I didn’t know I needed a new roast chicken in my life when Helen Rosner, the New Yorker’s roving food correspondent and all-around fascinating person, posted on her Instagram a few weekends ago that she didn’t have her usual vegetables to put under her roast chicken so she was using cabbage instead. Yet the very next evening, so was I, plus twice since then, and likely one more time before this week is out and I have a hunch I will not be alone. Rosner won a James Beard award for an essay I still routinely quote from to my kids (“but chicken tenders have no terroir!” because we live in opposite land where they don’t like them but I do — but that’s a whole other blog entry) because it delights me so much. A year ago she nearly broke the internet when she said she likes to use a hairdryer to get the crispiest chicken skin. All I’m saying is that when Rosner talks about chicken, I find good reason to tune in.
Look, I really like cabbage. I was never tormented with it as a kid, so I love it with the abandon of someone who chooses it. I like it in salads. I like it pickled. I love it roasted. But even if you’re not me, even if you’re cabbage-hesitant, I think you will find cabbage cooked slowly in salty buttery chicken drippings until charred at the edges and caramelized throughout — the cause of fighting at dinner over who got the best pieces of cabbage (!) — to be best thing to eat with roast chicken since potatoes.
This recipe has five ingredients and two are salt and pepper, which, like, doesn’t even count in ingredient-counting parlance. The rest — a chicken, cabbage, and butter — are made for a time like this, when many grocery stores may be understocked, budgets may be slashed and stretched, and we try to figure out how to do more with less, all while craving deeply cozy and rewarding meals. I nominate this.
Previously
Six months ago: Skillet Ravioli with Spinach
One year ago: Cannelli Aglio e Olio
Two year ago: Fig Newtons and Cripsy Tofu Pad Thai
Three years ago: Granola Bark
Four years ago: Caramelized Brown Sugar Oranges with Yogurt and Potato Pizza, Even Better
Five years ago: Why You Should Always Toast Your Nuts (Please!) and Obsessively Good Avocado-Cucumber Salad
Six years ago: Dark Chocolate Coconut Macaroons and Baked Eggs with Spinach and Mushrooms
Seven years ago: Spinach and Smashed Egg Toast and Bee Sting Cake
Eight years ago: Over-the-Top Mushroom Quiche and Banana Bread Crepe Cake with Butterscotch
Nine years ago: Blackberry and Coconut Macaroon Tart
Ten years ago: Baked Kale Chips and Almond Macaroon Torte with Chocolate Frosting
Eleven years ago: Artichoke-Olive Crostini and Chocolate Caramel Crackers
Twelve years ago: Spring Panzanella and Lemon Yogurt Anything Cake
Thirteen years ago: Arborio Rice Pudding and Gnocchi with a Grater
Roast Chicken with Schmaltzy Cabbage
- 1 large head (2 1/2 pounds) green cabbage
- Splash of oil, any kind
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 whole chicken (shown here is 3 pounds)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- A lemon, if you wish, for serving (we never used ours)
- Heat your oven to 450 degrees F. Halve your cabbage and slice each half into 1 to 1.5-inch thick slabs. Very thinly coat the bottom of a 12-inch ovensafe skillet* or an equivalent roasting pan with oil, just to keep the cabbage from sticking before juices trickle down. Arrange cabbage slices in the pan as if you were making a mosaic, cutting pieces down as needed to get them to fit tightly. Season cabbage with salt and pepper. Pat your chicken dry and rub or brush it with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Generously salt and pepper the chicken all over (I use a full tablespoon of Diamond kosher salt on my 3-pound bird; use half of another brand). Place chicken breast side-up over the cabbage and roast for 45 to 60 minutes, spooning the bird and cabbage around it with butter a few times throughout. Chicken is done when a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 155 degrees, or 165 degrees for the thigh. If your chicken is much larger and you find it’s getting too dark for your tastes, reduce the heat to 425.
- I swear by this frying pan (I’ve had mine for 16 years and plan to keep it forever), this thermometer, and this spatula.
Lift the chicken off the cabbage and set on a plate (or warmed tray) to rest. Flip each section of cabbage over carefully in the pan, nestling them back in, and return the pan to the oven for 5 to 10 minutes at 450 degrees, until the edges are very dark brown. Season with more salt and pepper if needed.
Cut chicken into pieces and serve with the cabbage, finishing everything with lemon if you wish.
Links not working. At least for me.
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I think you’re referring to the email that went out accidentally earlier? (I’d hit publish too soon. I blame having two kids in my ears at all times, lol.) It’s published now, of course, and an update link email will go out soon.
Can I make this with a half chicken? I have a whole one but I was gonna cut it in half and save half because its too much food. Will it be enough drippings? I have a 3lb cabbage I was going to use half of as well.
I say go for it. If it’s done before the cabbage looks good, return the cabbage to the oven until it’s dark and caramelized.
Hello! I’d love to make this tonight but I could only get Napa cabbage. Do you think this will become too mushy?
Pls disregard I just found my answer! :)
I made this last night w/ a half chicken & half head of cabbage. I used my cast iron pan, followed directions exactly, OMG A-MAZING!!!
How did you position your half chicken?
Olive oil instead of butter for the kosher crowd?
I was just about to ask a similar question (and yes I realize your comment was from a long time ago lol!)–I was going to use a non dairy butter sub but I don’t believe any are unsalted. So do I just not use salt? Or just a lot less salt? I’ve always used oil for my chicken and turkey but def want to try “butter”!
I am planning to use additional schmaltz and see how it goes
Nifer, I’m so with you.
You may have already discovered this, but Miyokos makes an unsalted cultured plant butter that’s fabulous for cooking and baking.
I made this with butter and it was delicious but almost too rich. I think olive oil would work really well. I don’t think 4 tablespoons is needed.
Could I use two Cornish hens i stead of a whole chicken?
I tried the links, and all worked for me, except for the one for the hairdryer/crispiest chicken skin article at the NYT….
This looks fabulous! We had very little cabbage growing up as my mom loathed it, so it’s still a novel ingredient to me.
Stay well; be safe.
xoxo
the hair dryer link didn’t work for me, either, i think it’s missing the last two letters in “chicken”!
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-gastronomy/yes-i-use-a-hair-dryer-to-make-roast-chicken
Thank you! Got it.
😋
RF
Now fixed!
Can you clarify the butter (ha!) details? You spoon over the remaining 3 Tablespoons during the roasting since it calls for 4 and you only use 1 on the chicken… You melt that remaining butter to baste the chicken and cabbage? Just throw it in and let it melt over?
I have the same question. Do you melt the remaining 3 TBSP butter or did you dot the cabbage with it and, if so, how did you get a spoonful of butter from all the cabbage? Thanks!
You are “spooning the bird and cabbage around it with butter a few times” throughout the roasting time.
So you’re melting the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter and spooning that over the bird and the cabbage? Thanks!
Yes. And I now see your confusion, I forgot to say “4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted.” Will fix.
Thanks! I can’t wait to try this!
I was confused too. Maybe if it said “with remaining butter”? Either way mine is headed for the oven now!! Can’t wait.
the thigh /leg side of the chicken steamed on the cabbage rather than browning beautifully like the breast side.
I’m currently trying to turn the chicken to rectify this.
I had the same issue. I have a 3-lb bird in the over right now. The legs are done, the breasts are not even after 60 minutes of cooking (although I did reduce the heat to 425 once the skin started to brown. We removed the legs early (and will tent them for now) and I’m back up to 450 and trying to get those breasts and underside to cook.
Same problem, very much came out as a steamed chicken rather than roasted, tried turning it and just got slight color on the back and the. Turned over breast side up with the grill on at the end. 3lb bird and an hour in the oven still wasn’t enough with the mass of cabbage and water released as steam from the cabbage. Generally disappointing, will just grill on the rotisserie next time with the veg in a roasting pan below!
Oooohhh… I also love cabbage. I didn’t eat much of it growing up and have found that I have been buying more cabbage than normal the last few weeks…now to go buy a chicken in my next grocery run. Do you think chicken quarters or other chicken parts will work too if I cannot get a whole chicken?
Chicken parts will be done before the cabbage and will have a lot less drippings. Cook the cabbage until it looks like mine in the pictures; it should be 95% tender.
This is awesome – and to note; I use bone in, skin on chicken thighs as easier for me somehow and it is DELICIOUS and perfect and enough drippings. Deb, we have loved you for YEARS in our house and now that my 16 year old has read all of the archived Dear Abby columns she is making her way through your site.
I swear by your Zuni roast chicken, with the dry brine. Any reason not to dry brine here, or is that just for ease?
No reason at all not to.
I appreciate the ease of not using additional fat in the Zuni cafe version, would the cabbage be sad if I didn’t butter here?
I haven’t made it without, but I really loved the buttery flavor here.
If you keep a kosher kitchen you just make do without butter. A little olive oil can replace it, it seems to me. Otherwise it sounds great.
Some schmaltz or goose fat seems like a better substitute for butter here, to me.
I have made this twice now and absolutely love it! I use chicken pieces and it still comes out great.
I’m interested in making this for a big crowd. Would you change anything it making this on a sheet pan instead of a cast iron?
This was delish, especially the cabbage. Next time I will salt the bird ahead a la Zuni Cafe chicken. Thank you Helen and Deb!
This looks amazing! Do you think you could do this with just chicken thighs? That’s what I have on hand. If so, how would you modify?
Thanks!!!
Amelia
The thighs will be done before the cabbage and will have a lot less drippings. Cook the cabbage until it looks like mine in the pictures; it should be 95% tender.
Depends how you like your thighs. I just made this with thighs only, following the instructions, and had plenty of drippings going on. White meat is leaner so most of your drippings come from the dark meat anyway. If you’re only cooking to 165, then yes, they will technically be safe to eat before the cabbage is done,.. However thighs are better at 190+ when the fat and connective tissue have a chance to render, and for me they got done around the same time as the cabbage (still did the final roast of the cabbage by itself as recommended). All that said, awesome and easy idea/recipe, will make again.
