This juicy Dutch Oven Chicken Breast recipe is the perfect one pot dish that is ready in less than an hour. The skin is crispy and the meat is tender and moist. The white wine pan sauce takes these to the next level.
I prefer to roast bone-in chicken breasts in the oven and sear boneless breasts on the stove, like in this easy Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Recipe with compound butter.
For turkey breasts, try my Dutch Oven Turkey Breast with Vegetables.
If you are looking for a thigh recipe, try these Greek Yogurt Marinated Chicken Thighs or BBQ Chicken in the Dutch Oven.
Have some leftover chicken you need to use up? Try my Easy Chicken Pot Pie with Puff Pastry.
Level up your boneless chicken breasts by making this French Onion Chicken recipe or my everyday Lemon Chicken Marinade.
Check out The Best One Pot Dutch Oven Recipes if you need more ideas.
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What is a Dutch Oven?
A dutch oven is a heavy duty cooking pot with thick walls and a snug fitting lid.
They are usually made of cast iron, but can also be made of aluminum or ceramic. The cast iron can be seasoned or enameled, like this Lodge 3 QT. These pots hold heat extremely well.
What is the Secret to Moist Chicken Breast?
The BIGGEST secret to a moist & juicy chicken breast is to not overcook the chicken. As chicken cooks it releases more and more water.
The internal temperature should be 165 degrees. Use a meat thermometer so you do not have to play a guessing game. See more tips & tricks below!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Tender & juicy - The combination of roasting the chicken on the bone, not overcooking it, and the compound butter will prevent it from drying out or getting tough.
- Flavorful compound butter - The butter is loaded with garlic, lemon zest, herbs, and pepper. Rubbing this under the skin traps all of these delicious flavors.
- White wine pan sauce - The chicken drippings mixed with the white wine & lemon juice are the perfect base for a pan sauce.
- Holiday entrée alternative - Turkey or beef are classics for Thanksgiving and Chrssitmas, but this is a great option, especially if you are cooking for a smaller crowd.
- Ready in less than an hour - The roasting time will vary depending on the size, but these should not take more than an hour to cook. Dinner will be served in no time!
- Versatile - Add potatoes, carrots, or any root vegetables to the bottom of the pan for a simple side.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Kosher Salt: All of my recipes are tested with Morton kosher salt unless noted otherwise. It is the best salt for everyday cooking because of its size and flavor. If using table salt, the amount should be reduced. I highly recommend picking up some kosher next time you are at the store!
- White Wine: I recommend a dry citrusy white, like Sauvignon Blanc. You can also replace this with chicken stock.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts is located on the recipe card below.
How to Make Dutch Oven Chicken Breast
Quick Overview
- Make compound butter.
- Rub all over the chicken.
- Add onion, lemon, and wine.
- Roast.
- Make pan sauce & serve!
Step by Step Instructions
Be sure to rub the butter on top of and underneath the skin. Use all of the butter and salt.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a small mixing bowl, combine the butter, garlic, thyme, sage, rosemary, pepper, and lemon zest.
Step 2: Rub about ⅓ of this mixture all over the button (bone-side) of each chicken breast. Season with about ½ of the salt.
Step 3: Flip and stuff a spoonful of butter under the skin of each.
Step 4: Rub the remaining butter on the top of the skin and down the sides. Season with the rest of the salt.
Step 5: Add the onions around the pan in between the chicken. Juice both lemon halves on top of the chicken and onions. Pour the wine down the side of the pan so that the salt does not wash off of the chicken skin.
Step 6: Roast uncovered for 40-45 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees.
The chicken is done once the internal temperature is 165 degrees.
Step 7: While the chicken roasts, microwave the butter for the pan sauce in 5 second increments until melted in a small bowl. Stir in the flour. Side aside.
Step 8: Once the chicken is done, remove it and the onions from the pan. Set aside to rest.
Step 9: Place the dutch oven on the stove over medium heat. Add the butter mixture and whisk continuously.
Step 10: As the sauce starts to thicken, add about ½ cup of stock or water to thin the sauce. Continue whisking.
Step 11: Add more stock or water as needed to reach desired consistency. It should not be quite as thick as gravy. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
Step 12: Serve the chicken with the pan sauce on top.
Recipe Serving Suggestions
These roasted chicken breasts pair well with a variety of side dishes. They are definitely begging to be served with a leftover glass of white wine from cooking. Aside from that here are my recommendations:
- Add some potatoes and carrots (or any root vegetable) to the bottom of the pan. These will roast with chicken and have a delicious flavor. Just be sure to not overcrowd the pan. The veggies will release water and you do not want the chicken to boil or steam. You could also add mushrooms.
- Potatoes: Oven Roasted Yukon Potatoes or Air Fryer Smashed Potatoes
- Vegetables: Stovetop Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots or Balsamic Brussel Sprouts
- Bread: Parmesan Rosemary Bread or Air Fryer Garlic Cheese Bread
Expert Tips & Variations
- Rub with a compound butter. This fat will not only add tons of flavor to the chicken but it will add lots of moisture. Since white meat is leaner, it needs some extra fat.
- Season with kosher salt. Salt is the most underrated seasoning. It will bring out all of the other flavors in the dish. Be generous. I used the whole tablespoon between the three pieces.
- Roast at 425 degrees. This temperature will allow the skin to crisp up, but not burn. If you roast it on a lower temperature the exterior will not have browned enough in the time it takes to cook the inside.
- Use a meat thermometer. This is the best way to ensure the chicken will come out moist and tender. It should be an internal temperature of 165 degrees in the thickest part.
- Let the chicken rest. While the pan sauce comes together, this will give the chicken 5 or so minutes to rest before being sliced. This will lock in all of those juices.
