I have been a member of Cooks Illustrated (a culinary arm of America’s Test Kitchen) for many years. I love this site (and magazine) because they test a popular recipe (like apple pie) in various ways with different methodologies and ingredients and then give you the best version of the recipe. This saves me a lot of time and money in testing recipes myself. I will sometimes take their “best” recipes and then adapt them with organic or better quality ingredients and healthier cooking methods (they are a fan of using the microwave for shortcuts, I am not). French Chicken in a Pot is one of those recipes. I am using a pastured chicken for this recipe. Yes, pastured chickens are not always easy to find, but the flavor and health benefits are worth going the extra mile to procure.
The basic idea of French Chicken in a Pot is to brown a whole chicken in a Dutch oven with onions, garlic, celery, rosemary and bay leaves and then finish it off in the oven at low heat. This cooking method allows for the chicken to simmer in its own juices. As advised by Cooks Illustrated, the cooking times in the recipe are for a 4½ – to 5-pound bird. A 3½ – to 4½-pound chicken will take about an hour to cook, and a 5- to 6-pound bird will take close to 2 hours. I added a carrot to this recipe as well as white wine to the jus to enhance the flavor.
Cooks Illustrated also advises to use a 5- to 8-quart Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid. They say, “If using a 5-quart pot, do not cook a chicken larger than 5 pounds”. They also suggest using foil to place tightly over the pot and under the lid to keep the juices in, but I am not comfortable cooking with foil so I have removed this step, but still find I have plenty of pan juices to pour over my chicken when I serve.
Please note, this is not a dish that will yield a crispy, succulent skin. It’s benefit is the flavor as it is slow cooked at low heat in its own juices. The skin is a little more on the soggy side, but where the skin lacks, the flavor makes up for it. Use the best chicken you can find, such as a free range, organic, locally pastured chicken or ideally locally pastured and organic bird.
The amount of jus (remaining pan juices) will vary depending on the size of the chicken; season it with about ¼ teaspoon lemon juice for every ¼ cup jus or simmer it a bit with 2 tablespoons of dry white wine. I have modified America’s Test Kitchen’s best version of this recipe and have made it a little bit more “Amanda Love” style. Thank you to America’s Test Kitchen for inspiring this recipe. Enjoy and Happy Cooking!
Note: If you want to crisp up your skin a bit, remove the lid, brush chicken with a bit of olive oil or fat of choice and place back in over at 400 degrees for 5-10 minutes until skin is browned.
- 1 whole roasting chicken (4½ to 5 pounds), giblets removed, wings tucked in
- 2 teaspoons good salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black or white pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter, ghee, coconut oil, lard, beef tallow, chicken fat or duck fat
- 1 small onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 small stalk celery, diced (about 1/4 cup)
- 1 carrot – diced (about 1/4 cup)
- 6 medium garlic cloves, skin removed but left whole
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 medium sprig fresh rosemary; left on stem (optional)
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine
- ½ – 1 teaspoon juice from 1 lemon (optional)
- Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 250 degrees.
- Wash and pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper (making sure the chicken is completely dry is a very essential step for proper browning).
- Heat fat in large Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add chicken breast-side down; scatter onion, celery, carrot, garlic, bay leaf, and rosemary around chicken.
- Cook until breast is lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes.
- Using a wooden spoon or tongs inserted into cavity of bird, flip chicken breast-side up and cook until chicken and vegetables are well browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir veggies occasionally while they cook.
- Remove Dutch oven from heat; cover tightly with lid.
- Transfer pot to oven and cook until instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees when inserted in thickest part of breast and 175 degrees in thickest part of thigh, 80 to 110 minutes.
- Transfer chicken to carving board, tent with foil, and rest 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, strain chicken juices from pot through fine-mesh strainer into fat separator, pressing on solids to extract liquid; discard solids (you should have about ¾ cup juices).
- Allow liquid to settle 5 minutes, then pour into saucepan and set over low heat. Add white wine and allow to simmer for 1-2 minutes until alcohol evaporates. Alternatively, instead of wine, you can also add lemon juice to jus right before serving.
- Carve chicken, adding any accumulated juices to saucepan.
- Serve chicken, passing jus at table.
- Enjoy!
57 years old….have had plenty of roasted chicken dinners. This, by far, is the most delicious, tender, flavorful roasted chicken dish I have ever had. We added a little white wine to the chicken to cook “low and slow”. The drippings made the most satisfying gravy. Added to all this is that this was the simplest of dishes to prepare. Thank you, Amanda! Bon appetit!