We had the same question regarding the thighs, glad someone else asked. This is a great recipe to share with our pregnant moms. They are always asking for new ideas, especially with protein.
Can this be made with your spotch cooked chicken from the 1st cookbook, dab a bit of butter directly on the cabbage and eliminate the rest? That is our absolutely favorite chicken
Yes, but it will be done before the cabbage is. Continue to cook the cabbage until it looks like mine in the pictures; it should look deeply caramelized. I wouldn’t skimp on the butter. The salt-butter-chicken drippings combo over the cabbage is the magic here and spatchcocked chicken will have less drippings.
This was incredible!!!! I made it with bone in, skin on chicken breasts. Perfect! Will be in our regular rotation of weeknight meals.
Oooh I’ve been making Samin Nosrat’s buttermilk chicken fairly often, always making sure to have fresh bread on hand to ATTACK the pan as soon as it comes out of the oven. Might have to try putting that chicken on a bed of cabbage like this instead! We love your roasted cabbage recipe and this looks like a great combo.
I did exactly this for dinner tonight, and everything was delicious.
Made this tonight and it was the best cabbage of my life (and I really like cabbage)! And the chicken skin! Thanks for a quarantine friendly recipe- especially one that feeds my meat loving family!
Just curious what you served with the chicken and cabbage. I love this recipe! So delicious!
Fun fact: TJs only carries cabbage in March for St Patrick’s Day. So my husband was making the next milk run and I put cabbage on the list, and he came back with purple cabbage! Are the cabbages interchangeable or is the green cabbage the preferred? A friend posted hers and it looked fabulous, so I’m eager to try it. She tagged your recipe, and your narrative made me salivate! Hoping for same, if but a little purpler results! Thoughts?
Can i substitute napa cabbage? No regular cabbage, red or white available. =(
I haven’t tested it so I’m not sure how it does with a long roast. Can’t imagine it could taste bad with salt, butter, and chicken drippings, though. Let us know!
Please update and let us know. I also only have a lovely Napa cabbage, so would appreciate hearing the result. It’s painful to use any produce now and risk a recipe not turning out!
JT and Ann, I have an amazing fresh, no-mayo slaw recipe that uses Napa cabbage, if you would like it.
Hi, I did this with napa cabbage since that is what I had. It was delicious because off all the things Deb said. I will say it felt like it would’ve liked to be cooked a shorter amount of time. And it didn’t seem as dense as the a regular cabbage so I came away wanting more cabbage.
Still totally delicious
Thanks! All I have is napa and going to give it a try today.
Looks delicious! No appropriate sized oven safe frying pan will fit in my little European oven. Could I use a dutch oven instead, or will the chicken not have enough room to breathe? Would a roasting pan be better? Thanks!
Roasting pan would be my choice
This looks great! Cabbage is such a kitchen workhorse – stores well, can be raw or cooked, can be flavored for any cuisine. . . I will definitely be making this chicken. And plan to bake potatoes alongside for a carb (have 3 kids to fill up).
Can I use bone-in chicken thighs instead? I don’t have a whole chicken to hand and not going shops for a while!
Yes, but it will be done before the cabbage is and have less drippings. Continue to cook the cabbage once the chicken is done until it looks like mine in the pictures; it should look deeply caramelized.
I WILL be making this ASAP! I love cabbage so its a win win for me!!
I have the same question as Erin (above). What do you do with the rest of the butter?
Do we think one could add some sliced potatoes under the cabbage? Or would it be better to cook them separately?
I would — and did — cook them separately.
That’s the fastest a recipe here has ever gotten on a plate at our house :). Delish. My chicken was 3.75 pounds, took right about an hour. Used about a half a head of red cabbage – not as pretty cooked, but I can’t stop eating it. Our cast iron pan is 10 inches, but no problem there. Made oven fries at the same time, since the oven temp and timing worked out :). Thanks Deb! I might always roast chicken on cabbage now.
This was absolutely decadent heaven. So bad so good. I would load it up with even more cabbage next time and some onions too. We served it with challah and tater tots to keep with the beige LOL. We used the challah to pick up even more schmaltz.
This recipe it a TOTAL winner!
Oh, I love how easy and delicious this looks! Unfortunately… I don’t eat cabbage… Thoughts on other veg that would make a tasty bed?
I made this this evening and it not only very simple to prepare, it was AMAZING! I’ve cooked chickens over potatoes and that’s yummers too. I think any root veg would work.
I do like cabbage and can’t wait to try this recipe but you might like my standard roast chicken. Same idea, on a bed of thinly sliced onions and red peppers.
Mia V. I love to cook fennel and carrots under my chicken.
Ok, I will totally make this chicken, but thats not why I’m here.
I just wanted to say, over the past few weeks (months? years?) I’ve been home with my 2 boys- 16 and 21- and they have embraced a love of baking- specifically YOUR recipes! Current favorites are the ultimate banana bread and the salted brown butter rice krispie treats. Next up are salted caramel brownies. They both enjoy cooking and are competent in the kitchen, but as they learn to understand the precision in baking (mom, its like chemistry!) its been so fun to see their repertoire grow and hear them laugh as they read your recipes- written in true Deb style.
Thanks so much for giving us all an outlet and helping me raise competent men. Im sending you the bill for the larger stretchie pants I’m gonna need.
Jen, I love this comment! I’m sure Deb will too, when she sees it. Send it to her via social media if she doesn’t!
Been sauteing shredded cabbage and sliced onion slowly in a little butter and olive oil, salt and pepper. It gets so soft and sweet, you can just eat it out of the pan and be happy or toss it on some hot pasta with cheese. Cabbage lasts forever in the fridge and is way more versatile than we give it credit. And now with a chicken on top of it? YAY!!!!
I am going out to get a chicken and cabbage right now to cook this – your photos are mouthwatering! I will be tempted to tie up the legs because that’s what I always do. It seems you didn’t, can you comment why? I guess I thought I was doing it so that the bird cooks a bit more evenly… or something…
I sometimes do, mostly don’t. I have twine now so I might be more inspired next time.
I fall firmly into the “too lazy to tie with twine” camp. My easy peasy hack is to save the wire cages from Champagne/Sparkling wine and squeeze the wire cage around the legs. Holds them nicely and if you aren’t consuming enough wine to keep up with demand they can be washed and re used. Cheers!
Rochelle, you are doing the work of the gods with this tip. So clever! I’ll be making this recipe this weekend and, obviously, pairing with bubbly wine. Thank you, bless you, and cheers!
so – I just made this with chicken parts (actually, it’s still in the oven – see comment). It’s … juicy, even after an hour at 450. Now turning it up to 500 and convecting it to get brown on the skin, but will still have to give the cabbage some time to brown. Think it’s all b/c of the parts rather than whole chicken?
I’m coming back to say, took longer than expected and chicken rested for 20 minutes while I crisped up the veg … but no one better come between me and my cabbage! <3
I so want this recipe to work and am gonna try it for the 3rd time tonight. In the previous two times, I could not fit a whole cabbage into the pan. I have a 12-inch cast iron skillet. And when I just use half cabbage, then the cabbage shrinks significantly and I never need to do the additional cook time cause it’s pretty cooked already. What am I doing wrong?
Cutting the cabbage too thin. Make it just under 2 inches thick and squeeze it in. That’s my best guess.
That looks wonder & I just happen to have a chicken and a cabbage!
I love cabbage too, but hate sauerkraut ‘cause we had it all the time growing up. Some would be jealous, we made it homemade. Bushels and crocks of it, yuck!!
I love a lot of your recipes, but this was really bad. The cabbage was hard, fatty and tasteless, and the chicken never got really brown and crispy, because it was sitting in a puddle of juice and fat. And there was no chance to make a gravy out of that juice and fat, which smelled very cabbagey. And no spices or herbs? I sprinkled everything with marjoram and tarragon, but we were all really disappointed.
The cabbage is supposed to go back in the oven once the chicken is out to pick up more color. Your cabbage wasn’t tender after over an hour in the oven? Just trying to figure out where it went off.
Not enough salt & pepper? I followed the recipe exactly and the cabbage was so flavorful and savory!
I am going to make a chicken for the first night of Hanukkah. I have been a vegetarian for 29 years but the love of my life, my girlfriend, is not. She’s catholic.
Just to be clear, because I’ve already read the recipe multiple times and read through all the comments, I just pat the chicken with like a paper towel and plunk it on top of the cabbage.
You don’t rinse it so I don’t have to do that. So all I have to do is take it out of the plastic, pat it, and plunk it?
I am also going to look at YouTube videos and other recipes just to be prepared, but I trust you so I wanted to ask you. Thank you.
My husband just asked for cast iron skillet chicken today. Guess I better get a cabbage to go under it because it looks amazing!
This was so good. I only had a half head of cabbage so I filled in a few spaces with crusty bread. The chicken is wonderful as only roast chicken can be, but the cabbage is the real star. It is transcendent.
OMG!! I can’t wait to try this. Three of my favorite things cabbage chicken and butter🙃
i can sub in red cabbage since that’s what i have, right?
I think it will work, just a little different flavor. You might add a spoonful of apple cider vinegar before returning it to the oven to finish coloring, which goes well with red cabbage.
I made this with red cabbage and it was amazing!! I added a Tbsp of apple cider vinegar as suggested as well. I will say that mine looked much blacker than Deb’s- to the point that I thought I burnt it, but it was just this delicious caramelized goodness.
Amazing, thank you! This was also my question. My store was out of green cabbage but I got a giant purple one. Good tip re: Apple cider vin!!!
