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Cast-iron roast chicken with red potatoes will quickly become a family favorite. This one-pot meal is perfect for Sunday dinner or a busy weeknight meal. The chicken is seasoned perfectly, juicy, crispy, and at the same time, simple to make. You can’t go wrong with this easy chicken dish!
I love to cook in cast iron. It makes the meat crispy and cooks everything so evenly. Plus, it’s a great alternative to non-stick cookware and can actually add traces of iron to your food.
As a busy mom, having simple and healthy dinners is a must for me. I love one-pot meals, especially when that one-pot is my beloved cast-iron skillet. They are low maintenance, making cleanup even easier.
Why you’ll love this Cast-Iron Roast Chicken
- Easy One Pan Dinner: This cast-iron roast chicken with red potatoes is the best healthy dinner for busy weeknights. Cooking chicken in a cast-iron skillet doesn’t have to be complicated and can always be delicious.
- Use the scraps: My favorite thing about cooking whole chicken is that I can use the bones to make my homemade bone broth for homemade soup. I can make several meals with one whole chicken, and with a large family, that is always the goal!
Cast-Iron Roast Chicken
Making a whole chicken in a cast-iron skillet is almost as easy as throwing a pizza in the oven. All you really have to do is place the whole chicken in the dish, add some seasonings, and bake. That is it.
Slather the meat in oil or butter. Add vegetables, etc. But if you are in a hurry and want to get a healthy dinner on the table, a little salt and pepper will do.
If you don’t have a cast-iron skillet and you still want to make this recipe. You can make it in a glass baking dish.
What you will need for this recipe
- Whole chicken: A 3-4 pound whole chicken is what you need for this recipe; you can discard the giblets or save them for gravy or bone broth if desired.
- Grass-fed butter: This will keep the chicken moist and give it a crisp, golden skin. You can also substitute with coconut or avocado oil.
- Seasonings: Salt, pepper, and thyme are used to season the chicken. You can use fresh or dried thyme.
- Red Potatoes: Cut into uniform, bite-sized pieces for even cooking. Roast them in a single layer around the chicken to allow for even browning and crispy edges.
- Onion: Yellow onions are the most common type used for roasting. They offer a nice balance of sweetness and a slightly pungent flavor.
Recipe Variations
- You can add onion and celery to the chicken cavity, but it’s not necessary.
- You can use any potatoes you have on hand if you don’t have red potatoes.
- Lemon-Herb Roasted Chicken: Swap the thyme for fresh rosemary, oregano, and parsley. Squeeze lemon juice over the chicken before roasting, and place lemon halves inside the cavity.
- A small turkey or turkey breast can replace chicken for a larger meal or holiday occasion.
Roast Chicken Recipe
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the cast-iron skillet in the oven. Dice the potatoes and onion into small pieces. Put them in a small bowl and toss them with avocado oil, salt, and pepper.
Step 2: Remove the cast iron skillet from the oven. Place the whole chicken in the middle of the skillet. Pour the melted butter over the top and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme.
Step 3: Place the potatoes and onions around the outside of the chicken. Cook in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350°F and continue to roast until the potatoes are crispy and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Step 4: Remove the skillet from the oven and allow it to rest for about 10 minutes before carving into the chicken. Serve with sauerkraut or a mixed greens salad with homemade ranch dressing.
Expert Tips
Be sure to remove the neck and giblets from the chicken cavity. Depending on where you buy your chicken, the neck and giblets may already be removed, or they may be inside of a little bag, making them easy to remove.
Allow the chicken to come to room temperature for 30 minutes before roasting. This helps it cook evenly and prevents the outside from drying out before the inside is fully cooked.
Halfway through the cooking process, rotate the skillet in the oven to ensure even browning and cooking of both the chicken and the potatoes.
To avoid overcooking, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature in the thickest part of the chicken (without touching the bone). The ideal temperature is 165°F (74°C).
Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can substitute or add vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnips, or Brussels sprouts. Just ensure they are cut to similar sizes so they cook evenly with the chicken.
You can use any oven-safe roasting pan or baking dish. A cast-iron skillet helps distribute heat evenly, but a roasting pan or heavy baking dish will work well, too.
How to Cook with a Cast-Iron Skillet
Cooking with a cast-iron skillet can be very easy, but there are a few things you will want to remember. One thing is that it is always best to cook with a hot skillet, this will make things less likely to stick.
You will want to use a decent amount of butter or oil when cooking with cast iron, again this will help the food not to stick and add so much flavor. I am a big believer in healthy fats, more on that in my GAPS diet post.
If food is sticking to your cast iron skillet, you may need to re-season it. This is easy to do. You cover your skillet in coconut oil and place it upside down in the oven with a pan underneath. Bake it for an hour at 300°F.
When cleaning your cast iron skillet, just use water and a cloth. Dry well to avoid rusting.
Related recipes
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Cast-Iron Roast Chicken with Red Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, 3 to 4 pounds
- ¼ cup melted grass-fed butter, can substitute for coconut or avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- Fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 red potatoes
- 1 small onion
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the cast-iron skillet in the oven while it is preheating.
- While the oven is preheating, dice the potatoes and onion into small pieces.
- Put them in a small bowl and toss with avocado oil, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- Once the oven is preheated, remove the cast iron skillet from the oven.
- Place the whole chicken in the middle of the skillet. Pour the melted butter over the top of the chicken and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme.
- Pour the potatoes and onions around the outside of the chicken.
- Cook in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees and continue to roast until the potatoes are crispy and chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and allow it to rest for about 10 minutes before carving into the chicken.
- Serve with sauerkraut or a mixed greens salad with homemade ranch dressing.
Notes
- Be sure to remove the neck and giblets from the chicken cavity. Depending on where you buy your chicken, the neck and giblets may already be removed, or they may be inside of a little bag, making them easy to remove.
- Allow the chicken to come to room temperature for 30 minutes before roasting. This helps it cook evenly and prevents the outside from drying out before the inside is fully cooked.
- Halfway through the cooking process, rotate the skillet in the oven to ensure even browning and cooking of both the chicken and the potatoes.
- To avoid overcooking, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature in the thickest part of the chicken (without touching the bone). The ideal temperature is 165°F (74°C).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