Dear Thomas,
I am so glad you love this recipe as much as I do. Yes, it is so tender and delicious! Yes, it is good with a little wine added to the dish. Thanks for sharing your feedback. Many blessings and Happy New Year!
Can you do this with duck?
I probably wouldn’t, but only because it’s quite difficult to get the fat to render out of a duck using this method and I think it would end up flabby with overcooked breast meat. Duck legs, on the other hand, would probably take this preparation very well.
Mmmmm, duck legs, yes, that is a great idea!
You inspired me to try it myself.
You can see the results of our Dutch Oven Chicken at https://www.cookingatcafed.com/2013/03/low-slow-3-dutch-oven-chicken.html
~ Dana
Cooking at Cafe D
Looks yummy! Thanks for sending over a picture!
Just a quick thank you. This recipe is about as idiot-proof as I have used and turns out a moist and delicious product every time. It is also fast and low on the fuss and cleanup. Righteous. I note with the sauce you say to use a fat separator but you don’t mention the purpose of it. Are we discarding the fats with the solids? The juices? I’m just making gravy anyway so it really doesn’t matter but I would like to try the sauce.
When making gravy, it is best to remove the fat, otherwise your gravy will be clumpy and will separate. You can save the fat to cook with at a later use, but for the purposes of this sauce, it is best to remove the fat.
So glad you are enjoying the recipe!
Blessings, Amanda
Just found your website and can’t wait to try this recipe. It’s the first time I’m attempting to cook a whole chicken and your recipe looks simple and non-intimidating for a newbie like me. Thanks!
That is my goal – to create non-intimidating recipes. Glad you found The Barefoot Cook!
Made this tonight. It was delicious! Thanks so much for the recipe. I’ve printed it and bookmarked the page.
Yeah! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe. It is so simple but also so delish!! Thanks for sharing your results. Amanda
Hi Amanda! This sounds like a great recipe. I have a dutch oven big enough for two chickens. I’m wondering if you have any advice on time for two chickens at one time. Can’t wait to try it!
I have never tried this with 2 chickens but I imagine it would work just the same. It may take 15-20 minutes longer, but all other directions should still apply. Let me know how it comes out!
I will! thanks!
So, I finally got around to trying this recipe. The only thing I did different with the chicken was cooking it breast down. I had a problem with the back skin sticking on the browning part. Think I’ll need to move it around some while it does it or do you have another tip? My husband could not stop talking about how moist it came out. The flavors were nice and I’ll definitely cook it like this again. I made more of a rustic gravy from the leftovers in the pot. That was well like by my husband too. Good recipe!
Hi Kitti,
Thanks for sharing your success of this recipe! I am glad your hubby liked it too! I have not had the sticking problem before. What I would suggest is nestling some veggies under your chicken so there is something under them and then the chicken should not stick. Let me know if you try it again and this tip works. Happy cooking!
Make sure that your pot and oils are good and hot before adding the raw chicken. Too cool of pot will promote sticking.
Yes, true. Very good point.
I was really surprised how delicious this was and how little time it takes to cook at such a low temperature. While the chicken was not nearly as moist and flavorful as it would have been with brining, it was so much less work and still very moist and tender. Instead of a Dutch oven, I used an Emile Henry tajine and I expect that the results would have just as good in either one. Bravo!
Thanks for sharing your results from this recipe. Yes, this dish would be even more tender if it were brined which one could always do, but I like that this dish is very simple and still turns out very tender. Great to know it worked in your tagine.
I cant wait to make this recipe! Looks amazing. I am wondering about roasting the chicken with onion, carrots and potatoes in the dutch oven. How would I adjust the overall cooking time? Would it turn out just as good? Thinking of a one-pot meal
Hi Grace, yes, you can definitely cook this dish with all the veggies you mentioned. Just cut them into large chunks and they should be cooked by the time the chicken is done. They will likely not be browned as they would be like when you roast veggies, but will still be yummy as they will be cooked in the chicken juices. Enjoy and let us know how it turns out! Amanda
I made the recipe as instructed and added potatoes and carrots after turning the chicken breast side up (plus an extra glob of coconut oil under the chicken to keep it from sticking in my new non-enameled 5 quart Lodge dutch oven). After about 1.5 hours, I added about 10 whole mushrooms as well and stirred the juices so that the vegetables were covered (and no longer on top of the chicken, but rather under or beside it). Everything was SO tasty! This was my very first time using a dutch oven and I’m SOLD!
