Are you new to cooking traditional, nutrient-dense foods and feeling unsure where to begin? This article guides you through a simple roast chicken prepared in a cast iron skillet — a comforting, practical first step that also provides the bones for rich homemade chicken bone broth.
This Roast Chicken in a Cast Iron Skillet recipe is ideal for anyone embarking on a nourishing-traditions style kitchen. It’s straightforward, reliable, and teaches the essential habit of using every part of an ingredient: flavorful meat, savory drippings, and bones for broth. Once you master this, making other traditional recipes becomes much easier.
Affiliate disclosure: This site may contain affiliate links to products and services. If you make a purchase through these links, the site may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Table of Contents
- Why roasting a chicken builds confidence
- Ingredients for roasting
- More chicken recipe videos
- Chicken bone broth recipe videos
- The Modern Pioneer Pantry
- Download the free pantry list
- Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy
- Roast Chicken in a Cast Iron Skillet Recipe
- Shop for items used
Why Roasting a Chicken Builds Confidence in Your Traditional Foods Journey
Roasting a whole chicken is an accessible, comforting way to start cooking traditional, nutrient-rich meals. The technique is simple, and the results are tangible: a golden, crisp bird, tasty pan drippings, tender meat for other dishes, and bones for making a nourishing broth.
Working with a whole chicken teaches resourceful cooking: you learn to use the meat for a main meal, save leftovers for soups or salads, and transform the carcass into a collagen-rich bone broth. This approach encourages less waste and more satisfaction in the kitchen, and the success of a roast chicken builds the confidence to try more traditional recipes.
Ingredients for Roasting a Chicken
Whole chickens are widely available at supermarkets, farmers’ markets, and specialty meat suppliers. Look for pastured or higher-welfare birds when possible, but any whole chicken will work for this recipe. Alongside the bird, you’ll need simple vegetables and a little butter, salt, and pepper.
Get Bone-In Meats from Shirttail Creek Farm
Shirttail Creek Farm and similar producers offer pasture-raised chicken, beef bones, and other cuts that are excellent for making gelatinous, nutrient-dense broths. Stocking a few bags of bones and chicken feet in the freezer makes broth-making quick and economical.
Get Pastured Chickens from National Suppliers
If local pastured chickens are unavailable, several national suppliers offer frozen pastured whole chickens, beef bones, and chicken feet. Buying occasional bulk packs and freezing what you don’t use right away can help you keep a steady supply of quality ingredients for broths and traditional meals.
- Unboxing and tips for bone selections for broth
More Chicken Recipe Videos
Once you’re comfortable roasting a whole chicken, try a few other straightforward chicken recipes that use similar techniques and ingredients. Examples include simple roast variations, sheet pan dinners, Instant Pot whole chickens, crispy cutlets, and easy fried chicken tips. These recipes help you get more meals from one bird and expand your kitchen skills.
- How to make a simple roast chicken
Chicken Bone Broth Recipe Videos
Save the carcass, neck, and any bones from your roast chicken to make a nourishing bone broth. Homemade broth adds flavor and nutrition to soups, stews, grains, and sauces. You can make broth in a slow cooker, on the stovetop, or in an electric pressure cooker — each method produces a delicious base for many meals.
- Slow cooker method for roast chicken bone broth
- Stovetop chicken bone broth
- Instant Pot chicken bone broth that gels reliably
Order your copy now
The Modern Pioneer Pantry
Simple ingredients and timeless techniques to preserve food and turn pantry staples into nourishing meals. This collection offers practical recipes and pantry guidance for building a traditional foods kitchen.
Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List
For a detailed list of traditional foods and pantry staples, download the free 36-page Traditional Foods Pantry List. The guide includes recipe links, helpful tips, and resources to help you stock and use a traditional kitchen effectively.
- FREE 36-Page Traditional Foods Pantry List — printable
For more guidance and traditional recipes compiled for home cooks, consider looking into The Modern Pioneer Cookbook, which offers menu ideas, techniques, and seasonal recipes that complement the skills you develop when cooking a roast chicken and making broth.
Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy
If you want ongoing video lessons and a community focused on traditional cooking, consider joining the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy. Memberships often provide exclusive videos, deeper instruction, and helpful resources to accelerate your learning.
- Members-only video: How to streamline meal planning
Roast Chicken in a Cast Iron Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 raw whole chicken (2–4 pounds)
- 3–4 potatoes, unpeeled, halved and quartered
- 6 carrots, peeled and cut into thirds
- 4 onions, peeled and quartered
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C).
- Place the carrots in the bottom of the cast iron pan to form a simple rack.
- Season the chicken cavity with about 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Set the chicken on top of the carrots. Tuck the wings under and tie the legs together with kitchen twine if desired.
- Arrange the onions and potatoes around the chicken in the pan.
- Brush melted butter over the chicken and vegetables. Sprinkle the bird and veg with the remaining salt and the black pepper.
- Put the pan in the oven and lower the temperature to 375°F (191°C). Roast until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part of the breast and thighs, or until the juices run clear and there is no pink when sliced. Let rest briefly, then carve and enjoy.
Video
Notes
Save the carcass and any leftover bones for making chicken bone broth. This is a foundational skill that stretches your food dollar and yields flavorful, nourishing stock for soups, rice, and other dishes.
Shop for items used in this blog post or video
Favorite Kitchen Supplies
- Sturdy cast iron skillet or Dutch oven
- Reliable meat thermometer
- Heavy-duty kitchen twine
- 8-quart slow cooker for broth
- Fat separator for decanting warm broth
Recommended Reading
- The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
- The Modern Pioneer Pantry
- Nourishing Traditions