This simple recipe for Dutch oven chicken breast is a budget-friendly and complete family-style meal. It's a one-pot meal cooked on the stovetop using simple ingredients and ready in just an hour.
This Dutch oven chicken breast with potatoes is a top pick for us any day of the week. It's a fast, easy recipe, affordable, and oh-so-cozy – a real crowd-pleaser! What's not to love? The Dutch oven chicken breast comes out juicy, the potatoes are melt-in-your-mouth tender, and that sauce ties it all together.
Try mashing the potatoes on your plate with a fork and letting them soak in the savory sauce - it's a tasty treat that brings back childhood memories.
Featured comment:
Chris: Tasted really nice and my 16 month old pretty much cleared her plate which is a first. Not difficult to cook for a novice. Followed most of the recipe, swapped 2 carrots for parsnips and the fresh condiments for dried because that’s all I had, but It was still a great home cooked Sunday meal. Will remember this recipe for the future! Thankyou!
I love my Dutch oven. I have several pots in different shapes and sizes and use them a lot - really, a lot! Try more delicious meals: Dutch Oven Pork Tenderloin, Dutch Oven Turkey Breast, Yassa Chicken Stew Recipe, Pork Spinach Stew, or Sage Chicken. Or any other stew recipe found on the blog can be cooked in this pot.
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What is a Dutch oven?
A thick, heavy cooking pot with a tight-fitting lid. They can be seasoned cast iron pots or enameled and are also known as casserole dishes or cocotte. They come in different shapes, sizes, and colors.
- The oval-shaped ones are perfect for making roasts or cooking a Dutch Oven Whole Chicken.
- The round ones are great for making soup or baking bread, such as our Flaxseed Bread.
- The shallow, wide ones are best for making stews or goulash. This is the one you need to make today’s Dutch oven chicken breast recipe.
You will need a large Dutch oven or another large heavy-bottomed pot for this recipe. I use a Dutch oven with a diameter of 11 inches/ 28 cm and a height of 3 inches/ 7 cm. Ensure that your pot is large enough to hold all the food.
A Dutch oven is the perfect choice for this kind of stew; any thick-bottomed wide pan will be fine.
Recipe ingredients
Chicken breast: Four medium-sized, boneless, skinless chicken breasts. The ones I buy usually weigh between 5.5 and 7 oz/ 160 and 200 g.
Potatoes: You can use regular, all-purpose, normal-sized potatoes, which should be peeled, washed, and chopped.
- You can also make the Dutch oven chicken with baby potatoes (new potatoes); they don’t need to be peeled, and only the “odd” larger pieces should be halved.
Vegetables and herbs: One large red bell pepper, carrots, onion, and fresh garlic cloves. Dried or fresh rosemary and fresh parsley (not dried, as it lacks flavor). Alternatively, use dried or fresh herbs like thyme, oregano, or a simple Italian seasoning or French herb mixture.
Other ingredients: All-purpose flour, chicken broth or stock, olive oil, paprika, fine sea salt or kosher salt, and ground black pepper.
See the recipe card for a complete list of ingredients and quantities.
How to cook chicken breast in the Dutch oven?
Step #1: Chop all the vegetables, but set the onions apart from all the rest because you will have to cook them first.
Step #2: Sear the seasoned chicken breast in the hot olive oil until nicely golden, about 2 minutes per side. Remove them from the pot.
Step #3: Add a little extra oil and the onions. Cook for about 2 minutes.
Step 4: Add the remaining veggies, rosemary, and one splash of chicken stock. Stir well with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the Dutch oven as well.
Step #5: Cook gently for 5 minutes; the potatoes and carrots need a head start
Step #6: Add stock and breasts. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the cooked chicken. Cook gently, uncovered, for 5 minutes, until the sauce is thicker and glossy.
How long to cook chicken breast in the Dutch oven?
- If your chicken breast pieces weigh between 5.5-7 oz/ 160 - 200 g, about 20-25 minutes of cooking time should be enough.
- If the pieces are larger, allow more cooking time. If the pieces are smaller, cook the vegetables and potatoes for 5 to 10 minutes before adding the meat.
- Check doneness, and don’t overcook the breasts. Check the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer (the Amazon link opens in a new tab); it should be 165°F/75°C. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, pierce one breast with a toothpick into the thickest part; the juices should run clear.
- Once the meat is cooked through, check the potatoes and carrots. If you want them to be softer, remove the braised chicken from the pot (keep it warm) and continue cooking the vegetables until they are done to your liking.
Make ahead, store, and reheat
Make ahead: While this dish is best when served immediately, you can still cook it one day before. Let it cool completely, and refrigerate the whole pot (covered). Reheat well before serving. However, remember that the meat might get a bit dryer upon reheating; the dish will still taste great, though.
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
I don’t recommend freezing potatoes; they don’t freeze well and will have a weird texture once thawed. However, you can freeze the meat.
Reheat the dish on medium-low heat, stirring carefully a few times until the breasts are hot again. To simplify things, chop the leftover meat and mix it with the potatoes and veggies. This will reheat the food faster and more evenly.
Microwave: I recommend cutting the meat into smaller pieces as well to ensure more even reheating.
What to serve with it?