Hi Suzanne, I am so glad you loved this recipe so much! Yes, dutch oven cooking is the best! Thanks for your feedback and glad this one is a winner! Amanda
I just made this pretty much the same way, but I added carrots and potatoes around the chicken with the celery and onion. I also stuffed some onion, garlic, and fresh herbs inside the chicken and tied the legs together, then added some white wine and stock to partially cover the vegetables. Cooked it in a covered dutch oven for a little over 2 hours for a 5 1/2 pound chicken. It was very good! I’ll be making this again.
Yum, sounds delish!! Thanks for sharing. That’s a big chicken!
I have to echo everyone else’s comments here….this recipe was flawless! The chicken could not have been more juicy or flavorful. I did more of a “rustic” gravy as well, which turned out great. For the first few minutes of eating my boyfriend and I simply stared at each other, and nodded…. and then quietly rushed back to the kitchen for seconds.
Thank you!
Wow!! That’s what I like to hear. I am so glad you loved this dish so much. Thanks for sending your awesome comments!!
Loved this recipe for it’s wonderful flavor and juciness but also the ease of cooking. I used onions, carrots and quartered red potatoes and they were perfect (forgot to bring celery up to the cabin). My husband loved this and will definitely make again.
Thank you! I am so glad you liked it. It is juicy and delicious and oh, so easy! Thanks for sharing!! Amanda
I don’t use “recipes”. I cook by intuition and feel. I did use some of the guidance here when I cooked for a group of rugby coaches I work with. You can fit four chickens in a 14 inch camping type dutch oven and follow most of the same directions adding some more time. The results are outstanding. I served an arugula/endive salad with walnuts and a strong vinegrette, potatoes Anna, and plenty of red wine. Lots of compliments.
Michael, so glad it was a hit! Your menu sounds divine!
~Amanda
made this tonight. oh so juicy. loved the jus. my husband prefers a thicker “gravy”, but i just loved it. i probably could have browned the chicken a bit more. oh well, next time! i deglazed the pot with just a tiny bit of white wine and water after pouring off the juice…i couldn’t bear to throw away the fond, it smelled so good. i just poured it in with the rest of the drippings. thanks for the recipe!
Stellar!! Tender, juicy…and that gravy!? Oh my!!
This recipe is outstanding. (And I’ve been living in France for years.) There is no need for brining. Indeed, I dont think much brining is even done over here. This recipe is versatile and I use the heavy enamel cocotte my mother in law gave me when I got married 17 years ago. I like to add a medley of whatever vegetables I have on hand… potatos, carrots, asparagus, green onions, etc. I usually add a splash of dry white wine, lardons and some thyme, and while the chicken is resting I leave the vegetables in the cocotte in the oven.
I’ve made this twice now and loved it. I can’t get over how easy it is to cook a whole chicken! I just got a dutch oven and experimenting with it has been so fun. I made my own seasoning rub, so I mostly just followed the method, but oh-the chicken was so moist and delicious. Thank you so much!
whenever I am feeling aimless or blue this dish always helps me to get a grip. it is so simple and fresh It It always cheer you up. Great for those cold and rainy days.
Ham,
I am so touched. So glad this dish warms your soul. Best to you, Amanda
My organic chicken cost was higher price so I wanted to find a good and easy -to-follow recipe that I couldn’t screw up. I like the step by step instructions. I made it, and it was delicious.
It did seem to poach in the dutch oven, so the bones just tore apart easily; leaving the chicken. I made a gravy from the broth. Then I took the bones and threw them into another pan and made more broth. So I got the most out of my organic chicken….Now I have broth to make two more soups.
Elizabeth,
What a great idea! Gravy and broth for more soup… that’s the way to get your money’s worth!
I’ve made this many times now – at least 10 times. I’ll just get right to the point: this is the best chicken recipe I’ve ever tried, and I have tried many. It’s so simple. The chicken is very tasty, falls off the bone and is juicy. The only trick is getting it browned nicely at the end. But even if that’s not possible it really doesn’t matter because it tastes great. Thank-you!
P.S. Yes… as Terese says, the gravy is delicious!
Awesome, Rori! I am so glad you love this recipe so much!
My husband bought me a beautiful Dutch Oven and this chicken was my first go with it. It was simply amazing. I was sure to use an organic chicken, I’m sure that increased the quality of the dish. So glad I found this website!! Thank you!!