We keep kosher so I do something similar using olive oil and fresh garlic on the cabbage and chicken.
Can I replace olive oil for the butter?? I don’t mix dairy with chicken.
Hi Deb, congratulations on putting out another recipe that I have to try in the next week! Literally your chicken and cabbage is on my “Monday” slot. I’m curious about your product statement, I love my big iron pan, so I get that but why do you particularly like the spatula and thermometer you mentioned? I ask because I’m just about to buy another thermometer.
The thermometer is a great price and very reliable. The brand has been making ThermaPens for a decade or more, which are the restaurant kitchen standard, but those cost $100. I was thrilled when they introduced a less expensive one for home cooks. No, this isn’t sponsored, of course. I just cannot stand dry or overcooked (and of course, undercooked, shudder) meat and there’s an easy way to get it perfect every single time — checking the temperature.
Re, the spatula, I wish every home cook would switch to flexible fish spatulas, you’ll never use another. These are thin; they don’t bump into food, they easily slide underneath them and separate stuck food from pans with minimal damage to the food.
Let me say this recipe was easy and wonderful, with two points of not as great a result as I had hoped. But let me say, again, that this was wonderful. First, my cabbage must have been huge so only 2/3 of it went into the pan, I covered the pan along with any drippings from the finished bird and I plan to put the rest of the cabbage into that pan and high heat roast it for lunch. My second surprise was that the underside of the chicken came out flabby and not worth eating. (That skin will be going in with the cabbage today!) Hubby suggest I do this again in a larger pan (for all the cabbage) using the beer can chicken so all the bird gets done brown and crispy. I’m definitely going to do this dish again!
I’m a little ashamed to admit this, but I’m 35 and have never purchased a whole chicken or attempted any kind of roast chicken recipe. Do I need to do anything to prep the chicken for cooking? I honestly don’t know what to expect inside the store packaging and just have vague memories of watching my mom prepare the turkey on Thanksgiving. My meat cooking experience is…limited. 😂 Thank you!
No, you can roast it as it comes. Once in a while there are extra parts inside (in a bag), but this is very rare, but check the cavity just the same. I don’t rinse birds but you can if you wish. Some people tie the legs together but I rarely do.
Thank you! Sounds easy enough, and looks fantastic. :)
This looks yummy! I have a chicken defrosting right now :) can I do this with a butterflied chicken?
Hi Deb! Your link for The Crispiest Chicken works…..the New Yorker page for it seems to not be available. Can’t wait to try this recipe. You never disappoint. Stay safe and stay healthy.
RF
HI Deb. We love all of your recipes. Like others, I don’t mix chicken with butter. Would you suggest the leftover margarine from passover or olive oil as a replacement for the butter. Or, is it simply not worth replacing the butter and I should skip this one.
We’re the same way. I haven’t tried this recipe, but I do know from experience that olive oil’s smoke point is often below 450. I’d love to get other people’s thoughts on other oils that could be subbed, though!
Avocado oil could be used up to 500 degrees, I believe. Very mild tasting & good for you. That’s what I use exclusively now. I believe peanut oil also has a high smoke point.
Butter has an even lower smoke point. Olive oil will be fine here. The surface of the chicken and/or the cabbage don’t reach 450 or the oven’s temperature, regardless.
I’d use olive oil, which has its own flavor, before margarine, which is intended as a neutral flavor.
I made this with schmaltz instead of butter, and it was delicious.
I LOVE cabbage! My father grew enormous cabbages, and converted most of it to sauerkraut. But we also ate it in slaw and stews. He would have loved this dish, though he’d have added some onions.
I am eager to try this recipe (probably with onion)–just as soon as I am sufficiently recovered from the plague to get back to my kitchen.
Thank you!
I added an onion to mine. I sliced similar to cabbage and layered between cabbage and chicken. Delicious!
I know you said to cook cabbage longer if you just have chicken parts, but would slicing cabbage thinner work better time-wise? Also, since there will be less drippings, should more butter be used?
I like cabbage, but have never roasted it. Yours looks beautiful, nicely browned/caramelized.
I wouldn’t slice the cabbage thinner. It’s nice to have the thick, caramelized pieces, and while it might save a little time, you’ll still need to add it back.
Made this today and it was delicious!
Perfect timing on this recipe—I had both a whole chicken and cabbage in the fridge. I made it tonight and it was amazing. The chicken was perfect, the cabbage was out of this world. The simplicity of preparation made it easy to throw together yet gave amazing flavor. Thank you!
I made this once already, immediately following Helen’s post about it, and loved it. It’s beautifully simple and delicious. I think I’m going to try to combine both of The Internet’s current chicken obsessions and make this with a gochujang-rubbed chicken and see what happens.
I made this for dinner last night and it was superb. I had salted and air dried the chicken in the back of the refrigerator on Thursday when it entered our home from the grocery, so the skin crisped up beautifully, but the schmaltzy cabbage was the ⭐️ star ⭐️ It was crispy, melt-y,rich, flavorful…in short we may never go back to potatoes. If anything my husband liked it even more than me. Thank you!
Oh my gosh this is so good. I wanted to use up all the rest of the cabbage I had so used a 14 inch cast iron pan and more red cabbage than green. I used bacon fat under the cabbage instead of oil and my chicken was already spatchcocked so took only 45 minutes. We had a platter full of cabbage and it was definitely the star of the table. I also added a tsp or so of apple cider vinegar per one of Deb’s suggestions in the comments, due to the red cabbage. I have 2 green cabbages in my next grocery order just to make this again.
I didn’t know that chicken was an herb to put on cabbage! My god was that cabbage good! Really the chicken was just secondary. Actually tertiary. Cabbage, then chicken skin, then chicken if you have any room left in your stomach after eating an entire head of cabbage on your own.
Agreed! I got the best, crispiest chicken skin I’ve ever gotten with this recipe!
I can’t wait to get this in the oven tonight! Perfect on all counts! budget friendly, hands off and not hard to source ingredients. Thank you! More of these and veggie versions too. Such wonderful recipe development! THANK YOU!!!
I don’t have cabbage but I do have brussel sprouts. I’ll try packing them in tight in the pan. What do you think?
This was delish, especially the cabbage. Next time I will salt the bird ahead a la Zuni Cafe chicken. Thank you Helen and Deb!
Amazing!! Melt in your mouth cabbage with some crispy edges and juicy chicken (first one in a month). So happy! Thank you!
I love cabbage as well. I have two in my spare refrigerator right now. They keep very well. As soon as I can get a chicken I am making this dish, and the crispy potatoes to go with it. Your photography and recipes make me want to make every single one. The silver lining to this terrible black cloud we are under is having the time to cook. Thank you for giving me and my family something delicious to look forward to.
Made this tonight. Followed the recipe exactly, even had the same pan! I like to follow a recipe the first time I make it, after that I Kelly-ize it. It’s delicious. My husband is not a major cabbage fan but he loved this.
Caution! Please use the appropriate size pan. I used a larger pan For a small chicken and parts of my cabbage burned and charred before other parts cooked. Honestly it was still delicious but not as beautiful as Deb’s. Also, I happened to get a cabbage that was looser in its leaf structure, if that makes any sense so it was harder to keep the slices together. Overall though cabbage roasted in butter and chicken fat is sooooooo good!
can you use red cabbage?
I think it will work, just a little different flavor. You might add a spoonful of apple cider vinegar before returning it to the oven to finish coloring, which goes well with red cabbage.
Good to know that works too! I learn so much from you as well! Keep it up great post.
Delicious! I made this last night for my “foodie” neighbors and they loved it. We are planning a redo soon. I did slice an onion on top of the cabbage and sprinkled with garlic salt!
We made this last night using chicken pieces because we did not have a whole chicken… Sadly they are always sold out. In any case, the cabbage was simply divine. We pre-cookEd the cabbage a little because the cooking time would be less with pieces than a whole chicken. The cabbage tasted nothing like cabbage I’ve ever had in a good way. It was a great way to use up a half a head of cabbage from our fish tacos.
Omg I did some variation of this last week! It’s so true, it’s because it’s what I had on hand lol. I’ve been buying lots of cabbage since I’m also following that train of thought of how it’s one of the sturdier and cheaper vegetables and seems to be on the more filling side and good for comfort and stability.Cabbage seems like such a cozy “tough times” vegetable, it feels comforting to be connected to all the people who have eaten it to get by. Whether it’s simply lightly stir fried with garlic, made into kimchi, cabbage rolls, cabbage soup…
Made this last night. It was AMAZING!! This is so tasty, easy and quick. The cabbage is the best thing ever. We all battled over it. Thanks for another great recipe!
It was delicious but I had some trouble with the cabbage. It didn’t turn to that beautiful brown color but stayed green, also without the chicken in the end. Was it because it was quite wet/soggy from the butter? Tasted very good though!
Maybe just cook it longer next time? The cooking time matters less than the color — if it’s not right, keep browning it.
I made this exactly as written in my Lodge cast iron pan.
While the chicken was perfectly roasted, the whole medium head of cabbage I used had shriveled down to maybe a cup and a half of very browned and overly soft cabbage. It tasted fine but it didn’t match the nice golden brown intact slices in the recipe photo.
I’ll try roasting the cabbage separately next time, and drizzle it with chicken pan juices when both come out of the oven.
I’m so excited for this! I just put it in the oven. I don’t have a frying pan that will hold up to 450 degrees so I used my dutch oven.
I hope that it turns out ok.
Hi! How did it turn out? I’m trying to decide if I should use my dutch oven!
This was fantastic! I followed the recipe exactly but also put a halved lemon in the cavity.
We made this tonight after prepping the chicken and slicing cabbage the night before. Cooking time took 90 minutes but that may be due to the size of chicken. The cabbage was the best part! Okay, chicken was yummy and skin was crispy from rendering. It helped to dry out the bird uncovered in the fridge overnight. Prep is so simple you don’t need to do it ahead of time.
