Irish Chicken Recipe

irish chicken with cabbage and potatoes in a large pot.

5 from 2 votes

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with our easy one-pot Irish chicken, cabbage, and potato recipe! This savory dish is flavorful and perfect for a cozy family dinner.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Course: Chicken

Cuisine: Irish

Servings: servings (very generously)

Calories: 569kcal

Author: Adina

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.

Nutrition