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Dutch Oven Grecian Chicken is a simple, easy, and crazy delicious whole roasted greek chicken full of lemon, garlic, and oregano flavor!
While my brother in law was in town recently, he tried to make as many meals with the family as he could fit in.
My husband’s family loves to cook big family dinners together- and this recipe is a spin off a delicious Grecian Chicken recipe my brother in law made for us one night.
Grecian chicken was immensely popular with his greek friends in Chicago where he went to law school- but the recipe usually involves taking a separated whole chicken and cooking it in a casserole dish with more liquid.
I changed it up so that the chicken cooks in a dutch oven- giving it crispy, delicious skin- and it requires a lot less effort!
This dutch oven grecian chicken is my new favorite way to slow roast chicken!
Tips to Perfect Whole Roasted Greek Chicken
The only real work here is stuffing some lemons and garlic into the chicken and seasoning the bird up.
After that, just toss it in the pan and cook for about an hour and a half- and you’re done!
The chicken also gives off a delicious cooking liquid that is very gravy like, and very lemony.
The garlic also turns a delicious golden brown and has an incredible caramel flavor. I like to add a little of this to cous cous for an insanely delicious flavor!
I prefer using a chicken under 3 1/2 pounds – I feel they provide more flavor in this recipe. Look for free range organic chicken if possible.
While butter doesn’t seem like the proper Greek way (hello, olive oil!), every family I’ve eaten this dish wish from Greece uses butter for the flavor. I realize this is very Americanized, and you can use either – but the butter gives a lovely richness to the chicken skin that I just don’t quite get with olive oil. Go ahead and use oil if you prefer it though!
Other One Pot Chicken Dinners You’ll Love:
Click to watch videos of my favorite chicken dinners – and then click on the link below for the printable recipes!
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Roasted Greek Chicken Drumsticks
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One Pot Lemon Chicken and Asparagus
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Whole Roasted Montreal Chicken
Dutch Oven Grecian Chicken Recipe
Click the video to see me make this recipe!
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Dutch Oven Grecian Chicken
Ingredients
- whole chicken
- 2 lemons sliced into thin rounds
- ¾ cup garlic peeled
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- salt and pepper
- 1-2 pats of butter optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees / 190 c
- Stuff 1/2 of one lemon into the chicken's cavity with 5-8 garlic cloves.
- Generously salt and pepper chicken.
- Add to dutch oven and throw in rest of lemon and garlic.
- Sprinkle chicken with oregano.
- If you like extra crispy chicken skin, add a pat or two of butter to the top.
- Add lid and cook 1 1/2 hours, checking temp every 20 minutes after an hour. You want the temp to get to 160, and then remove the lidded dutch oven, as it will keep cooking to reach the safe internal temperature of 165 degrees for a chicken.
- Let dutch oven sit for 10 minutes after removing from oven to allow for carryover cooking, and so the juices have a chance to rest.
- Remove from pan, and carve!
Nutrition
I’ve never made a roasted chicken in my cast iron pot! I’m looking forward to giving your recipe a try.
This was without a doubt the blandest chicken recipe I’ve ever tried. Out of all the meats chicken and pork are my bitches. I kill them. I’m not even sure I can commit calories to my diet to eat this as a left over sandwich. I’m not a rookie. I’ve cooked chicken hundreds of ways and this is the biggest blindside I ever saw. Maybe you are targeting this to folks with simpler stomachs but Gawd it wAS awful.
If chicken was your “bitch” you would know this is a simple garlic lemon chicken,the flavors are subtle and delicate.
I must say I am absolutely appalled at how rude some people can be when making a comment about a recipe, we all have different tastes but there’s no need to go on and on criticizing someone who took the time to share a recipe she loves and is proud of. With that said I would like to thank you for your recipe as it was the best whole chicken recipe I’ve ever had. I, like you, do not like alot of bold flavor on my meats because I want to be able to taste the natural flavors of the meat complimented by some delicate aromatic flavors. I will definitely be making this again!!
I thought the flavours were great so did my husband..Maybe not everyone’s 1st choice or second but I definitely will be making on a monthly basis Very easy and delicious!! I’m not sure why people have to be so rude about a recipe either..Wow..Thanks for a new chicken recipe!!
Have you ever added sliced potato wedges into the pot and cooked all at once?
I haven’t- but you definitely can!
Could I do this in the crockpot instead of the oven?
I love cooking while chickens in the crock pot, so easy.
This sounds too delicious to pass up!!
Yes! It will change the cooktime obviously- to about 4 hours on high (though I’ve found my crockpot is super inconsistent and I like to watch over it). If you want to crisp the skin up a touch more, you can pop it under a broiler after cooking in the crock pot. If you’re not eating the skin, no worries!
I wasn’t able to get a whole chicken cause I live in the mountains so I’m gonna try breasts with the bones in tonight! I’ll letcha know!!!
Geri- if you do it this way, just watch them cook closer- and obviously it wont cook as long as a whole chicken.
This sounds wonderful except I am concerned with the amount of garlic — Is it really strong in flavor, or does it cook out a bit?