Dead easy and delicious! I used chicken thighs. Thank you!
Looks amazing!! I don’t mix milk and meat so can I use Earth Balance instead or what do you recommend I do?
OMG, so easy, so delicious! I made the recipe as posted last night. I salted and peppered the chicken heavily and placed in the refrigerator 2 hours before. (next time I will add some herbs as suggested by some of the other reviewers under the skin to amp up flavor. )The addition of lemon was suggested also. The chicken was super juicy. Deb’s note to cook the cabbage 10 minutes additional after the chicken was done, I think helped to achieve that. For once, I waited to cut the bird and It was tender and soo juicy. Now to describe the indescribable cabbage. I do not have words! Just make it and you will not be disappointed. Just make as much of the cabbage as you can fit in the pan because you will NOT have enough! I used a 10″ cast iron pan and cooked my 3.5 pound chicken for 50 minutes.
Can you make this itch chicken pieces?
Yes but they will likely be done before the cabbage is. Return the cabbage to the oven for the full time.
Now I’m bemoaning the fact that while I was able to procure (finally after 3 weeks of them missing!) a whole chicken to roast at the grocery, I neglected to buy any cabbage. Thanks for the thermometer and frying pan top. I purchased that spatula per your recommendation about a year ago and it is my absolute favorite!
Made this last night. Only had half a cabbage to work with so added carrots to fill in the gaps. OMG. The absolute BEST cabbage. Chicken was so juicy too – I think it was the butter baste that did it. Since my chicken was larger (about 4 – 4.5 lbs) I roasted it at 425 for 1 hour 15 min and bumped the heat back up to 450 to finish the veg. Highly recommend this technique!!
This was seriously the best roast chicken combo I have ever had. This officially got saved to my “go-to” recipes. I had a chicken that was a little over 4lbs. Cooked about 1hr and 20min. Added a few cloves of garlic, dried thyme and oregano to the butter rub. Basted through out. It seemed dry and I mistakenly added about 1/8c it water… made for a bit more mushy cabbage, BUT I salvaged it by adding the other half of the head of cabbage. I had to figure out how to make the CRACK cabbage go further. You heard me… this is some addictive, delicious cabbage. So once I took the chicken out and added the extra cabbage, I cooked it all for another 10ish minutes.
Next time (omg can I cook this again in a couple days or does that make me an addict?!) I will cut up the cabbage into larger pieces. Maybe 2inch thickness so I can fit a whole head of cabbage in my cast iron. Definitely roasting more garlic in the pan, too. Herbs were yummy, but definitely not the star of the show. Could take or leave them.
Do yourself a favor and cook this IMMEDIATELY. It’s easy and will leave you so happy. This quarantine has nothing on crack cabbage!
Oh, I can’t wait to try this…. I have cabbage and chicken pieces in the house.
I feel that some of the cabbage will be doused with vinegar… yum
I don’t generally like cooked cabbage but because of my husbands Jewish heritage I decided to try it. Mixed the butter and juice of 1 lemon to baste. The cabbage was sweet with the added Note of lemon. Wonderful dinner Thanks
This is incredible – bringing me tears of joy! I can’t stop eating the cabbage! While I usually love to cook, the stay at home has me exhausted and missing having someone else cook. But this recipe is so easy it’s like I didn’t even have to cook tonight! Thank you so much!
OMG this was so good! And so easy. We devoured our pan of cabbage and most of the chicken and are already talking about when to make it next. Paired it with a cucumber salad w dill for something bright and green. Thanks!!
Hi. I tried this tsday and while it smells fabulous, the chicken was not brown on the underside and not fully done after 1 hour and 15 min. It was a small chicken. I had to remove the cabbage so not to burn while chicken cooked for 30 more min at 450 degrees. I used an iron skillet. Any ideas on where I went wrong?
Sounds like your oven temp is off. Sometimes what it tells you on the dial is nowhere near reality. The good news is that oven thermometers are cheap and easy to come by!
How big was your chicken? Cooking chicken like this does not result in a brown underside but if you’d like, you can start it breast-side-down and flip it about 20 minutes in for more color.
Whoa. That was the best dinner I’ve made myself in a looooong time. I had some leftover sticky white rice in the fridge that I mixed in among the drippings and cabbage candy, and it was awesome. I did not know cabbage could be so delicious! You’ve done it again, Deb (and Helen)!
I thought this was crazy delicious, but we had a couple of suggestions:
1. Cut the cabbage slices on the thicker side — the shrunk more then I’d expected in the cooking.
2. My kids thought the burned cabbage edges were somewhat overdone (and we never flipped them or anything, just served when the chicken was done), so I guess I’ll consider turning it down a bit sooner next time.
3. According to the ravenous teenagers here, “use a bigger chicken!”
Made in my cast iron pan and wow, that cabbage! However, it did melt down, and I didn’t get those thick browned slices like the picture, although I cut them thick. But the taste was amazing. Next time I will use a 9×13 pan so I can put *more* cabbage in!
I made this and it turned out great! A few notes: I only had salted butter and didn’t reduce the salt on the chicken cabbage, but wish I had. The dish wasn’t ruined by any means, but was saltier than I think was intended. Second, there was a TON of liquid in the pan when I removed the chicken to let the cabbage crisp up more. I knew I wouldn’t get the browning I wanted if I let that situation continue, so I drained off a lot of liquid, let it go at 450 for 10 more minutes, then gave the cabbage a broiler flash while I carved the chicken legs and wings off the bird. All in all it turned out great and I’d make it again. My head of cabbage was far less dense than Deb’s, which may have contributed to my issues.
This was incredible and I have also infected 4 friends to make it – a thrilling success for all. I live how it has only 5 ingredients. We had it with tzaziki and tomato salad, but the cabbage was the star. However: the chicken was soooo tender. Excellent!
Btw. I used only the legs and to avoid having too little drippings and messing up the timing, this is what I did.
I started the cabbare without the chicken and just a few dollops of butter first. After around 10 Minutes, I added the chicken legs – proceeded as per recepie afterwards. It was superb.
I made this using thigh-leg pieces with plenty of fat that rendered from them – took the whole time plus a little to be fully cooked so that worked out just right. I also added a layer of thick-sliced onion between cabbage and chicken. Next time I would use even more cabbage as we fought over that part!
I made this last night. Delicious! My cast iron skillet is a couple inches smaller than yours and my chicken was 1.9k but it worked out just fine. I let the chicken dry brine in the fridge for a day then cooked per your instructions and everything was so delicious. I’m locked down on my own so will be enjoying the leftovers (it’s been hard to stop myself from snacking on the schmaltzy cabbage every time I open the fridge door!)
Thanks so much for the recipe!
Made this last night! So good! The whole family loved it! I added a rosemary, thyme, and garlic herb butter to the chicken because thats what my family loves. The cabbage is such a great alternative to potatoes and croutons. Nothing better then the chicken fat, brown and crispy cabbage. YUM!
Wow this was so good! Didn’t have enough cabbage for the bottom of the skillet, so added a sliced onion. Also used chicken thighs instead of a whole chicken and put small pieces of solid butter on them (I hate melting butter – it always explodes in my microwave!). Thank you for a simple, comforting dish!
Made this yesterday. Chicken cooked quickly and came our very moist. Cabbage took on a great hue and was soft and tasty.
We made a version of this over the weekend. My partner insisted that we cook it in the crockpot instead of the oven. Even without all the charring and deliciousness that would have come from the oven, I thought it was great. This might be the way I roast chickens from now on!
One of my fav go-to recipes is a wonderful NY Times “no recipe-recipe” for chicken thighs roasted in a hot oven on a bed of onions and shallots, served alongside ciabatta croutons and garnished with some bitter greens. Next time it will be on a bed of sliced cabbage, with a few onions added. Should be even better.
People have asked about using Napa cabbage – same question but for Savoy cabbage? Anyone tried it yet?
Made this for dinner last night. I wasn’t able to turn over my cabbage without it falling apart, so I just tossed it a bit to get some of the edges to sit proud for browning. The skin over the breasts and drums was wonderfully crisp and golden brown, but the thighs not so much. No problem this time, as they are leftovers and will be reheated under a broiler. I think next time I will set the chicken on a rack over the cabbage to allow the bottom to crisp up while still letting all of those glorious drippings to land on the cabbage.
I love this idea of soaking up chicken juices with veggies, but I just don’t digest crucifers well. Any suggestions to substitute for cabbage?
Maybe leeks?
Oooh, I’ll have to try that.
I used a 5lb chicken to feed 8 and it took an extra 15 minutes to reach reccomended temps but there was still lots of liquid sloshing in the pan and the cabbage wasn’t roast-y. Even after the prescribed 10 min uncovered plus some broiler. It still tasted great, I just missed the edges pictured. Extra wet cabbage? Extra drippings? I feel like if I did it again I would dry brine the chicken to see if that would help.
I had exactly the samr issues. Actually it took considerably longer than an additional 15 minutes, and the cabbage was swimming in liquid and cooked to death. Still tasty, but I think it I try this again it might be with bone-in, skin-on thighs and breasts rather than a whole bird. (Lesd liquid and having the chicken pieces done ahead of the cabbage would be much preferable to the result I had this time.)
Made this and its incredible! The cabbage is like candy. However it looked nothing like Deb’s… it was sort of a sad, limp pile of cabbage. Not sure why – I noticed that my cabbage head seemed looser, the slices weren’t as ‘tight’. I also cooked in a glass pyrex pan because we don’t have a cast iron (unfortunately not in our own home right now). Or maybe I used too much oil to line the pan?
Regardless of the sad looking cabbage would definitely make again, tasted amazing!