- Make a pan sauce. All of the excess butter and white wine is in the bottom of the pan. I highly recommend thickening it and creating this super simple pan sauce to spoon on top. You can also just serve it with the drippings.
Recipe FAQs
425 degrees is the perfect roasting temperature. The skin will get crispy, but the inside will have time to cook without the skin burning.
Be sure there is a little bit of liquid or fat in the pan. This is why the recipe calls for white wine and lemon juice in the pot.
It really depends on the size. For a large bone-in chicken breast, it will take about 45 minutes to roast at 425 degrees. Always use a meat thermometer to ensure the internal temperature is 165 degrees.
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Dutch Oven Chicken Breast
Ingredients:
- 5 Tablespoons salted butter, melted & cooled slightly
- 6-8 cloves garlic
- 1 Tablespoon fresh chopped thyme
- 1 Tablespoon fresh chopped sage
- 1 Tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 lemon, zested & cut in half
- 1 Tablespoon Morton’s kosher salt*
- 3 large bone-in chicken breasts, about 2.5 pounds
- 1 yellow onion, cut in eighths
- ¾ cup dry white wine*
Pan Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
- ½ - 1 cup chicken stock or water
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a small mixing bowl, combine the butter, garlic, thyme, sage, rosemary, pepper, and lemon zest.
- Rub about ⅓ of this mixture all over the button (bone-side) of each chicken breast. Season with about ½ of the salt.
- Flip and stuff a spoonful of butter under the skin of each.
- Rub the remaining butter on the top of the skin and down the sides. Season with the rest of the salt.
- Add the onions around the pan in between the chicken. Juice both lemon halves on top of the chicken and onions. Pour the wine down the side of the pan so that the salt does not wash off of the chicken skin.
- Roast uncovered for 40-45 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees.
- While the chicken roasts, microwave the butter for the pan sauce in 5 second increments until melted in a small bowl. Stir in the flour. Side aside.
- Once the chicken is done, remove it and the onions from the pan. Set aside to rest.
- Place the dutch oven on the stove over medium heat. Add the butter mixture and whisk continuously.
- As the sauce starts to thicken, add about ½ cup of stock or water to thin the sauce. Continue whisking.
- Add more stock or water as needed to reach desired consistency. It should not be quite as thick as gravy. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Serve the chicken with the pan sauce on top.
Notes:
- Kosher Salt: All of my recipes are tested with Morton kosher salt unless noted otherwise. It is the best salt for everyday cooking because of its size and flavor. If using table salt, the amount should be reduced. I highly recommend picking up some kosher next time you are at the store!
- White Wine: I recommend a dry citrusy white, like Sauvignon Blanc. You can also replace this with chicken stock.
- Rub with a compound butter. This fat will not only add tons of flavor to the chicken but it will add lots of moisture. Since white meat is leaner, it needs some extra fat.
- Season with kosher salt. Salt is the most underrated seasoning. It will bring out all of the other flavors in the dish. Be generous. I used the whole tablespoon between the three pieces.
- Roast at 425 degrees. This temperature will allow the skin to crisp up, but not burn. If you roast it on a lower temperature the exterior will not have browned enough in the time it takes to cook the inside.
- Use a meat thermometer. This is the best way to ensure the chicken will come out moist and tender. It should be an internal temperature of 165 degrees in the thickest part.
- Let the chicken rest. While the pan sauce comes together, this will give the chicken 5 or so minutes to rest before being sliced. This will lock in all of those juices.
- Make a pan sauce. All of the excess butter and white wine is in the bottom of the pan. I highly recommend thickening it and creating this super simple pan sauce to spoon on top. You can also just serve it with the drippings.
Couldn’t you just make this in a large, heavy-bottomed cast iron PAN instead of a dutch oven? As a Dutch oven has a lid, but the lid is never used in this recipe, I am a little confused why this is called “dutch oven chicken”. Think it’s also created some confusion amongst your readers too. That being said, the recipe looks good and I intend to try it out! Will report back once I do.
Yes! A shallow dutch oven and a cast iron pan are similar. A dutch oven has a bit taller walls to hold everything. No lid is needed but I like to use the shallow dutch oven hence the name.
This is a great way to serve chicken breast, which also happens to be the only part of chicken I eat! Yay!
Thank you!
Never thought about cooking a main in a Dutch oven. Thanks much for the delicious recipe.
So easy and I love the easy on pan clean up...hubby loved the crispy skin and flavorful sauce.
This chicken is both moist and crispy. The wine sauce really enhances the dish.
Great dinner- my family loved it
The sauce is the star of the show, very simple yet very flavorful. The compound butter also does a very nice job of retaining the moisture in the chicken.
Thank you!!!
What if all I have is boneless, skinless chicken breasts? How much less time do you think?
Please put in the recipe not to put the lid on! I am making this right now and smells fabulous, but I don’t always read the comments. Luckily I did and hopefully took the lid off in time. Otherwise, I guess I will need to cook a little longer?
Thanks,
Liz Lee
Thanks! I will add a note. Typically you can assumed uncovered for baking/roasting unless otherwise noted.
This was fantastic. I did lighten up the butter, since it’s New Years and I’m trying to eat cleaner. Next time I’ll double the onion and liquid. Thanks for sharing. I served with roasted broccoli.
Awesome! Thanks Jade.
Hi, do you roast the chicken with the Dutch oven’s lid on or off?
Off!
Have made this twice in my cast iron Dutch oven. It is lights out!
Awesome!!
Hi! I was wondering what you do with the onions after roasting? Do you add them to the sauce or eat them separately?
You can do either! I usually serve them over the chicken.
Do I put the lid on the Dutch over? Will make this tomorrow. Sounds great.
No lid!
So good!!