Shredded Potato & Herb Stuffed Chicken (Easy Recipe)
Shredded Potato & Herb Stuffed Chicken … Not Your Average Roast Chicken
A whole roast chicken offers a wide variety of meal options and cooking techniques. Shredded Potato & Herb Stuffed Chicken takes whole potatoes, shredded and then browned in olive oil, butter, herbs, and seasonings and then stuffed carefully under the skin of a whole chicken – keeping the chicken breast meat tender and moist. This recipe seriously knocks it out of the park when it comes to a super juicy whole bird and shredded potatoes that are stuffed full of flavor!
Our garden has really taken off over this past month and it’s been such an absolute joy for Corey and me to tend to it every day. We have been diligent in using our homegrown herbs and veggies in pretty much every single meal we cook or bake around here. This easy roast chicken recipe was an opportunity to use some of our overgrown rosemary, parsley, and thyme.
Seriously, look at that layer of shredded Yukon Gold potatoes (or large Russet potatoes) as we cut through this whole roasted chicken with crispy skin! Those browned potatoes have been roasting in chicken juices, herbs, and seasonings for over an hour and they are absolutely HEAVENLY! With every bite of chicken, I wanted a scoop of the potato stuffing to go with it!
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We paired Shredded Potato & Herb Stuffed Chicken with a delicious Zucchini Rice Cheesy Casserole – we will be sharing this recipe next week. It is so, so YUMMY! After a long day, easy dinners are our preference. So really this recipe can be a complete meal using just one large skillet (cast-iron or oven-safe). Yay for less dirty dishes!
What do you need to make this delicious Stuffed Roasted Chicken?
This easy dinner recipe requires several simple ingredients, most of which you may already have at home.
Here is your ingredient list for the grocery store:
- Unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons
- Olive oil, 1 tablespoon
- Yukon Gold potatoes or large Russet potatoes, 1 pound – shredded with a box grater and THEN measure out to 1 pound
- White onion, 1 medium onion – diced
- Kosher salt, 2 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- Black pepper, 1 teaspoon
- Garlic, 2 garlic cloves – fresh and minced (or you can substitute 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
- Rosemary, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary (or more if you’d like!)
- Thyme, 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (or more if you’d like!)
- Parsley, 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley (or more if you’d like!)
- Roasting (or fryer) Chicken, 4-pound to a 5-pound whole chicken
- Olive oil, 2 1/2 tablespoons to rub over the top of the chicken skin
- Additional kosher salt and black pepper to season chicken
How do you make Shredded Potato & Herb Stuffed Chicken?
Move one rack to the upper third section of the oven but make sure that the size of your chicken will fit properly in that section of your oven so the bird will roast evenly and then preheat the oven to 400° F. Or we love to use our Traeger Grill and heat it to 400° F as well.
Over a large bowl or baking sheet, chop the potatoes in half and then grate the potato halves into hash brown size. Wrap in cheesecloth and squeeze to wring out the water in the potatoes. Then place the shredded potatoes on a paper towel to further dry out.
Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large cast-iron skillet. Add onions and cook until softened. Add the butter to the skillet with the onions over medium heat. Drop in the hash brown potatoes and season with kosher salt, black pepper, chopped rosemary, parsley, and thyme. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes. Add minced garlic and stir in for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove the potatoes and onions quickly and transfer to a plate to cool.
How do you assemble Potato and Herb Stuffed Roasted Chicken?
Place the whole chicken on a clean work surface. We chose a disposable aluminum roasting pan for easy clean-up. Starting near the tail end of the bird, breast side up, gently loosen the skin from the meat with your fingers. Be careful not to puncture the skin (but it’s ok if you do). Continue to move your fingers under the skin of the breast to release it. Rotate the bird so that the neck is facing you and do the same thing under the neck to the breasts.
Using your fingers, carefully stuff the hash brown potatoes under the skin starting at the neck to the breasts and then from the tail to the breasts. Gently press down on top of the skin to flatten out the potatoes a bit. This thick layer of the potatoes recipe (plus the browned bits from the skillet), onions, herbs, and garlic will keep the breast meat from drying out and the juices from the chicken will add an incredible flavor to the potato mixture, while the chicken roasts.
Don’t be tempted to fill the inside of the chicken …
You may be tempted to fill the inside of the chicken with any leftover potatoes you have that don’t fit under the skin but just leave it empty. This will allow the heat to fill within the cavity of the chicken for an even and slow cook that only takes about an hour for the entire bird. If you’re a fan of rotisserie chicken, you may become obsessed with this easy meal which has become one of our favorite recipes.
Brush or rub (with your clean hands) olive oil over the chicken and then season the bird with kosher salt and black pepper to your preferred liking.