Don’t laugh but I’ve been impulse stocking with whatever I can find on goodeggs- and I recently succumbed to a need for confit duck legs. Do you think if I took the three confit legs and then nested some thighs around the legs and laid those motherfuckers on top of the cabbage, that I would have some good results? I will be honest, I’ll be trying it anyway and I won’t blame you if its a disaster, and how the hell can you go wrong w duck fat, right?
Love your blog, love your recipes, smelling some banana bread from the SKANKIEST bananas I have ever ripened in my life.
I had a 4.3lb bird so stuck with my usual cooking times/temps (Preheat oven to 200*C, cook for 20 minutes and then reduce temp to 180* (believe that’s 350*F?) And continue to cook for 77 minutes.)
I normally cook my birds upside down to ensure that the breast stays moist, but cooked it as per your instructions. It was perfectly moist and practically falling off the bone. And the cabbage was divine; my family absolutely loved it. Thanks! :)
My next project is your crispy potatoes!
WOW this is great! Added half a chopped onion to the cabbage. A real winner!
Will there be any leftover liquid from the chicken? I want to try this recipe but also want the drippings for bone broth!
No drippings left when I made it and it was EXCELLENT – but we saved the bones for bone broth :)
Many comments asked about using chicken parts. Tonight I did this in a smaller (10″) skillet with a small head of cabbage which nicely fit in the bottom of the pan. I then topped that with 6, frozen, bone-in chicken thighs. I put melted butter on them (which promptly froze). I figured that would extend the cooking time. My chicken cooked for about an hour then I removed the thighs and flipped the cabbage – cooked without the chicken for 15-20 minutes at 400F, then added the chicken back in (husband was busy outside and not ready for dinner). That turned out perfectly for us. There are only 2 of us, so we have 2 thighs and 2/3 of the cabbage for tomorrow. The chicken skin was awesome! Thanks for the inspiration.
We had this for dinner last night and it was lovely. I found the recipe and had the ingredients on hand. Kismet! Thanks for the recipe. Sending wishes of good health to you. ❤
This was incredible! So delicious. We salted the chicken the night before (after watching Fat, Salt, Acid, Heat) and it made it even more delicious.
Seriously amazing! How is it possible for this to taste so good!?! Followed directions exactly and it was perfection.
I made this Saturday for dinner and YES! I also subbed sliced onions for some of the cabbage and that was delish. Would definitely make this again, it was the first chicken I ever roasted and it came out perfect!
I made this for dinner on Sunday and it won rave reviews. The chicken was good but the cabbage was sensational! Buttery, salty, charred in spots from the cast iron pan, totally worth the short wait it took to cook this. I would make this over and over again!
This was beyond delicious. I made the recipe as written. Even my non-cabbage eater enjoyed the cabbage (and had two servings!).
Delicious. I used red cabbage and took your suggestion to drizzle some cider vinegar in when I took out the chicken and flipped the cabbage. It took longer to cook the chicken than my usual roast in a cast iron pan method, and it sacrificed some crisp skin on the bottom of the bird, but so worth it for the yummy cabbage.
This was amazing! I HATE cabbage – years of childhood spent being forced to eat cabbage rolls and boiled cabbage – but we got some in our CSA box and the same day, this recipe came up! Our chicken was about 3.25 lbs, and took a little longer than written, but I think some of that is our oven. Seriously amazing, and I made it again this week with just chicken thighs, and it was just as good (put the cabbage in for about 30 minutes first, then the chicken!). Even my kid who doesn’t eat anything had seconds.
Thank you so much for this recipe! We were lucky enough to get the last cabbage at the market, thankfully, because the chicken was incredibly juicy, and the roasted cabbage was transformed into a gourmet treat, absolutely unrecognizable as ordinary cooked cabbage. I told my partner that we need to make this weekly, and he was only too happy to agree. We used a 4.6 pound chicken, which took 1 hour and twenty minutes to cook, and did put the cabbage back in the oven to finish roasting as the chicken rested. And, bonus, we had leftover chicken for chicken sandwiches with avocado and tomato on sourdough toast. Can’t wait to make this again.
Made this tonight for dinner. It was amazing. The chicken was crispy and the cabbage was the best cabbage I’ve ever eaten. So few ingredients but yields a great dinner. I love your recipes.
I made your chicken with schmaltzy cabbage tonight for dinner. OMG the chicken was good, but the cabbage was outstanding! I have been a subscriber for many years. Brava!
This came out perfectly — the chicken was browned with crispy skin while very moist inside and the cabbage was delicious.
My chicken was 4 lbs and it took a little over an hour to cook.
Hi Deb! Love you and thanks for all my favorite recipes. :) Thanks for being my quarantine inspiration.
My cabbage also turned out really soggy- there was a lot of water left at the bottom of my pan. Any suggestions?
Roast it longer. Mine wasn’t watery but my chicken was on the small side. If it’s really sloshy, you could pour some liquid off before roasting it longer, but not too much.
This recipe is a keeper! Our slightly smaller than 3 lb chicken took almost 1 1/4 hr to cook/brown at 450 and between the chicken and cabbage, produced a lot of juices. I spooned off some of the juices and then it took between 30-45 min for the cabbage to crisp/char. We have a vegetarian in our house so I put some additional thick slices of cabbage in a separate pan drizzled on top and bottom with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper and cooked alongside the chicken/cabbage pan for 45 min and we were all glad to have the extra cabbage. Everyone loved it!
Made it last night and everyone loved it. Served it with black eyed peas, salad and bread and it was a lovely comfort meal. I honestly didn’t even feel like I cooked. The cabbage was indeed divine!
I had forgotten about that slaw.
i had no cabbage but had a large head of cauliflower. I sliced it into thick steaks and cooked the chicken on that. It was delicious!
I made this tonight. My chicken was 5.5 lbs so I had to cook it 40 minutes longer. I used additional spices on my chicken, adding paprika, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Instead of basting the chicken with the additional 3T butter, I put one tablespoon butter under the skin on each breast and used the other 2 T on top of the skin. This dish was absolutely delicious! The cabbage melted in your mouth! The chicken was moist and full of flavor!
I made this tonight and it was very good, and so easy! I had cabbage leftover from something else so it wasn’t a whole head but this was a great way to use it up. It did take a lot longer to cook, but my chicken may have been larger. I also ended up adding some water to the cabbage since it was in there longer (and my oven cooks pretty hot.) It really couldn’t have been easier – I’ll definitely make this again. It was perfect for right now too because we never know what the stores will have so planning complicated food with a lot of ingredients is very stressful. A friend of mine made this with chicken parts instead of a whole one and she says it was delicious.
I made this tonight for dinner. There was so much liquid from the chicken (I’m guessing) that my cabbage was very soggy, nothing like your picture. What did I do wrong? Thanks!
Some chickens seem to give off more juice than others. Return the cabbage to the oven for as long as it needs to be dark and caramelized. For me, it was 10. If your chicken was very “drippy,” it could take longer.
Bought a chicken and a cabbage, then realized I was short on butter. Gasp! Used some onion-garlic oil for the bottom of the pan, and blended with butter for the chicken. Also had half a lemon in the fridge, so chucked it into the chicken cavity. SO GOOD!! I did appreciate the lemony chicken juice to help cut the fattiness of the cabbage and chicken. Will definitely be making this again.
I made this and took it to work for my coworkers to enjoy. It was a hit, especially the cabbage! I used a ceramic skillet and a 4.5 lb chicken, which took about an hour to cook. Easy and delicious! One coworker said, “I could eat this every day! Next time double the cabbage!”
Delicious! What’s better than roast chicken and roasted cabbage? Next time I’ll add a sliced onion to the cabbage bed. I also think a bit of acid (lemon juice or white wine or a drop of vinegar) helps, too. Not necessary, but it helps brighten things a touch.
We made this last night. It was so good. It’s worth figuring out, if the first attempt was not as perfect as Deb’s. So: I read the article link about blow-drying chicken, and remember Zumi Cafe’s roast chicken recipe, and really think that a smaller organic chicken (usually not as watery) that has been salted and air-dried in the fridge (I had a 4 lb. fresh chicken that I had unwrapped and salted for about 5 hours) prevents the “my chicken took really long and my cabbage was soggy” problems. I actually forgot to baste with more butter, but the skin came out crisp, the breast perfectly cooked at 165, the cabbage beautifully browned and crispy and melty and delicious…don’t really have enough adjectives for the cabbage…however, to my horror, when we carved, the inner thigh was not perfectly cooked. I guess it just needed a bit more time and would have been a bit darker on top than I would have preferred, but because the chicken is cooking on a thick layer of cold cabbage rather than air circulated on a rack, my usual assessment was off. Going to check more carefully next time! Absolutely doing this again and sacrificing some skin crispness by starting the chicken off breast side down and flipping it part way to ensure even cooking if I have a larger bird. Which I will, because we can’t get those lovely 3 lb. chickens. Thank you, Deb.
We had this last night for dinner–everyone loved it! Of course, me being me, I made some changes–a much bigger chicken, esp. since I was serving 5 adults, and the addition of some potatoes and mushrooms. Because I had to roast the chicken much longer than specified since it was 5-6 pounds, the cabbage started overcooking after about an hour–fully caramelized–so I had to fish it all out so it wouldn’t burn. I also added white wine and chicken stock to the pan at that point, which gave us some sauce. I ALSO used Savoy cabbage since I don’t like the regular stuff. Savoy is sweeter (and a ton more expensive–so if you like regular cabbage, good on you). But such a good idea overall! Such a great mix of flavors. I will definitely make this again. There were very few leftovers.
