Pot roast chickens make for a delicious pièce de résistance when hosting family or friends. French and Dutch Ovens have offered new ways to prepare this traditional dish, opening up a new range of possibilities – all within one pot! Chicken recipes can take many different forms, with home cooks and chefs alike offered the flexibility to add their own personal touch as it is being cooked.
French and Dutch Ovens are often used interchangeably, but there’s a slight difference in that the French Oven refines the original 18th century design, featuring enamelled cast iron rather than pure cast iron.
The Dutch Oven ensures the moisture is locked inside the pot, creating a self-basting cycle for the chicken and its ingredients. Whether you are looking for something spicy, rich in nutrients, or simply want to slow cook the chicken atop a bed of hearty vegetables, this iconic piece of cookware accommodates a variety of different recipes, including roasting and browning.
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Here are 11 delicious chicken recipes you can make in your Dutch Oven, French Oven, or Cocotte.
Fig and Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast with Fennel and Potatoes
This recipe is the perfect dish for two and can be served straight from the heart-shaped Cocotte it was cooked in. The key behind this recipe is the fig and goat cheese stuffing as it compliments the chicken breasts to perfection. Use a paring knife to create a pocket of three inches before stuffing the chicken.
The French or Dutch Oven tenderizes the chicken breast, creating an ideal environment for the fennel and potatoes to integrate their flavours. This treat takes less than an hour and could emerge as your go-to meal on date night. Brush the chicken with fig jam once it is cooked and enjoy!
Pot Roast Chicken
No list of chicken recipes would be complete without the classic pot roast chicken. Perfect for feeding the whole family, or hosting friends, this recipe is great to set-and-forget in your Dutch Oven as you entertain your guests or spend time with your loved ones.
In this recipe, the chicken cooks gently over the delicious vegetables, including pearled onions, thyme, bay leaves, celery, and carrots. Using a French or Dutch Oven is recommended as its thick walls and tight-fitting lid lock in the flavour and ensure the chicken remains hot long after it is served.
Thai Red Chicken Curry with Green Beans, Cherry Tomatoes and Basil
This Thai Red Chicken Curry recipe is sure to add a much-needed kick to traditional chicken recipes, incorporating mouth-watering spices and hearty vegetables. The red Thai curry paste pairs exceptionally well with the chicken, featuring medium-hot red chillies, fresh ginger, and lemongrass stalk.
Once the curry has been added to the paste, the French or Dutch Oven should be brought to a simmer. This will ensure that the chicken is cooked evenly and absorbs all the natural flavours from the curry paste. The final step is adding the green beans, cherry tomatoes, and bamboo shoots to contrast the chicken. This recipe can serve up to eight people in under an hour.
Lemon and Olive Chicken
This Lemon and Olive Chicken recipe elevates the classic pairing of chicken and lemon, and introduces new layers of flavour through saffron, pitted olives, and garlic cloves. This recipe is a classic example of ‘set-and-forget’ and requires very little pre-meal preparation.
The chicken will gently cook on low heat for over an hour, absorbing all the juices from the tomatoes, olives, pearl onions, and garlic cloves. The French or Dutch Oven is a slow-cooking pot by nature and can help deliver a truly delicious final dish as you kick back and relax. Stir the lemon juice in the bouquet garni (herb mixture) and season the chicken to your liking right before serving.
Curried Chicken Drumsticks
Curry chicken has quickly become a household staple, injecting spice into a traditional drumstick recipe. These Curried Chicken Drumsticks are a great way to prepare something delicious in just over an hour. A good chicken drumstick will ultimately come down to its crispy exterior. The French or Dutch Oven will expose the chicken to a consistent heat source until there is a golden brown colour on all sides.
The curry powder, ginger, and turmeric mixture guarantees these drumsticks will not be lacking in taste and can deliver that extra kick. Add in the potatoes, chickpeas, and spinach gradually into the Dutch Oven as the chicken is being cooked. This iconic piece of cookware will ensure the vegetables release their juices onto the already tasty chicken drumsticks evenly.
