Oven Roasted Garlic Chicken

A chicken is cooked in a pot on the stove.

Howdy folks, and thanks for stopping by the website! Are you tired of picking up rotisserie chickens from the grocery store that are somehow greasy and dried out at the same time? Look no further - I'm going to show you how to make perfect oven roasted chicken in a Dutch oven. I've gathered a lifetime of tips, tricks, & hacks to help you roast a chicken that is moist on the inside and crispy on the outside. Get the coals hot, and lets get bakin'.

How to Prepare a Whole Chicken for Roasting

Start by removing the innards out of the chicken. If you wish to season and roast them, go right ahead, but make sure that they are out of the chicken cavity because we are going to use that space to add flavor and moisture to the chicken.

Rinse off the chicken and pat dry with a towel. It's important to dry the outside so that the chicken will absorb more flavor and have a crispy skin. Detach the skin from the chicken breast just a little, creating a space between the skin and the breast meat that we are going to fill up with more flavor.

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TIP: For the crispiest skin possible, thoroughly dry the chicken before baking.

If you are at home, pre-heat the oven to 425. If you're outside, get the coals hot using some FOGO Hardwood Lump - I have found that this is the longest burning hardwood and best for recipes where we are roasting over hot coals for a longer cook.

Kent Rollins' Recommended Seasonings for Roasting a Whole Chicken

Start by combining the butter, olive oil, white wine, lemon zest and garlic into a bowl. This mixture will be used to marinade the chicken and add moisture.

TIP: Don't toss the lemon slices after you zest them. The juice and lemon rind will go into the cavity to add flavor and moisture to the chicken.

In another bowl, whip up some Mesquite Seasoning, coarse ground black pepper, and ground mustard. This seasoning blend will cover the skin of the chicken.

How to Baste and Marinate a Whole Roasting Chicken

Remember how we pulled the skin away from the breast meat a little bit when preparing the chicken for roasting? Pour the olive oil mixture inside as shown in the picture below. When full, rub the liquid all around and through the chicken. Cover over the entire chicken with just enough of the mixture, including some for the inside cavity.

Pour the remainder of the mixture into the Dutch oven or roasting pan.

Next, sprinkle the seasoning mixture all over the front and back of the chicken. Add the remaining seasoning to the cavity of the chicken along with the chopped vegetables and fresh herbs. The cavity should be stuffed nicely with a mixture of seasonings, aromatics, and herbs. My mouth is watering just thinking about all of the flavor that is going to go into this chicken.

Roast the Chicken

The video will instruct you exactly how to roast the chicken outside over a Dutch oven when the grass is dry and a fire hazard at 8:40. Please watch carefully and pay attention to the conditions in the area where you are cooking.

Place the chicken breast side up in the Dutch oven. Using bakers twine or wire, tie the chicken's legs together. This will ensure that everything inside the cavity will stay there. Pour any remaining liquid and as much white wine as you want around the chicken, and add about a stick of butter. You'll use this mixture to baste the chicken with throughout the roasting process.

Bake for 90 minutes or so, basting after 45 minutes. Make sure you don't open the oven or Dutch oven until at least 45 minutes in, then you can baste every 10 or 15 minutes until you reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Wait, no - baste every 10 or 15 minutes until THE CHICKEN reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. If YOU reach an internal temperature of 165 you might want to call you an ambulance.

Once the chicken is thoroughly cooked, let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. This traps the good juices in the chicken so they make it to your plate. As soon as the chicken is done resting, you can dig in and enjoy the best roasted chicken you've ever tasted.

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Oven Roasted Chicken - Cowboy Kent Rollins

Servings 6

Prep Time 15 Minutes

Total Time 1 Hour 35 Minutes

Author Cowboy Kent Rollins

Ingredients

2 sticks butter
melted
4 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup dry white wine
Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, etc.
1 lemon
4 garlic cloves
minced
5 lb. whole chicken
½ cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
3 sprigs fresh thyme
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 head of garlic
1 ½ tablespoons Kent’s Mesquite Seasoning
or your favorite all-purpose blend
½ tablespoon ground mustard
½ tablespoon coarse ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
In a small bowl, combine 1 stick of butter, olive oil, ¼ cup white wine, the zest from the lemon (reserve the lemon) and garlic cloves.
Remove the chicken from the icebox about 30 minutes before cooking and pat dry with a paper towel.
Pour about ¼ cup of the olive oil mixture under the skin and rub around. Pour about ½ cup over the breast of the chicken and rub in well. Pour another ½ cup on the backside of the chicken and rub in well.
Take the reserved lemon and cut it in half. Squeeze half of the lemon inside the cavity of the chicken and stuff with the lemon peel. Discard the remaining half lemon. Place the celery, thyme and rosemary in the cavity. Cut the head off the garlic in and place it in the cavity. Pour half of the remaining olive oil mixture inside the cavity.
In a small bow, combine the Mesquite, ground mustard and black pepper. Generously season the entire chicken with the blend. Place any extra seasoning in the cavity of the chicken. With butcher twine, tie the chicken legs together.
Place the chicken, breast side up, in a greased roasting pan or Dutch oven. Pour the remaining olive oil mixture around the chicken in the bottom of the pan or Dutch oven along with the remaining 1 stick of butter and ¼ cup white wine.
Cover and cook for 40 minutes. Remove the lid and baste with the juices about every 10 to 15 minutes, covering after each baste, for another 40 minutes, or until internal temperature of the chicken is 160 degrees F. Remove the chicken from the oven, keep covered, and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes, while the internal temperature rises to 165 to 170 degrees F.