Family-style meal
- Starter: Creamy Cauliflower Almond Soup
- Sides: Green salad with Yogurt Dressing and Butter Peas
- Dessert: Apple Tiramisu
Recipe
Dutch Oven Chicken Breast
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven or another heavy-bottomed pot (11 inches/ 28 cm diameter, 3 inches/ 7 cm height)
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb potatoes 700 g, Note 1
- 1 large red bell pepper about 250 g/ 9 oz
- 4 medium carrots about 250 g/ 9 oz
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 medium onion
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon ground sweet paprika
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 chicken breasts about 180 g/ 6.5 oz each, Note 2
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup chicken stock 250 ml, divided
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 tablespoon parsley chopped
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables: Peel and cube the potatoes (about 1 inch/ 2.5 cm). Clean and dice the red pepper and carrots. Finely chop the garlic. Set everything aside. Finely chop the onion, keeping it separate from the rest of the vegetables.1.5 lb potatoes / 700 g + 1 large red bell pepper + 4 medium carrots + 3 garlic cloves + 1 medium onion
- Season chicken: Mix flour, paprika, salt, and pepper and rub the mixture into the chicken pieces.2 tablespoons all-purpose flour + ¾ teaspoon ground sweet paprika + ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt + ¼ teaspoon black pepper + 4 chicken breasts
- Sear chicken breasts: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the pot. Sear the chicken breasts for 2 minutes on each side until golden, then remove them from the pot.1 tablespoon of the oil
- Sauté vegetables: Add the second tablespoon of oil to the pan. Cook the onions for about 2 minutes, stirring often. Add the rest of the prepared vegetables and one splash of the stock. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes.1 tablespoon of the oil
- Simmer chicken: Add the remaining stock and rosemary. Stir well. Nestle the chicken on top of the vegetables, cover, and simmer gently for 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked through. The internal temperature of the meat should be 165°F/74°C.1 cup chicken stock / 250 ml + 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- Sauce: Remove the chicken from the pot. Turn the heat to medium-high and bubble the sauce for about 5 minutes or until it thickens slightly (Note 3).
- Adjust the taste with salt and pepper and sprinkle with parsley.1 tablespoon parsley
Notes
- Potatoes: Chopped all-purpose, normal-sized potatoes. Alternatively, use baby potatoes (new potatoes); they don’t need to be peeled, and only the “odd” larger pieces should be halved.
- Chicken breast size: Four medium-sized, boneless, skinless chicken breasts. The ones I buy usually weigh between 5.5-7 oz/ 160 - 200 g.
- Cooking time: Once the chicken is cooked through, check the potatoes and the carrots. If you want them to be softer, remove the chicken from the pot (keep it warm) and continue cooking the vegetables until they are done to your liking.
- Reheating leftovers: I recommend chopping the chicken breasts into smaller pieces before reheating so you can reheat the dish (on the stovetop) more quickly and evenly.
Glen says
The wife loved it. thankyou
Chris fisher says
Tasted really nice and my 16 month old pretty much cleared her plate which is a first. Not difficult to cook for a novice. Followed most of the recipe, swapped 2 carrots for parsnips and the fresh condiments for dried because that’s all I had, but It was still a great home cooked Sunday meal. Will remember this recipe for the future! Thankyou!
Adina says
Thank you so much for the feedback, Chris. I was happy to read it!
Yermomma says
To clarify: recipe ingredients list 6 chicken breasts 6.3 ounce. Do not buy only 6.3 ounces of chicken- that is incorrect. You need 6 breasts, average of 6.3 ounces EACH, or a little over 2 pounds. This is delicious and works much better & faster if you par-freeze the chicken and cut into large bite sized piece and brown a bit first.
C says
This was great! My picky 6 y/o liked it too 🙂
Adina says
I am so glad to hear it. Thank you.
Marcy says
If doubling the recipe would I double the broth as well? When I change that servings within the print area it stays at 1 cup - I assume I should
Double that and that the website application is just not doing it though it changed everything else. Lol. (Don’t want to make soup so i am Leary of doubling if I shouldn’t.)
Adina says
Hi Marcy. Start with 1 1/2 cups just to make sure it won't be too much. You can always add the rest later if the dish seems to be getting too dry.
Keeley C says
Hi there, my chicken seemed undercooked but I followed the recipe perfectly.
Adina says
That can depend on so many factors, it's never an exact science. Always make sure that chicken is cooked through, it's not allowed to be pink at all. The best way to check is with a meat thermometer, otherwise, cut it at the thickest, the meat should be white.
Shara says
This was very delicious. I ended up omitting the bell pepper (I didn’t have any on hand), but it was wonderful, and received a compliment from my husband. This will be a part of our recipes we use more frequently.
Adina says
I am happy to hear, Shara. Thank you for the feedback.
Shalu Alex says
I love this recipe and added the garlic in after sautéing the onion. Is that the right time? I can’t find when to add the garlic in your recipe. Could you let me know? Thanks!!
Adina says
Hi. I am happy you liked the chicken. After cooking the onion, you should add the garlic together with the rest of the vegetables (peppers and carrots). What you did was fine; it's not super important if you add it one minute before or after adding the carrots and peppers.
John says
I don't see cooking temperatures on the recipes.....
Adina says
Hi John. The dish is cooked on the stove; there are no precise requirements. I've only mentioned turning up the heat higher at the end.