Hi Michelle,
Yay! I am so glad you love this dish as much as I do. Thanks for sharing!! Amanda
Simple and delicious. I have made this 3 or 4 times now. The last time I was lazy and didn’t feel like chopping onions and so I made it plain with just a lemon cut into wedges tossed in. No spices no garlic. And it was delicious! Another time I threw in a cinnamon stick garlic cloves and a couple of star anise. Delicious. Thanks for sharing such a simple and versatile recipe!
Hi Lora, Thank you for sharing your success of this recipe! I love how simple and versatile it is as well. So good!! I will have to try the cinnamon and star anise version. Sounds delish! Blessings, Amanda
I tried this technique with two bone-in chicken breasts in a Staub Tagine for 60 minutes and it turned out great.
The chicken releases about a cup or two of juice and I’m considering what to do with it. Thinking of mixing it with a pesto paste for a sauce to serve the chicken with.
You can thicken up that sauce to make gravy or else use it in a future sauce or soup or else pour it over your chicken and lick your plate till it is all gone!! Enjoy!
I tried this. Guess I got the temperature conversion wrong as my chicken is no where near cooked and was in for the prescribed time. I’m assuming that the temp in your recipe is Fahrenheit? I cooked at 110 Celsius for an hour (3 1/2 pound bird). I wanted to ask, why put the foil over the pot and putting lid on top? I did this but am curious as to what effect it has?
Hi Nikki, Yes, the temp is in Fahrenheit. I don’t know what 110 is in Celsius but I know it is totally different and it makes sense that your chicken was not done. Putting the foil under the lid helps to keep all the juices in, but this is optional. Thanks for your comment and hope you will try it again at the proper temperature.
Just an fyi for your followers, there are Metric to English converters and viceversa online. 110°C = 230°F I can see how Nikki’s chicken was very undercooked.
I hope this helps.
I’m trying this recipe tomorrow for myself and my wife. Too many good reviews not to. 👍
Thank you, Vincent. Very helpful!! All of my recipes are in Fahrenheit, just so all of you know. Thanks!
This was my 5th time doing a whole chicken in a dutch oven and the temperature is too low for my experience. When you have a family … you don’t get to wait around for it to finish. 350 to 375 for an hour.. still came out amazing. I also add squash / zucchini / sliced potatoes /sliced lemons… with an Italian season/ Olive Oil mix
Hi Kenny,
This is definitely a slower cooking method. You can roast the chicken at a faster rate for sure. Part of the beauty of cooking it slow is that it comes out very tender. Glad the temp you shared works for you and I love the idea of the veggies you added. Sounds delish!
Hi Amanda I made this at more than the prescribed time, and it still wasn’t done. Very similar to Nikki’s comments, I converted to Celcius (250 F = 120 C ) and cooked a 1.6kg chicken for a lot longer than an hour, really over two by the time I took it out to put the meat thermometer in, check the temperature etc, put it back in, and kept rechecking a few more times when it still wasn’t done. Would you please add the Celcius temperature, and metric (not quart or pounds) weights and measurements etc? It was so frustrating!! I read so many lovely comments about how fantastic this was, I had to try it… but then it didn’t turn out. Perhaps my pot was not large enough? (it did seal fine) Perhaps I added too many extra vegies and this altered the necessary cooking time too much??
(I added some cut up potatoes, and extra onion (had no celery), a carrot, a small piece of pumpkin, and some cauliflower florets. ) Must I make sure next time that my pot (le creuset) is not too full?? It was very full. Any ideas? Even my potatoes were not done. It was all very frustrating and time consuming, not at all how it is meant to be… I would only make this again with no extra vegies, and cook for longer in case. Would appreciate your feedback.
The sauce tasted lovely, especially with the pumpkin mush with the lemon – it was like a nice sweet and sour combo.
Hi Anne, I am so sorry you have had such a bad time with this recipe. I am really so ignorant about converting celsius to farenheight and vice versa. The trick with this recipe is that you have to sear the chicken first on both sides for at least 5-10 min. That partially cooks it and adds a lot of flavor. I recommend looking on the Cooks Illustrated website where I adapted this recipe from. They may have more tips for you. Sorry, my math skills will not allow me to do all of the conversions you wish for. Best of luck and hope it works better next time. And since you live in Europe, you can probably find a European version of this recipe since it is a popular french recipe.