I could not find cabbage for the life of my in the grocery store, so I made on a bed of yukon potatoes and slices of yellow onion and it was amazing. The potatoes took on a quality not unlike the melting potatoes on this website that have become a favorite and the onions were so good I wished I could eat a whole plate. I’m excited to try this again when I find cabbage
Wow. The cabbage is absolutely incredible! I have to admit I wasn’t particularly intrigued by this recipe but I had a head of cabbage that I had to use up and I’m so glad I made it! The char on the cabbage, the flavour, it’s the perfect combination of salty and caramelized yet crunchy on the sides and tender in the middle. I would fight my family members to get the last bite. The chicken also crisped up beautifully. I stuffed half a lemon in the cavity and next time would probably add garlic and other spices to the chicken for extra flavour, but amazing nonetheless! Will be returning to this recipe time and time again!
This looks amazing! Just wondering what you think. I was always taught to roast my chicken breast down to keep the breast moist. Is it ok to do that with this recipe? Does it change the cabbage?
Sadly, no cabbage available at our store this week. Would a cole slaw mix get too burnt or would it possibly work?
Hi There, I don’t have any cabbage but I do have a bunch of brussel sprouts. Do you think it would be ok to cook the chicken on top of them? Trying to limit trips to the grocery store in these crazy times.
Fantastic. I love cabbage so this was right up my alley. Only changes I made were using bone in, skin on chicken thighs (all we had) and using Savoy cabbage. Great as leftovers too. Will definitely make again and again!
I made this yesterday and the cabbage was delicious, but the chicken was bland and dry.
Maybe I roasted it too long…. but it wasn’t falling off the bones. It was cooked, but still rubbery… so we ate the cabbage and put the meat (picked off the bones) in the fridge- for a chicken salad maybe.
There was a lot of juice by the Time i took the chicken out of the oven. Under the grill, it took some minutes to reduce it a Bit.
But the cabbage….. Ooohhh lovely!
Oh, and I put a sliced onion on Top of the cabbage. Highly recommended;)
This should have been obvious to me before I made it, but I rarely eat cabbage. The cabbage gets very sweet when roasted like this (now I’m thinking duh! so do carrots and all the other vegetables I roast!). I have not eaten much cabbage in my life – not something my mom cooked with – besides in tart slaws with a decent amount of vinegar. I was not super into the sweet cabbage flavor, even with the yummy drippings. The chicken was wonderful of course. Anyway just a thought if you never eat cabbage and are wondering what this is going to be like. Now I shall go back to all my other Smitten recipes on rotation (this is my quarantine favorite: https://smittenkitchen.com/2010/05/carrot-salad-with-harissa-feta-and-mint/)
This looks amazing…One question: Is the skin still crispy? In the past, when I’ve used vegetables under my chicken (usually root veggies…never tried cabbage), the moisture from the vegetables seems to make the environment inside the oven too steamy to get a crispy skin…
This was AMAZING !!!!!! I made the chicken on top of a Savoy cabbage added sliced leeks on top of the cabbage, baked some potatoes at the same time AND made the carrot salad with harissa, mint and feta. We have been oohing and aaahing nonstop, we are very sad the cabbage is almost gone & and next Thanksgiving, I’m pretty sure the turkey is roasting on a big bed of you-know-what. ♥️
Thank you! This was amazing! Will definitely be making again, and again, and again…
This was absolutely decadent heaven. So bad so good. I would load it up with even more cabbage next time and some onions too. We served it with challah and tater tots to keep with the beige LOL. We used the challah to pick up even more schmaltz.
This recipe it a TOTAL winner!
I made this tonight! It was so good! I’ve been trying to convert my husband into a cabbage fan for many years (everyone has flaws!). This recipe was so easy and satisfying. Thanks, Deb!
This was outrageously good. My husband and I hoarded the cabbage and told the kids they wouldn’t like it (lies). I could caution that it was allllllmost too salty, so just be cautious because the flavor gets super concentrated.
That was SO FREAKING DELICIOUS!!! Omg by far the best thing I have made in quarantine. Luscious buttery chickeny cabbage omg. It was literally so delicious and both my husband and I are obsessed and will make it every week. God I can’t get over how good that was!!!! Thank you Deb!!!
I made this chicken and cabbage recipe. Very easy directions to follow. Results were wonderful. My husband didn’t know what to think when I told him what I was making but loved it once it was ready. The only thing I added was A clove of garlic, because we just love garlic. Just wanted to say Thank you for the recipe. I loved using the cabbage because It’s a vegetable I seldom cook.
Suzanne Ottaviano
I used thighs and cooked them skin side up in my cast iron pan for 10-15 minutes. This served to brown the underside and render just enough fat to place the cabbage on and not have it stick. I also added a sliced onion then topped with the thighs and continued roasting, skin side up. I removed the chicken when done and roasted the cabbage a bit more to fully brown and caramelize. Super simple and so delicious. Easiest prep ever. Must get more cabbage pronto!
Very very delicious recipes
And very good cooking idea.
Any suggestions for attempting this with a bone-in turkey breast? The grocery store didn’t have any chicken with bones, so I got what I could. I’m thinking of butterflying the breast to make it lay flatter. Any other thoughts?
I ended up making this with a 6 lb. (bone-in, skin-on) turkey breast, and it turned out great! I kept it at 425 the whole time, and it took about 2 hours to cook all the way through.
I made this last night. The cabbage was pretty amazing! I do have a question for you, Deb. I made mine in a 12 in cast iron skillet…but cleaning it was not easy (ie, where the cabbage stuck). How do you clean your pan?
Well this was just absolutely a delight. I devoured it. On those last 5-10 minutes with the cabbage, I sprinkled on the slightest bit of sugar to help with further caramelization and yumminess.
Also, thanks for not posting a recipe in the middle of quarantine-a-thon that does not have a long ingredient list that is just not possible in these times.
very good and intersting way of explaining thing. thank you for this
This roast chicken is hands down the easiest and most delicious thing I have ever made! My very fussy eater father loved it right down to the cabbage (which he never eats) and I have already gotten replies from three other friends who made it based on my rave reviews and they are hooked too!!
I don’t really like cabbage, and this was GOOD cabbage. I ended up with the whole head to myself since no one else would touch it, but I nestled in some baby carrots too so my children would have some vegetables.
This was delicious!! I’m already planning on eating it again this weekend!!
This was amazing and so easy!! I’m also a fan of cabbage, but even my skeptical family ate this right up – thank you!!
Delicious. I had a 4 pound chicken and was wary of the dark meat not finishing in time, so I started the chicken by itself in a preheated cast iron skillet for 10 minutes, removed it to a plate, added the cabbage, and roasted both for another 40 minutes.
Other tweaks:
–dry brined for ~4 hours in the fridge and let the chicken come to room temp while the skillet preheated in the oven
–stuck several cloves of garlic, thyme, rosemary & a lemon in the cavity of the chicken just before roasting
–rendered a flap of chicken fat while the oven was preheating and brushed that on top of the bird before it went in the oven the first time and when it went back in with the cabbage; otherwise didn’t baste
i loved this recipe. however, i decided to rub my chicken with a generous amount of salt and pepper the day before as i always do that when roasting chicken or turkey. if i cannot “rub” the chicken the day before, i , at least, will rub it the morning of the day that i made it. i feel that salting the chicken before-hand makes for a tastier chicken as the seasoning has a chance to penetrate beyond the skin and into the meat. the recipe is fabulous. the cabbage was sublime. thanks so much lolo
It looks so good, I definitely wanne try it, congratulations!! your blog is awesome and I love your recipes. Thank you for sharing your work.
Greetings from London! Alessandro
This was delicious – I never knew cabbage could be so sweet and delicious. (I used only 1 T of butter total with probably about a T of oil on the bottom of the pan to begin with.) Yum!
My husband roasts a whole chicken fairly regularly and does an excellent job at it if I do say so myself, but we decided to mix things up this evening and try it out with the cabbage underneath. Coming from a large Polish family, I was raised in large amounts of cabbage and this cabbage is EXCELLENT. We did stick it under the broiler for 2 minutes at the very end to crisp it a touch. Even the two year old was asking for more.
Thanks Deb for always a delicious new way to enjoy some favorite foods!
i did this tonight with bone-in thighs. they were done in about 30 minutes, and the cabbage stayed in for another 20. schmaltzy is the word for it! luscious, sweet cabbage drenched in amazing drippings….this is a winner!
I dry brined the chicken for about 48 hours, and cut the cabbage about 1.5″ thick. A little thinner might have been better, and I definitely didn’t season the cabbage enough (I had only salted butter, which I thought might make things too salty). Chicken came out great, cabbage was a little greasy (even with plenty of crispy parts), but as I was tasting it thinking “eh, not my thing” I realized I had eaten 1/3 of the pan while standing at the stove. I don’t think I’ll repeat it (and if I do, it will be with less butter – words I’ve never spoken!) but it’s worth a shot! (And the carcass will soon be broth, since while wfh there is no shortage of time to make that happen.)
I’m making this tonight, with a fresh-from-the-farm chicken. (Well, it was frozen .. but I picked it up from its happy home yesterday.) I’m nervous because I haven’t made a whole chicken in a billion years but I couldn’t get this recipe out of my head.
Too bad I don’t have cabbage!!! But I had a small head of radicchio, and an onion, and cut them up to fit as a base for my chicken. Also I realized I feel super dumb but I wasn’t really sure which side is the breast side. My little farm-chicken was not particularly curvy in life, but I think I did get the proper side up. And I know in the end it’s all heat and food and it should be okay? And if not … tonight is the night our compost goes out!
I’ll try to remember to update after the fact.
We make roast chicken probably once per week, using Cook’s Illustrated’s recipe, so trying this out was a no-brainer. We were blown away – was SO good. The chicken skin was nice and crisp and WOW – that cabbage was so incredibly savory I wish I could have somehow made even more. I added some minced rosemary and thyme to both the chicken and to the top of the cabbage since I had some on hand. If you do, too, you won’t regret it.
