Pot Roast Chicken & Vegetables {My Favorite Go to Meals}

I wanted to apologize for not hosting a Potluck Sunday yesterday. I had so many things to do and time just got away from me. Don't worry though Potluck Sunday will be return next Sunday.

Today I want to share a recipe for one of my “go to meals”. What do I mean by go to? Well let’s just say Pot Roast Chicken is the meal I think of, when I can’t think of anything else to make.

I love this meal for three reasons. One you can’t go wrong with a roasted chicken it pretty much pleases everyone.

Two, I always have everything on hand to make this easy meal. And three it’s pretty economical, whole chickens are always on sale.

You can find them in most places for less than $1 a pound. I can get two pretty good sized chickens at Sam’s Club for about $7. When I find them for a great price I always stock up and freeze a couple at a time.

Pot Roast Chicken is fancy enough for a Sunday Supper or easy enough for a weeknight dinner. I like to cook mine in a Oven Proof Dutch Oven, but you can also make prepare it in a slow cooker.

Either way it’s the perfect one dish meal. You can’t get any easier than chicken and vegetables cooked together at the same time. Finish it off by making a homemade pan gravy with the drippings.

I don't really know why they call this dish pot roast chicken. But I am guessing that since this chicken recipe is prepared in the manner you would cook a pot roast they decided on pot roast chicken. 

All I know is that this whole meal just screams comfort food. This chicken recipe is pretty easy to make, so I hope you'll give it a try. Before I go I would love to know what your favorite “go to meal” is?
 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mince and mash the garlic and add to a small bowl. Add the butter and mix together to make a paste.

Clean and remove any giblets or livers, rinse and pat dry the chicken with paper towels. Using your fingers gently loosen the skin over the breast and thighs to make little pockets. Rub the garlic butter mixture over the breast and thigh meat.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in your dutch oven make sure to get your pot really hot. Add the chicken and cook, turning often, until nicely browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Leave the chicken in the dutch oven, sprinkle with a bit of seasoning salt. Add the potatoes and vegetables around the chicken. Add the 1/2 cup chicken broth and the 1/2 cup water.

Place the lid on your dutch oven and cook at 400 degrees for about 2 hours or until the internal temperature in the thigh area reaches 165°F.


This is what your chicken and vegetables will look like when done.


Remove the tender chicken to a platter and cut into serving pieces. Place vegetables around the platter. Cover and keep warm.

Now it is time to prepare the gravy. After you remove the chicken you will see all the yummy juice and dripping that the chicken cooked in, do not throw that out. Using a bowl with a strainer placed on top strain the pan drippings to reserve the drippings to make a gravy. See the gravy recipe below for directions on how to make a yummy pan gravy. Serve with chicken and vegetables and enjoy!!!

Pot Roast Chicken & Vegetables

1 - 2 - 3lb whole chicken (thawed and cleaned)
6-7 medium size potatoes, cut into quarters
3-4 carrots, peeled & cut into about 2 -3 inch pieces
2 - stalks celery but into 2-3 inch pieces (optional)
1 - whole onion (quartered)
2 - tablespoons butter
1 - cloves garlic, minced
1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 - cups reduced sodium chicken broth, separated
1/2 - cup water
seasoned salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove giblets and livers if they are inside of the chicken. Rinse out the chicken and pat dry with a paper towel. Set aside. 

Mince and mash the garlic and place into a small bowl. Add the butter and mix together with the garlic. 

Using your fingers, loosen the skin over the breasts and thighs to make pockets, be careful so you do not tear the skin. Rub the garlic butter mixture over the breast and thigh meat.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in you dutch oven make sure to get your pot really hot. Add the chicken and cook, turning often, until nicely browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. 

 Leave the chicken in the dutch oven, sprinkle with a bit of seasoning salt & pepper. Add the potatoes and vegetables around the chicken. 

Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and 1/2 cup water over the chicken. Place the lid on your dutch oven and cook at 400 degrees for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours or until the internal temperature in the thigh area reaches 165°F.

Remove tender chicken to a platter and cut into serving pieces. Place vegetables around the platter. Cover and keep warm. Now it is time to prepare the gravy. 

After you remove the chicken you will see all the yummy juice and dripping that the chicken cooked in. Using a bowl with a strainer placed on top strain the pan drippings to reserve for the gravy.

Pan Gravy

1/4 - cup flour
1/4 - cup pan drippings
2 - cups low sodium chicken broth, more or less

Add the drippings to a sauce pan and bring drippings to a medium high heat. Add about 1/4 cup flour, using a whisk mix together the flour and the drippings to make a roux. 

Be careful not to get the roux to dark or you will burn it. Slowly add the chicken broth and whisk together to make a gravy. 

Keep adding chicken broth until the gravy is the consistency that you want. Serve with chicken and vegetables.

To prepare this recipe in the slow cooker:
Clean and rinse the chicken and make your garlic butter paste. Rub the chicken with the paste and then brown the chicken in a pan and then place the chicken in the slow cooker. Sprinkle with a bit of seasoning salt & pepper. 

Add the 1/2 cup chicken broth and water and cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Adding the potatoes and carrots the last 2-3 hours of cooking. Save and strain the dripping to make a pan gravy.