Chicken Pot Roast

This chicken pot roast is a cozy chicken dinner cooked in one pot, right in your oven! Brimming with lots of veggies such as carrots, potatoes, parsnips, fennel, and onions, plus a whole chicken roasted to golden perfection, with all of it's savory juices, this delicious peasant-style chicken dish is sheer comfort!

Chicken Pot Roast Is a Complete Cozy Meal in One Pot

A simple meal of an organic whole chicken well-seasoned and roasted to golden, juicy perfection is truly hard to beat. The flavor is rich and earthy, and wonderfully succulent!

The aroma of this dish as it roasts away in the oven is utterly divine, and I typically crave very little alongside of it apart from some rustic roasted vegetables, some fresh, crusty bread, and a nice glass of white wine—Heaven!

So when I had a taste for a cozy and comforting roasted chicken dinner, I took some inspiration from traditional beef pot roast and prepared this chicken pot roast with a whole tender roasted chicken, in a pot brimming with lots of vegetables, and all of those scrumptious juices to dip warm bread into. What a perfectly warming meal!

For me, this chicken pot roast is a classic “peasant-style” dish, one where a few very simple ingredients are cooked together in one vessel, their delectable flavors mingling together along with a tiny splash of white wine until all is cooked to rustic perfection.

How to Make Chicken Pot Roast

Here's the lovely thing about this delicious recipe: all of the ingredients are added into one large pot and cooked together in the oven. The more rustic and simple you keep it, the better!

The secret to flavorful roasted chicken is to use a good quality chicken, one that is preferably organic and minimally processed.

A chicken of that quality innately tastes better, and needs little else to flavor it apart from a rub of olive oil, a liberal seasoning of sea salt and black pepper, and a sprinkle of dried herbs, if desired.

Because the dish (and its presentation) is meant to be rustic, cutting the carrots, parsnips, fennel, potatoes and onions into chunky, slightly larger pieces is all you need to do. If you don't mind the skin on the carrots and potatoes, you can even skip the step of peeling!

For some additional flavor, I pour a very small amount of white wine into the pot so that it mingles with the juices, and this creates that bit of sauciness, which is perfect for dipping bread into.

Here's a glance at my chicken pot roast recipe:. (or just jump to the full recipe further down...)

1. I begin by cutting up my veggies into medium-size pieces, and tossing them with some olive oil, salt, and pepper; I then add them into my pot, and drizzle in a touch of white wine and chicken stock.
2. Next, I tie the legs of my chicken together with kitchen twine, and tuck the wing tips back under the body of the chicken; I season my whole chicken with olive oil and a liberal amount of sea salt (about 2 to 3 teaspoons), black pepper and a little sprinkle of Herbes de Provence.
3. I place the chicken, breast-side up, over top of the vegetables in the pot, and cook the chicken pot roast, uncovered, at 400° for roughly 1 ½ hours, or until the internal temp of the chicken reaches 165° (I use a digital thermometer inserted horizontally into the thickest part of the breast, not touching the bone).
4. Before serving, I allow the chicken pot roast to rest for about 15-20 minutes; then, I sprinkle with some fresh parsley or thyme leaves, and serve directly out of the pot, cutting pieces of chicken and serving with the vegetables and juices.

Recipe

Chicken Pot Roast

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

Chicken pot roast is a cozy and rustic one-pot chicken dinner, filled with lots of aromatic vegetables and savory juices!

Category: Entree
Cuisine: American

Yield: Serves 6

Nutrition Info: 711 calories

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 6 baby yellow potatoes, quartered
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into larger chunks
• 2 parsnips, peeled and chopped into larger chunks
• 1 fennel bulb, cut in half and cored, then thinly sliced
• 1 small onion, cut into medium chunks
• 4 whole cloves of garlic, papers removed
• Olive oil
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence
• ½ cup chicken stock/broth
• ¼ cup white wine
• 1 (3 ½ - 4 pound) organic chicken, giblets removed and patted dry
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or fresh thyme, for garnish

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°, and prepare a large Dutch oven or oven-safe pot.
2. Add the quartered potatoes, carrots, parsnips, fennel, onion and garlic to a large bowl, drizzle with a good splash of olive oil, and sprinkle with a couple of good pinches of salt and pepper, and about half of the Herbes de Provence; toss to coat, and scatter on the bottom of the pot.
3. Next, pour the chicken stock/broth and the wine over the veggies.
4. Place the chicken in front of you on a work surface, and drizzle it with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, rubbing it into the skin; next, season all sides of the bird and the cavity with a total of about 2-3 teaspoons of the sea salt and about 1 teaspoon of black pepper (you need to season this much meat quite liberally), then sprinkle over the rest of the Herbes de Provence.
5. Tuck the wing tips behind the chicken, and simply tie the legs together with some kitchen twine to help keep the chicken more “together” as it roasts; then, insert a digital thermometer into the thickest part of the breast horizontally, taking care not to touch the bone.
6. Place the chicken, breast-side up, on top of the vegetables, and place the pot into the oven (uncovered), and roast until the temperature registers 165° (roughly 1 ½ hours, depending on the size of your chicken).
7. Once roasted, using tongs or two spoons, carefully tip the chicken forward so that any accumulated juices run out of the cavity and onto the veggies, then allow the chicken to rest for about 15-20 minutes.
8. Once rested, sprinkle the herbs over top and serve, cutting slices of chicken and enjoying spoonfuls of veggies in sauce alongside. (I'll usually lift the chicken out of the pot and set it on a board for a moment, and give the veggies a little stir to incorporate them with the juices; then, I return the chicken back on top of the veggies and serve.)

Tips & Tidbits for my Chicken Pot Roast recipe:

• Use a 3 to 4 pound chicken: A 3 to 4 pound chicken is the best size when it come to roasting, as it tends to roast more evenly being slightly smaller, which helps to ensure that both the white and the dark meat is equally juicy and flavorful. Also, purchase a good quality organic chicken if you can, the flavor is far superior to those that are conventionally raised.
• Delicious, rustic veggies: The vegetables in this chicken pot roast bring a lot of flavor to the dish as well, and I really like the combination of carrots, potatoes, fennel and onions. Fennel comes in bulb form, with fronds, and has a slightly licorice or anise flavor—if you're not a fan, simply leave it out. And if you're fine with leaving the peel on the potatoes and carrots, skip the peeling! 😉
• A little splash of wine, or leave it out: A ¼ cup of white wine (the kind you would drink alongside of this dish) offers just a touch of brightness, and mingles well with the savory juices of the chicken. But it you prefer to skip the alcohol, simple omit it, and add a touch more chicken stock.
• Let the roasted chicken rest: Once cooked through, allow the chicken pot roast to rest for 15 to 20 minutes to keep those juices inside of the chicken. Then, serve directly from the pot, cutting pieces of the chicken, with the veggies and juices; or, place the chicken on a platter, and slice to serve.
• Correct internal temperature for roasted chicken: Be sure to cook your chicken to at least 165° for safe yet juicy results (I even take mine to 170°, and it's still perfectly moist). Use a digital thermometer inserted horizontally into the thickest part of the breast, making sure that it's not touching the bone.

Craving more scrumptious chicken recipes? Check out these Braised Chicken Thighs, this Chicken Cacciatore, these Roasted Chicken Breasts, or this Fried Chicken!