see notes
  • 1.5 lbs. potatoes cut into 1" pieces

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Melt butter in small bowl; add minced garlic, chopped rosemary, the zest of the two lemons, and plenty of kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Set aside.
  3. Place the onions in bottom of enameled cast iron dutch oven or roasting pan. Add potatoes on top of the onions.
  4. Prepare chicken by removing giblets from cavity and patting dry with paper towels.
  5. Liberally season the cavity with salt and pepper. LIBERALLY.
  6. Cut the zested lemons in half; reserve juice and save rinds.
  7. The butter mixture will have hardened slightly by now. Using your hands, slather the mixture liberally over every part of the chicken and under the breast skin (being careful not to tear the skin).
  8. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the lemon rinds, remaining 2 garlic cloves, and rosemary sprig/stems. Place in dutch oven on top of sliced onions and potatoes
  9. Pour reserved lemon juice over the chicken.
  10. Roast chicken uncovered approximately 20 minutes per pound, or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees (about 1.5 hours for a 4.5 lb. chicken). The chicken should be uncovered the entire time it cooks, unless it seems like it's burning (see notes).
  11. Allow the chicken to rest for at least 10 minutes before carving.