This Garlic Butter Cast Iron Roast Chicken with Potatoes and Tomatoes is such an easy one skillet recipe! Perfect as an easy family dinner or as a way to meal prep for the week.

Cast Iron Roast Chicken

The title is a mouthful isn’t it? While it’s a long title, I promise you that it’s a simple recipe! I love cooking up a whole chicken as easily makes a couple servings (for a family dinner or as a meal prep) and I usually cook my roast chicken in a dutch oven. However, since that recipe has been up on the blog, I’ve gotten some questions as to how to make it without a dutch oven. So today, I’m sharing with you how to roast a whole chicken in a cast iron skillet.

Fair warning, I personally love making my chicken in a dutch oven much more than in the skillet. Cooking a chicken in a skillet requires a little more work because without the lid, you have to continually baste the chicken while it’s roasting. While you might be able to skip the basting, I recommend you don’t as it helps keep the chicken moist. Plus if there’s any garlic on the outer skin, it’ll burn if it’s not basted.

For this roasted chicken and potatoes recipe, I use a 10″ cast iron skillet. If you prefer, you can use a 12″ skillet.

What You’ll Need To Make This Roasted Chicken and Potatoes

whole chicken
salt: coarse kosher salt is my go-to
butter: always use unsalted. I’ve accidentally used salted butter once and it came out super salty!
garlic
olive oil
baby potatoes: I use Dynamic Duo Red and Yellow Creamer Potatoes from the Little Potato Company
grape tomatoes: or cherry tomatoes

How To Make A Whole Chicken in a Cast Iron Skillet

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, removing anything inside the cavity, and season generously with kosher salt inside and out of the chicken.
Peel and smash a few cloves of garlic and place them inside of the cavity.
In a small bowl combine part of the butter with grated garlic. Gently lift the skin of the chicken breasts and spread the butter-garlic mixture onto the breast.
Cover the entirety of the outside of the chicken with the rest of the butter and any of the leftover garlic-butter mixture.
Let the chicken sit for 1 hour, or in the fridge overnight if you have time or are prepping ahead.
Before the chicken goes into the oven, heat up your oven to 425F and cast iron skillet inside on the lower rack.
Once the oven has come up to 425F, carefully remove the cast iron skillet, drizzle 1-2 tbsp of olive oil onto it and quickly add in the chicken. This might be a two person job as there might be some minor oil splashing and your hands would be coated in butter/raw chicken so you’d have to wash your hands before placing the skillet back in the oven.
Place the whole chicken in the cast iron skillet back into the oven.
Bake for 10 minutes before pulling out the skillet. Baste the chicken with the melted butter in the pan (by spooning melted butter onto the top of the chicken) before adding in the baby potatoes around the chicken. Sprinkle some salt on and make sure the potatoes are coated in butter and salt.

Roast the whole chicken for another 45-50 minutes, basting the chicken with the butter every 10-15 minutes.
After 45-50 minutes, pull out the skillet from the oven, basting it the chicken before adding in grape tomatoes to the sides of the skillet, around the chicken.

Roast for a final 15 minutes. When done, remove the cast iron skillet from the oven and let the chicken rest 10-15 minutes before serving. I recommend using a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken is 165F/75C.

Recipe Variations

similar to my dutch oven chicken, you can add in fresh herbs to the butter mixture of in the skillet.
make it Greek: mix in dried oregano and lemon juice to the seasoning
make it citrus: add in lemon and orange wedges into the chicken cavity and baste with orange juice

Tips and Notes

If you cannot reach the whole chicken breast under the skin to place the butter-garlic mixture in, use a spoon to gently separate the breast and skin.
Adding the garlic-butter mixture onto the chicken breast helps keep it moist while it roasts in the oven as well as makes the meat super flavourful!
If you’re chicken is getting too much colour on it too quickly, you can cover it with some tin foil.

you’ll want to tie up your chicken if it’s not already. This helps the chicken cook more evenly.
feel free to cut the grape tomatoes in half if you prefer.
save the chicken carcass to make stock! Here’s how I make chicken stock in the Instant Pot.
storing leftovers or meal prepping: store in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.

whole roast chicken in a cast iron staub skillet with baby potatoes and grape tomatoes

Cast Iron Skillet Roasted Garlic Butter Chicken with Potatoes and Tomatoes

This Cast Iron Skillet Roasted Garlic Butter Chicken with Potatoes and Tomatoes is such an easy one skillet recipe! Perfect as an easy family dinner or as a way to meal prep for the week.

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Print Rate

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 50

Resting Time (Before and After Baking): 1 10

Total Time: 2 10

Servings: servings

Ingredients

3.5-4 lb whole chicken
salt
1/4 cup room temperature unsalted butter, (1/2 stick)
6-7 cloves garlic, grated
1-2 tbsp olive oil
350 grams baby potatoes, halved
250 grams grape tomatoes

Equipment

Cast Iron Skillet (minimum 10 inch)

Instructions

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, removing anything inside the cavity, and season the whole chicken generously with coarse kosher salt inside the cavity and outside of the chicken.
Peel and smash a few cloves of garlic and place them inside of the cavity.
In a small bowl combine part of the butter (1-2 tbsp) with grated garlic. Gently lift the skin of the chicken breasts and spread the butter-garlic mixture onto the breast.
Cover the entirety of the outside of the chicken with the rest of the butter and any of the leftover garlic-butter mixture.
Let the chicken sit for 1 hour, or in the fridge overnight if you have time or are prepping ahead.
Before the chicken goes into the oven, heat up your oven to 425F and cast iron skillet inside on the lower rack.
Once the oven has come up to 425F, carefully remove the cast iron skillet, drizzle 1-2 tbsp of olive oil onto it and quickly add in the chicken. Place the whole chicken in the cast iron skillet back into the oven.
Bake for 10 minutes before pulling out the skillet. Baste the chicken with the melted butter in the pan before adding in the baby potatoes around the chicken. Sprinkle some salt on and make sure the potatoes are coated in butter and salt.
Roast the whole chicken for another 45-50 minutes, basting the chicken with the butter every 10-15 minutes.
After 45-50 minutes, pull out the skillet from the oven, basting it the chicken before adding in grape tomatoes to the sides of the skillet, around the chicken.
Roast for a final 15 minutes. When done, remove the cast iron skillet from the oven and let the chicken rest 10-15 minutes before serving. I recommend using a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken is 165F/75C.

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Nutrition Per Serving

Author: Carmy

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Canadian

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