I wonder about the initial temperature of the chicken–I always start by leaving it out of the fridge for an hour or so–and whether the stove top times were followed? Was there a delay between stove top and oven time? If the pot cooled off before going into the oven, it would prolong cooking time.
No delay…but right from the stove into the oven.
thankyou for a nice easy recipe , came out amazing . great website
Yay, so glad! Love easy recipes!! xo, Amanda
Gonna give this a try tonight, recipe sounds great. Would white wine be ok to add prior to the oven or would that steam the chicken too much?
Wondering if you can freeze the chicken w sauce for future dinners?
Yes, for sure. You can definitely freeze and save for later. Just make sure to freeze in a tightly sealed container. Enjoy!
I thought ow great can this be its roasted chicken. They are pretty much all the same. THIS IS AWESOME!!!Thanks for a great recipe I have roast chicken then I use left overs for chicken pie and chicken wraps LOVE LOVE LOVE it
Wonderful, I am so glad you love this recipe!! Thanks for sharing. xo, Amanda Love
I’m assuming you mean Fahrenheit?
Yes, fahrenheit. This is what I cook in.
I make this all the time now. I usually add a little wine (red or white, whatever is handy) as well as some baby carrots and new potatoes, and voila, dinner in one pot. SO delicious! I haven’t roasted chicken since I discovered this recipe and make it about once every week or so.
Hi Marti, So glad you love this dish as much as I do! Agreed, it is so good with a little wine. And a one pot meal for sure when you add other veggies! Thanks for sharing your success! Happy Cooking, Amanda
This is the first time I have made chicken in my dutch oven. I just finished the leftovers and have to say this cooking method and recipe is absolutely fantastic! It is so juicy, moist, tender and with that hint of lemon is a grand slam. Thanks!
Russel,
So glad you loved this delicious dish! Thanks for letting us know how it worked for you!! xoxo, Amanda
No foil in the house, and home sick with the crud – how essential is the foil?
Not too essential. Thanks and feel better.
Terrible recipe the chicken comes out not cooked
Did you follow the recipe exactly? Also, it is important to make sure your oven temperature is accurate. Many ovens are off by 50 degrees or more. Sorry it did not work out for you.
This dish is truly wonderful. We cook literally hundreds of dishes me and my partner but I say with complete honesty that this is the best method we have tried for cooking a whole chicken. So simple yet the jus is just delicious. A lot claim to have the best roast chicken recipe but this tops them all in my humble opinion.
I am so glad you love this recipe so much. I am amazed at how many amazing reviews I get for this dish. It is so simple yet so good! Thanks for sharing how it turned out for you. Blessings, Amanda
Using the Chicken Roaster of Emile Henry, I wonder what can I do with it NOT coocking a chicken, but a big ham. any suggestions?
I really have no idea as I have never tried this recipe with ham. If you try it, please report back!
I tried this tonight, and it was utterly amazing! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. The only thing I did differently was not adding any bay leaves (I don’t care for the taste), and then I sliced two small lemons and set the slices on top of the chicken with the rosemary sprigs right before baking. After I took the chicken out of the oven, I used the juice and the pulp of the cooked lemons (since I love lemon) in the sauce with a splash of white wine. The chicken was fall apart tender, moist, and phenomenally flavored. The chicken was just over 5 pounds, my Dutch Oven is 5 quarts, and I cooked it for two hours. I will definitely make this again!
Hi Meredith,
Love the lemon slice idea! Lemon and roasted chicken are a great combo. Thanks for sharing your delicious results. Now I want to make French Chicken in a Pot!!
Happy Cooking, Amanda
What a great pot! From 1940, wow…an heirloom for sure. I’m honored you use my recipe. Isn’t is an amazing dish? Thanks and blessings, Amanda
Could you adapt this recipe for cornish game hen? What would the cooking time be? Would it be the same for 5 lbs of cornish game hen as 5 lbs of chicken? I have some on hand, and think this might taste amazing. Otherwise, I’ve tried this recipe with a chicken and it is amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Caleb, Yes you sure could. And I bet it would be even more delicious. It would very likely be the same cooking time. Just keep an eye on it. Glad you have enjoyed it with a regular chicken. Let me know how it turns out!
Quick update: I did do cornish game hen using this method. I used 4 hens at about 1.33 lbs each. Took about 1.75 hours and they came out great. I put them in with some carrots, potatoes, onions, and rosemary. Made a gravy out of the jus. It was amazing!
Wonderful, thanks for sending me this update! I am inspired to try this for sure. Have a great day, Caleb!
So glad you loved it!