Get a taste of Ireland with our easy one-pot Irish chicken, a delicious recipe for St. Patrick's Day! Juicy chicken, tender cabbage, and potatoes combine for a comforting, hearty, flavorful meal.
This Irish chicken recipe is easy to make and incredibly satisfying, bringing the warmth of Irish tradition to your table. Just cook everything in one pot and let it simmer to perfection. No fancy ingredients or complicated techniques - just delicious, hearty food that'll leave you feeling happy and full.
Make a delicious St. Patrick’s Day meal by starting with a simple Bacon Potato and Leek Soup, serving the Irish chicken with Irish Soda Bread, and ending with a luxurious No-Bake Bailey’s Cheesecake or super easy-to-make Bailey’s Fudge.
Alternatively, make a simple Lamb and Potato Stew, Colcannon - Irish Potatoes and Cabbage, or Cast-Iron Shepherd's Pie with mashed potatoes.
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Recipe ingredients
- Chicken: I used a combination of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and chicken drumsticks. You can use only thighs or only drumsticks.
- You can buy four chicken quarters and divide chicken pieces at the joint; it’s what I do most of the time.
- Try more chicken recipes using thighs: Chicken with Mushroom Sauce or Pan-Fried Chicken Thighs.
- Bacon: Chopped bacon. It’s easier to work with thick-cut bacon slices in this recipe, but if all you have are thin slices, they’re perfectly ok, too. Alternatively, use pancetta cubes.
- Cabbage: ½ a head of white cabbage, about 2-3 lbs/1-1.2 kg; if you have a little more or less, that’s okay.
- Next, make our Fried Cabbage with Bacon or this great recipe for Sauteed Savoy Cabbage!
- Potatoes: I used about 1 lb/ 500 g of potatoes. You can increase the amount by another ½ lb/ 225 if you want more potatoes; make sure the pot is large enough to hold everything.
- You can also try Baked Cabbage and Potatoes.
- Tomatoes: Two medium tomatoes and one heaped tablespoon of tomato paste add a bit of color and tanginess.
- Caraway seeds: We loved the flavor they brought to this simple dish. You can leave it out if you don’t have it or don’t like it, but I warmly recommend using it.
- Add caraway seeds to other cabbage or sauerkraut dishes, for instance, to Slow Cooker Pork Hocks, Sweetheart Cabbage, or German cooked Sauerkraut. Or make Romanian Cheese Crackers.
- Other spices: Sweet paprika, garlic powder, rosemary, fine sea salt or kosher salt, and ground black pepper.
- Alternatively, you can use dry or fresh thyme sprigs instead of rosemary.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make Irish chicken?
Step #1: Dry the meat with a paper towel. Mix the spices in a small bowl and season the chicken.
Step #2: Roughly chop the cabbage; set it aside.
Step #3: Peel and thinly slice the potatoes; about ¼ inch/ 0.5 cm.
Step 4: Cook the chopped bacon until crispy and remove it from the pan. Pour off most of the excess fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon behind to cook the meat.
Step #5: Brown the meat, skin-side down, on medium-high heat for about 3 minutes (lightly golden brown). Flip and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove from the pan.
Step #6: Add cabbage, onion, and 2-3 tablespoons of the stock. Cook for 4-5 minutes on medium heat, stirring. Add tomatoes, potatoes, and remaining chicken stock. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
Step #7: Add tomato paste, caraway seeds, bacon, salt, and black pepper to taste. Stir to combine. Place the chicken pieces in a single layer on top of the vegetables and cover the pot.
Step #8: Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes (almost fully cooked). Remove the lid and cook for another 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked through.
Expert Tips
Size of the pot: Use a large Dutch oven or another oven-safe heavy-bottomed pot to cook the Irish chicken. The Dutch oven I used has a diameter of 11 inches/ 28 cm and 3 inches/ 7 cm high.
Cabbage: Initially, it may appear that there isn't enough room in the pot for all the cabbage and additional ingredients. Yet, as the cabbage cooks and softens, it will naturally shrink in volume, making room for the rest of the ingredients to be added and cooked together.
Ensure all ingredients are cooked through but not overdone. The cabbage should be tender but not mushy, the potatoes should be completely tender, and the chicken should be cooked through. Check the internal temperature of the meat with an instant-read thermometer (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab); it should be 165°F/ 74°C. If you don’t have one, cut the meat near the bone. The flesh should be white, and the juices should run clear (no pink or bloody spots).