Would making this with the purple cabbage I have sitting forlornly in my crisper drawer be good? I have never cooked with cabbage before… but my veggie box included it. Thanks!
Do it! Others here have made it with red cabbage. It’s not quite as pretty once cooked, and will taste a little different, but the basic recipe is so delicious that I think you’ll be happy!
If you like spicy things, another great use for cabbage is “egg roll in a bowl”. Tons of recipes online if you google it.
This was absolutely outstanding!!! My first bite was perfectly crispy chicken skin and I thought ‘this is the best thing I have ever eaten’. Then I tasted the cabbage. It’s a tie.
This was absolutely delicious. I think it would be great with chicken thighs. My husband, who can be hesitant with cooked cabbage, said it was the best he’s ever had. Thanks!
It’s a shame that I am stuck at home and had to cancel my trip to NYC because I would have left flowers at your doorstep after eating this chicken recipe. Cabbage braised in chicken juices…sheer genius. I mean the polish girl in me was all warm and cozy and happy. So consider this a virtual bouquet of your favorite blooms.
I was so excited to finally find whole chickens At the grocery so that I could make this. Unfortunately for me, it was a bust. I started with a nearly room temperature chicken, which I always do for even baking (let it sit on the counter for an hour). The top of my chicken was blackening as the bottom was soggy and rubbery. And it was still only 120, so it had a long way to go. I ended up having to flip the bird over, place a rack over my cabbage so it could get some air, (even the cabbage under my chicken wasn’t cooking) and finally the bird came to temp and was nicely browned all over, though the skin was more rubbery than crispy at that point. The cabbage ended up having to go on another braking tray to fully cook. My cast iron pan just wouldn’t get it brown. The flavor was fantastic on the cabbage (I don’t usually butter my chicken and I don’t think I will again, as it wasn’t for me) but next time I’ll bake each item separately and maybe add some chicken broth to the cabbage and let the cabbage have all the butter.
super yummy! will make it again! I wish I could fit more cabbage in the pan, do you overlap any layers?
No overlap, but you could roast some extra on the side.
I had a whole chicken in the freezer but I also had chicken thighs that I wanted to use. I followed the recipe as written except for the substitution of the chicken thighs. In a word, it was wonderful. The cabbage cooked to perfection and the chicken thighs were crispy outside and moist and tender inside. I did baste a couple of times which really enhanced the chicken and cabbage flavors. I will certainly make this again!
I very much want to make the Chicken w/Cabbage — or the Cabbage w/Chicken! I have a huge basketball-sized cabbage from the FM curbside pickup … But, I’m also lazy and don’t want to spend an hour cleaning the oven after the chicken roasts; is this a very messy recipe or, by some small chance, it sort of keeps its splatter to itself pretty well?? Thank you. :)
I’m making it now and it isn’t too splattery, IMO!
Thanks! Good to hear that …
I made this last night and it was EXCELLENT.
– 4-lb chicken, smallish cabbage, 12-inch enameled cast iron, 50 minutes was perfect and the cabbage was already done too.
– Like some other commenters, my cabbage broke down more than Deb’s beautiful photos — likely because my slices were less chunky — but who even cares because it was SO GOOD. It’s honestly better than the chicken (and no shade on Mr. Chicky, who was also delicious).
– I completely forgot to spoon the butter over the cabbage/chicken during cooking, and I don’t think it made much difference, because see above, SO GOOD.
– Sopped up the remaining juices with the end of a loaf of no-knead bread. Heaven.
This is a keeper!
Do you think brussel sprouts would hold up as a substitute for the cabbage?
I think they’ll cook in less time and have a different flavor, but could still be delicious.
I bought the ingredients this weekend, finally made it tonight for dinner – not sad. The schmaltzy cabbage is on point! Next time I might brine the chicken first, but it was cooked perfectly and had delicious, crispy skin, just a little bland. I also chunked an onion and added that with the cabbage, which worked out well.
Overall – very nice recipe – keep up the good work!
Who knew chicken and cabbage would taste so good! Thank you so much for this recipe- I used 2 bone in chicken breast, red cabbage, red onion and a carrot. We ate the entire meal! So much flavor. Will keep this on rotation for sure.
I followed the recipe. No whole chickens, but found a Cornish hen chicken at 3.4#. Have to say, this needs something more. Still thinking it thorough. Any comments, Deb?
I have been making so many of your recipes during this pandemic! This dish was a big hit in our house last night. Our 3lb chicken was perfect and the cabbage was simply divine. I paired it with your recipe for mustard roasted potatoes (insert chef’s kiss here). Thanks Deb!
This was simple and incredible. The chicken was so juicy and flavorful. I had a slightly larger bird so I loosely tented with foil towards the end. Cabbage was glorious.
OMG! This was so delicious! Simple but very tastsy
Looks devine…but we are kosher…can you substitute the butter with say olive oil?
I made this with what I had on hand during quarantine: boneless skinless chicken thighs and pre-shredded cabbage (the kind you would use for coleslaw). Roasted two thighs on several handfuls of cabbage at 425 until I could smell them. (Forgot to set a timer, oops.) Took out the thighs, boosted the temperature to 475 and roasted the cabbage until darker. Made sure to season with plenty of salt and pepper and I added a little paprika to the cabbage when it came out, but that’s just my own personal preference.
So amazingly good! I really don’t think there’s a way to mess this recipe up.
I made this for dinner tonight. Holy crap, it was so good! And so easy! I will 100% be making this again, and soon.
SO GOOD! I have never roasted a chicken before and now was as good a time as any. My chicken was almost 6 lb so it took longer (90 min, maybe more?). I did take some cabbage out before the chicken was done but it just left more room for adding more cabbage to roast. As my husband said, the cabbage was the “star of the show.” I used a roasting pan and like someone else said, I might use the rack too next time (rather than just putting the chicken straight into the cabbage at the bottom) to allow the bottom to crisp more. But this was an incredible meal with lots of delicious leftovers!
Made this with chicken breasts + bones. I made two (8-10″) pans of it: each pan had half a cabbage with three breasts+bones sitting on top. They took about an hour to cook in my oven (but I am sure the temp of that oven is wonky so maybe just check your chicken?). I didn’t put the cabbage back in afterward – it was done, sitting in delicious chicken juices, after an hour. I just grabbed the cabbage out to put on a plate to serve and saved the juices for later.
Definitely a great way to roast chicken!
The cabbage…oh my gosh! I couldn’t stop eating it after plating. The chicken was delicious and juicy with a crispy skin, also. Next time I’ll try to squeeze in more cabbage. But this was amazing to just throw in the oven for dinner tonight while I meal-prepped for the week!
I made this tonite based on my daughter’s rave review. Used 4 chicken thighs and little over half a head of cabbage. Removed the thighs at 25 minutes and put the cabbage back in as suggested. Crispy skin and oh that cabbage! Made my husband’s day by baking a potato at the same time. Wonderful
This was brilliant! Absolutely brilliant
I would rate this a 5 star …one, for the simplicity of the recipe and …two, because it was so friggen delicious! I took previous comments to heart and followed some: I air dried the bird 6 hours before hand …rendered some of the chicken fat with butter and basted the bird (that was so much easier than trying to put butter on a cold bird) …roughly chopped a head of garlic and scattered it around the cabbage. I had a small bird so this feed 4 people with some leftovers for lunch the next day! I have (unfortunately!!!) become gluten sensitive, so I was beyond excited to find something that I could try out! Kudos on a great recipe …and to all the previous reviewers for the great comments because I felt like a rock star presenting this dish
In case it’s helpful for anyone similarly challenged on meat options, I made this tonight with 9 drumsticks (a little less than 3 lbs) and it turned out great! I cooked the chicken for 50 minutes at 450, but could have gone a little longer. If I had to do it again without a whole bird (or larger parts – oh, how I wanted thighs) I *might* add a little bit of lard near the end to get a bit more fat/smoke/color on the cabbage. But, it was still delicious!
I’m definitely going to make this tomorrow even though it means an unscheduled trip to the grocery store for cabbage.
I’d also like to offer my tip for extra crispy skin- leave your chicken on a plate or pan, uncovered in the fridge for up to 24 hours before you roast it. The skin will dry out, making it perfect for a brush of olive oil or schmear of butter.
Omg, this cabbage was maybe better than the chicken, which is saying a lot. Fantastic!
Wonderful! Used a ceramic roasting pan for a 5.5 lb chicken and 3/4 head of cabbage. Cooked the chicken about 50 minutes at 425 degrees, and then another 20 at 450 degrees. I did an additional 10 minutes at 450 for the cabbage, and to brown it a little more did about 5 minutes of broiling at high. Because of the size of the chicken, I thought I’d double the butter…I wouldn’t do this again because a larger chicken has plenty of fat. (I think this may be why some of us had cabbage swimming in the juices.). The end result was delicious and rich! My husband said it was the best cabbage he’s ever had. This is my second roast chicken ever and it was amazing. Definitely recommend!
Can you do this with red cabbage? (It’s all I have in the house).
Thank you!
This was insanely delicious. I am not sure why my three pound chicken took more than 90 minutes to cook through — I blame my oven — but the wait was worth it. The cabbage morphs into something glorious to become the star of the dish. I just want to eat bowlfuls of cabbage leftovers now. Soooooo good. I was tempted to try a red cabbage but glad I stuck with green, and you can also see/taste the char/carmelization better with a green cabbage I think.
The first time I made it we had red cabbage. It’s much preferred with green cabbage.
This was amazing – the cabbage is the real star :) Will definitely make again!
It looks like a couple people have mentioned doing this with cut-up chiken parts. I used a half head of cabbage, two small breasts, and one thigh/leg/drumstick. I didn’t cook the thigh long enough – I stuck a thermometer into two places which both read about 170 – and when my husband came downstairs to eat it, he noted that it was still bleeding. Oops. So make sure the bones are cooked through as well as the middle of the meat. I’d say the final cooking time was about 30 minutes for the breasts and 45 for the thigh/leg.