Brown the chicken first, then place in the oven or grill …
Heat the large cast-iron skillet over medium heat and carefully place the whole chicken in the pan breast-side down. Allow it to brown for about 3 to 4 minutes. Gently turn the chicken over so the browned chicken breasts are facing up. This will help give your chicken a nice crispy brown skin prior to roasting in the oven or the grill.
What is the correct and safe temperature when cooking chicken?
Transfer the cast-iron skillet to the preheated oven (or grill – we love to use our Traeger Grill as much as possible!) and cook for an hour (or longer) or until the internal temperature reaches 160° to 165°.
Test the internal temperature of the chicken using a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh without touching a bone. The time to reach this temperature will depend on the size of the bird.
Cool for about 10 minutes prior to cutting and serving.
WOW! Look at that crispy, golden brown chicken and shredded potatoes bursting through! You can even see how juicy the chicken is!! The pan juices from the bottom of the pan are full of flavor and perfect to spoon over the chicken and potatoes after each cut. I hope you enjoy this stuffed roasted chicken as much as our family does!
What are the best dishes to serve with a juicy roasted chicken?
- Zucchini Rice Cheesy Casserole
- Sweet Corn Casserole
- Delicious Macaroni and Cheese
- Rosemary French Bread
- A garden fresh green salad
What can you make with leftover chicken?
If you and your family are unable to finish off this roasted chicken, remove all the meat from the bones and store it in a plastic ziplock bag or an air-tight container.
Then use the leftover chicken to make some of these delicious recipes …
- Cheesy Chicken Baked Croquettes (mashed potato balls)
- Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Chicken Fajita Casserole
- Baked Chicken Noodles
- Savory Chicken Pork Pie
- Coogan’s Chicken & Beef Irish Stew
- Savory Chicken Stew with Rosemary Dumplings
Looking for more tasty and easy recipes? Try a few here:
- Italian Chicken and Acorn Squash Couscous
- Chicken & Pork Crostina Pasta
- Creamy Beef and Potatoes
- Wild Rice Chicken Casserole – (Easy Recipe)
- Meat and Potato Timballo Pie
- Italian Chicken and Acorn Squash Couscous
- Chicken & Pork Crostina Pasta
- Creamy Beef and Potatoes
- Wild Rice Chicken Casserole – (Easy Recipe)
- Meat and Potato Timballo Pie
Shredded Potato & Herb Stuffed Chicken
Equipment
- Box grater
- Cheesecloth
- Cast-iron skillet, large
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 lb grated golden (or Yukon Gold) potatoes , shredded with a box grater – then measure out to 1 lb
- 1 medium white onion , diced
- 2½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 cloves fresh garlic , minced (or substitute with 1 tsp garlic powder)
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
- 2 tsp chopped fresh parsley
- 4-5 lb roasting chicken
- 2½ tbsp olive oil , to rub over the top of the chicken skin
- additional salt and pepper to season the top of the chicken, as desired
Instructions
- Move one rack to the upper third section of the oven (ensure you have enough room for your whole chicken and pan) and then preheat the oven to 400° F. If using a grill, heat to 400° F.
- Grate the potatoes into hash brown size. Wrap in cheesecloth and squeeze to wring out the water in the potatoes. Transfer to a paper towel.
- Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large cast iron skillet. Add onions and cook until softened. Add the butter to skillet with the onions over medium heat. Drop in the hash brown potatoes and season with kosher salt, black pepper, chopped rosemary, parsley, and thyme. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes. Add minced garlic and stir in for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove the potatoes and onions quickly and transfer to a plate to cool.
- Place the whole chicken on a clean work surface. Starting near the tail end of the bird, breast side up, gently loosen the skin from the meat with your fingers. Be careful not to puncture the skin (but it's ok if you do). Continue to move your fingers under the skin of the breast to release it. Rotate the bird so that the neck is facing you and do the same thing under the neck to the breasts.
- Using your fingers, carefully stuff the potato mixture under the skin starting at the neck to the breasts and then from the tail to the breasts. Gently press down on top the the skin to flatten out the potatoes a bit. RECIPE NOTE: You may be tempted to fill the inside of the chicken with any leftover potatoes you have that don't fit under the skin but just leave it empty. This will allow the heat to fill within the cavity of the chicken for an even and slow cook that only takes about an hour for the entire bird.
- Brush or rub (with your clean hands) olive oil over the chicken; season with kosher salt and black pepper to your preferred liking.
- Heat the cast-iron skillet over medium heat and carefully place the whole chicken in the pan breast-side down. Allow it to brown for about 3 to 4 minutes. Gently turn the chicken over so the browned chicken breasts are facing up.
- Transfer the cast-iron skillet to the preheated oven (or grill) and cook for an hour (or longer) or until the internal temperature reaches 160° to 165°. Test the internal temperature of the chicken using a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh without touching a bone. The time to reach this temperature will depend on the size of the bird. Cool for about 10 minutes prior to cutting and serving.
Notes
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