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can prepare this dish 1-2 days in advance. Let the roast chicken come to room temperature, then place the whole pot with the lid on in the fridge.
It is best to reheat the dish in the oven. Preheat to 350°F/175°C and cook for 20-30 minutes with the lid on. Remove the lid for the last 5-10 minutes for crispiness.
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until heated through before serving.
You can freeze leftover Irish chicken into freezer-safe containers for 2-3 months. However, I don't like freezing any dish containing potatoes, I don't like their texture once thawed. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Yes, you can adapt this recipe for a slow cooker; however, I haven't tested it yet. Follow the instructions for frying the bacon and searing the chicken and cabbage in a skillet, then transfer everything to a slow cooker along with the remaining ingredients.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours until the chicken is cooked and the potatoes are tender. Make our Slow Cooker Cabbage, too.
More Irish recipes for St. Patrick’s Day
Recipe
Irish Chicken Recipe
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven or another large heavy-bottomed pot, Note 1
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 4 chicken thighs Note 2
- 4 chicken drumsticks
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt or kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika powder
- 1 teaspoon rosemary
Cabbage and potatoes:
- ½ head white cabbage 2-2.5 lbs/ 1-1.2 kg
- 1 medium onion
- 1 lb potatoes 500 g, Note 4
- 4-6 slices bacon 4.5 oz/ 125 g, Note 3
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 2 medium tomatoes
- 1 heaped tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ - 1 teaspoon caraway seeds to taste
- ½ cup chicken stock divided 125 ml
- fine sea salt and ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F/180°C.
- Season chicken: Dry the chicken pieces with pepper towels. Combine the spices in a small bowl, then coat the chicken with the mixture.4 chicken thighs + 4 chicken drumsticks + 1 teaspoon fine sea salt + ½ teaspoon ground black pepper + 1 teaspoon garlic powder + 1 teaspoon sweet paprika powder + 1 teaspoon rosemary
- Vegetables: Roughly chop the cabbage. Finely chop the onion. Set them aside.½ head white cabbage / 2-2.5 lbs/ 1-1.2 kg + 1 medium onion
- Potatoes: Peel them. Cut them into thin slices, not thicker than ¼ inch/ ½ cm.1 lb potatoes / 500 g
- Bacon: Chop it. Heat the oil in the pot and fry the bacon pieces until crispy. Remove them from the pot. Drain off most of the bacon grease, leaving just 1 tablespoon behind.4-6 slices bacon/ 4.5 oz/ 125 g + 1 teaspoon oil
- Sear chicken: Place the thighs and drumsticks in the pot, skin-side down. Sear for 3-4 minutes on medium-high heat until lightly golden brown. Flip and cook on the other side for 3 minutes. Remove the chicken pieces from the pan.
- Sauté: Add cabbage, onion, and 2-3 tablespoons of the stock. Cook for 4-5 minutes on medium heat, stirring several times in between. The cabbage will lose some volume, making room for the remaining ingredients.
- Add tomatoes, potatoes, and remaining stock. Cook for 3-4 minutes.2 medium tomatoes + the rest from ½ cup chicken stock / 125 ml
- Combine: Add tomato paste, caraway seeds, cooked bacon, salt, and pepper to taste (taste and season generously). Stir to combine, then add the chicken pieces. Cover the pot with the lid. Cover your pot with aluminum foil if it doesn’t have a lid.1 heaped tablespoon tomato paste + ½ - 1 teaspoon caraway seeds + fine sea salt and ground black pepper
- Cook the Irish chicken in the preheated oven for 35 minutes (almost fully cooked). Remove the lid and cook for another 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is deeply golden brown and cooked through.
Notes
- Size of the pot: Use a large Dutch oven or another oven-safe heavy-bottomed pot. My pot has a diameter of 11 inches/ 28 cm and is almost 3 inches/ 7 cm high.
- Chicken: You can also use only thighs or only drumsticks. If you use only drumsticks, you might want to add two extra ones as they are smaller. Or you can buy four chicken quarters and divide them at the joint yourself.
- Bacon: Thick-cut bacon is easier to chop and a better choice for this recipe. However, thin-cut slices are also ok.
- Potatoes: Using slightly smaller potatoes is preferable so the slices are not too large. I used 6 small to medium potatoes for this recipe.
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