Moroccan Chicken with Acorn Squash and Lemon Couscous
This recipe offers a refreshing Moroccan twist on a classic chicken dish. Moroccan Chicken with Acorn Squash and Lemon Couscous is chock full of delicious flavours and nutrients all coming together in one pot. The French or Dutch Oven is ideal to prepare this meal, as it allows the chicken thighs to absorb all the natural flavours of the spices as it is being cooked, including the cumin, and coriander.
The acorn squash should be sautéed until both sides are browned, creating an additional layer of flavour. Once the chicken thighs are ready, stir in the lemon couscous and garlic and dinner is served.
Roasted Chicken with Cider Vinegar Barbecue Sauce
This Roasted Chicken with Cider Vinegar Barbecue Sauce recipe can be done in three simple steps. This dish is designed to slow cook over two hours, using ingredients commonly found in any pantry. The French or Dutch Oven will maintain a consistent heat of 425°F (218.333°C) throughout, cooking the whole chicken evenly in extra virgin olive oil.
The cider vinegar and barbecue sauce is the perfect addition to the roasted chicken, offering some much-needed flavour. The sauce requires a mixture of apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, cayenne pepper, and Worcestershire sauce, complimenting the tender chicken wonderfully. This recipe may take over two hours to cook, but requires very little monitoring throughout, and is enough to feed the whole family and have leftovers the next day.
Coq au Vin Mousseux
Coq au Vin Mousseux is a traditional French recipe dating all the way back to the early 20th century. Typically, this dish consists of chicken braised with a red Burgundy wine, lardons, mushrooms, and garlic. This recipe revolutionizes the traditional dish, opting to use two cups of sparkling wine, rather than red wine – hence the name coq au vin mousseux.
The chicken must be cut into eight pieces, before being seared in the French or Dutch Oven. Once the chicken is ready, add the parsnips and onions into the pot and cook them in the sparkling wine. As the chicken breast needs less time to become tender, start by cooking the thighs on a low simmer and introduce the breasts at the final step. Et voilà – coq au vin mousseux!
Whole Chicken Poached in Coconut Broth
This Whole Chicken Poached in Coconut Broth recipe offers a unique way to prepare a whole chicken in your Dutch Oven. The fennel, ginger, garlic, and chilli should be turned into a paste and serves as the first layer of this recipe. The chicken is then cooked gently on medium to low heat for 45 minutes with the lid on, before being laid to rest.
As the chicken rests, reduce the coconut milk and soy sauce in the French or Dutch Oven for 30 minutes. The final step is shredding the chicken into individual bowls with the coconut broth. This recipe serves up to eight people!
Bourbon Brined Fried Chicken
Preparing fried chicken has become increasingly popular with more and more people spending time at home. Make this delicious Bourbon Brined Fried Chicken recipe straight out of your French or Dutch Oven and impress your guests. The bourbon brine will definitely add a nice touch of flavour to the crispy, fried chicken.
The brine incorporates a number of delicious ingredients, including salt, honey, and cinnamon sticks. Once the salt dissolves, add in the bourbon with ice water and let it cool. Ideally, this brine should be poured over the chicken and left to chill in a ziploc bag overnight to maximize flavour before being fried in the Dutch Oven.
Moroccan Chicken Stew with Chermoula
This recipe incorporates traditional Moroccan flavours, combining chicken and hearty vegetables in a perfectly simmered sauce. The chermoula sauce itself is packed with spices, including cumin, paprika, coriander, and fresh herbs. This Moroccan Chicken Stew with Chermoula will quickly become a household favorite and is extremely easy to make.
The French or Dutch Oven offers the Moroccan chicken the perfect environment to cook slowly, basting in the juices of the stew until it is tender. This iconic piece of cookware will do much of the work, gently cooking the chicken.
One-pot chicken recipes are a great way to start cooking and integrate new spices into your daily routine. The French or Dutch Oven has proven to be incredibly convenient for these types of recipes, locking in flavours inside thanks to its tight-fitting lid and thick walls. These recipes epitomize the set-it-and-forget-it nature of the Dutch Oven, reducing the need for constant monitoring as the chicken cooks gently.
These were just 11 of our favorite chicken recipes that can be prepared in your Dutch Oven, French Oven, or Cocotte. For more inspiration, visit our featured recipes and step up your cooking game.
