Fall-Apart Dutch Oven Chicken

Name: Fall Apart Dutch Oven Chicken
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 240 min
Total time: 245 min
Ingredients: 2 teaspooons kosher salt; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; ½ teaspoon ground cloves; ½ teaspoon ground star anise; 1 approximately (3½ pound) whole chicken; about 2 teaspoons grapeseed or other neutral oil

December 15, 2018 By valentina 55 Comments

Jump to Recipe

Fall-Apart Dutch Oven Chicken is nothing short of amazing! One of my all time favorite Dutch oven recipes, we’re talking succulent, juicy, tender-as-can-be, and bursting with warm flavors. Delectable on its own and in dozens of other recipes.

I’m used to cooking tough cuts of meat for hours on end, at a low temperature, in order to create super juicy, “fall apart” results.

It’s one of my favorite things to do — my Braised Brisket Stew and Spiced Pulled Pork recipes are perfect examples.

These warming spices — cinnamon, cloves and star anise — are part of what leads to the success of this chicken. Wait until you taste the juices left in the Dutch Oven after these spices have made their way in.

Slow Cooking

I love slow cooking of all sorts. Especially when whatever I’m slowly cooking, slowly and continuously permeates my home — and sometimes the neighborhood — with its delicious aroma.

Look at how juicy the pieces of chicken are — and with those warming spices . . . oh my!

I wondered what would happen if I did the same thing with chicken — something I would normally cook at a high temperature for a relatively short period of time.

This was my mom’s Dutch Oven — I think she bought it in the 60’s. There’s a whole lotta love in this pot!

I am certainly not the first person to think of this. After a quick Google search, it turns out, I’m more like the ten millionth! Ha!

This is just before the chicken “fell apart.”

What is Fall-Apart Chicken?

Fall-Apart Dutch Oven Chicken is a whole chicken that is cooked in a covered Dutch Oven (go figure). The chicken is cooked in a way that it actually falls apart — in a most delicious way — with just a little prodding when it’s done.

And here it is, “fallen-apart.”

What are the keys to making it?

The oven must be set to a very low oven temperature of about 250°F.
The chicken should cook for a little more than 1 hour per pound. The chicken is cooked through after about 1 hour, but you must keep going . . . and going, to get the best results.

As with many Dutch oven recipes that cook for a while, the active work time is short. In this recipe, it’s truly only about five minutes, then you can go about your business while it does its thing in the oven. Easy!

This is what’s left after the whole chicken “fell apart.” Do you see how clean the bones are? That’s a clue that you’ve done everything correctly.

You guys! This Fall-Apart Dutch Oven Chicken recipe is really unbelievable! It’s so over-the-top juicy, succulent and flavorful.

You simply won’t be able to get enough.

Not only is it spectacular (yep, spectacular!) on its own, but you can use it in dozens of other recipes. It would be excellent to use in salads, tacos, burritos, stews, sandwiches, and the list goes on.

Enjoy every last bite and may this become one of your favorite Dutch oven recipes too.