In any case, it does work with chicken parts and the flavor is fantastic. We ate half a cabbage between two of us in one meal!
I just want to thank you for this delicious and very easy recipe. I’ve now made this three weeks in a row, mostly for the cabbage!
The cabbage was so good! The second time I made it, I skipped the chicken and just roasted butter-dotted cabbage slices on a sheet pan for 50 minutes. Delicious! I’m sure it would be better if I could find schmaltz in my area!
This is superb. I made it last night with a huge 5-pound chicken and two, smallish, heads of cabbage. The chicken took 2 hours to roast and the cabbage turned a bit blackened in parts so I flipped the cabbage slices about half an hour before the chicken was due to be cooked.
It was beyond delicious and I can’t wait to make it again. Had some plain boiled potatoes on the side and that worked well but some nice soft bread with the cabbage would have been better. It is so simple. I have cooked chicken on sliced fennel before but that is such an expensive vegetable here in the UK and you would need a fair few bulbs. It does work though as fennel is also a hard vegetable and can stand the long cooking time. Worth a try – delicious.
Any reason this wouldn’t work with red cabbage? Aesthetics aside?
This was wonderfully easy and delicious! What a fabulous idea. I served green beans and mashed kumara (yams) with it. So simple, I will definitely make it again.
Yep, making this for the second time in a week. I am obsessed! I have never felt this way about cabbage before!
This was the best whole roast chicken I have ever made. And I went with a smaller cabbage, because historically we can never finish a large cabbage in our small family, but OMG. I wish I had gotten the bigger one. It was SO good! I literally want to make this every week. I followed the recipe exactly; my bird was a little over 3 pounds and I cooked it 1 hr 10 minutes. I would have melted a little more butter baste for those extra minutes but really, it didn’t need it. :) I just like butter.
Hold up, my 2.5-year-old is asking for 3rd helpings of the chicken. :)
Made this a couple of nights ago; 3 1/2 pound chicken and it was finished in 60 minutes; I did dry brine it for three hours ahead of time. Very juicy and moist. The cabbage caramelized to a nice golden brown. Definitely a keeper.
Ohhhmygawd…added alot of butter, spatchcock chicken was already seasoned with italian seasoning. Cooked for 45 mins at 425. Was EXCELLENT. The cabbage was carmelized to perfection. This is definitely a keeper.
So I tried this. Absolutely yummy and I can’t wait to make it again. I then made chicken soup out of the carcass and best chicken soup Ever! I am a chicken soup pro LOL. So I did combine it with buttermilk marinated recipe from Samin Nosrat buttermilk marinated whole chicken, then proceeded with everything else you suggested in the recipe and it was wonderful. I’ve found chickens to be not very tender sometimes so it was a great combo. I’m subscribed and look forward to all your recipeS. Thanks soooo much.
I made this tonight and oh my was that cabbage just finger licking good!! It makes me wonder if there was any other way to get that deliciousness without roasting a whole chicken on top but I doubt it. I made the initial mistake of slicing the cabbage a little too thinly so only half of it fit across the bottom of my cast iron pan, and some burnt up around the edges. But what was left was amazing. After I took the chicken and first batch of cabbage out of the pan, I put the rest of the head of cabbage into the pan with the remainder of the drippings and put it back in the oven for a half hour while we feasted. Now we have a second helping of cabbage to go with the leftover chicken (no leftover cabbage from that first batch!), not quite as savory or drippy, but still amazing!
Just ate this. The cabbage is nothing short of mind blowing! Only issue was that the side of the chicken that was sitting directly on the cabbage did not get fully cooked. Wonder if there is a way to raise it slightly above the cabbage while it roasts? Would that have some adverse affect? But honestly, so delicious!
I cooked this last night and it knocked everyone’s socks off!
This was amazing! And so very easy. I cooked an a whole chicken but plan to try this again using just bone-in thighs. Will pull the thighs once they’re done and finish roasting the cabbage in the hot oven. I’ll have extra butter on-hand in case the chicken pieces don’t provide enough fat.
My husband Does Not Cook and, frankly, it is better that way. He doesn’t like to cook and it stresses him out. The results are not good for anyone. BUT THEN HE DECIDED TO TRY THIS RECIPE AND THE MELTING POTATOES FOR MOTHER’S DAY. And, he was stressed and crabby…until he pulled everything out of the oven. Everything looked perfect and even better, they were all delicious. Like, amazingly good. Cannot thank you enough!!!
What did I do wrong? Do you see in the photo with the raw chicken, the one with the skillet ready to go into the oven? Okay, there’s a whole bunch of cabbage around the chicken which is exposed to the air. Yes, I brushed it with melted butter. In the oven at 450 for an hour, that exposed cabbage charred black. It literally turned to ash on the top. How is everyone putting cabbage in an iron skillet in a 450 degree oven for 60 minutes without burning up the vegetables that aren’t under the chicken? The chicken came out delicious–and the cabbage pieces that had been shielded under the chicken were good (I did as instructed and flipped them and put them back in the oven without the chicken on top at the end)…but the black ash of what were formerly cabbage wedges around the edge of the skillet? A sad fail.
Maybe slice the cabbage a little thicker?
Made this tonight and it is wonderful. This is definitely going into our roast chicken recipe rotation. I didn’t notice that I was supposed to baste the chicken and cabbage with butter- I just melted and brushed all four TBSP on and around the chicken & it was perfect. We had a 4.5 pound chicken and cooked it a bit longer. Made Alison Roman’s blistered carrots with butter and honey and a cucumber salad with herb and yogurt dressing and had a delightful meal. Thank you!
Made this tonight combining your spatchcock/ Zuni chicken recipe. Delicious. Do not skip the final browning step of the cabbage, you won’t be sorry!
I have never tried to mix chicken with butter. It sounds interesting, I will make this recipe tonight. Thank you so much!
I also collected some good recipes about chicken on my blog. You can try one of them and share with me how you feel about it. Thank you. https://growtheideas.com/5-stuffed-chicken-recipes-for-your-delicious-meal/
This looks great, and I love the simple use of Shmaltz to do what it does best: make things amazing. Do you think this would work with bok choy instead of cabbage? I received a few in a CSA that need to be used. Maybe reduce the time, or would it get too wilted?
I made this tonight. I put the chicken and cabbage on for 45 minutes. Then I added three Yukon gold potatoes, thickly sliced and chunked carrots. Let everything go for another 30 minutes. Took the chicken out to rest and let the vegetables cook for another 20 minutes. WOW! So incredibly delicious. My husband raved. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe.
This was fantastic! Only had a half a head cabbage, so I threw in some Brussels sprouts. No other changes. Every last bit was devoured and this may be the only way I will roast a chicken from now on.
So. Flipping. Good. Perfectly simple.
Quick question: what would you use instead of butter to make this for someone lactose intolerant? What’s best for still getting some browning?
I think this may be the first dish that I have cooked following a recipe on SK where I encountered a few small problems – and I comment respectfully because I feel like I practically live in your kitchen, you are my favorite and thank you so very much for keeping this blog for so many years for us to enjoy. Anyhoo, my main issue is with the browning, as someone has already commented. The bird is beautifully brown and roasted on top, but remains pale and almost boiled looking on the bottom. The flavors are there but I decided to flip it after 40 minutes to try to brown the bottom. Next time I may flip a little sooner. Could also pan sear that side while the cabbage goes back in…
Would Savoy cabbage work? I saw comments about Napa and red cabbage, but nothing about using a Savoy variety, which is what I have at the moment. (Or….I could use the Savoy cabbage for that wonderful recipe you posted a month or two ago for roasted wedges of Savoy cabbage with Parmesan and walnuts! It’s a favourite.)
I’ve been a longtime follower, and made countless recipes of yours, Deb, but this is the first time I’ve ever commented. This was the best chicken I’ve ever made! And I never knew cabbage could be this delicious. It was truly a revelation. I let my chicken hangout in the fridge for about an hour before cooking to dry the skin out. It was a 3 pound bird, took 45 minutes, and the cabbage another 10. Was crispy, juicy, salty, divine. Thank you!
I’ve made this three times with cabbage, because we love it! Last week, I subbed thick slabs of Cauliflower and it was delicious!
I love recipes like this. Just a few everyday ingredients that you never thought to combine but yield a unique and delicious result. This type of recipe is the perfect candidate for leaving out the picky precise measurements–I love how quick that makes it.
And I made it quicker by using a bag of pre-shredded cabbage, oil instead of butter, and thighs instead of a whole chicken (easier to handle and we like dark here). I think it came out great! Thank you, Deb!
This was really easy but the end result was rather greasy. I added chopped Shallots in the chicken cavity and also used Old Bay and a little Tony’s seasoning on the chicken. All that made it tasty, but again … it was greasy. Not sure how to avoid that.
Has anyone tried this using a red cabbage?
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to just do the cabbage part of this? I made this with the chicken and the cabbage was amazing. I’d like to re-create it but don’t really want to roast a whole chicken again.
After ditching carbs I thought I could not cook from your books or website ever again. And then I saw this: total keto bliss. Who needs potatoes? Easy, delicious and healthy. Thank you!
I’ve never been a huge fan of cabbage, but this dish sounds very tasty. Might have to give it a shot.
I’ve made this once and my husband made it again the week after. Really great with no effort – my favourite kind of cooking! I only half read the butter instructions so I rubbed all the butter (a little over 50 grammes I think …) all over the chicken and basted the chicken twice with the lovely buttery juices from the pan. I also greased the pan with butter. My husband might have followed it more to the letter but it makes no real difference, it was great both times (but I do recommend all the butter). Used ordinary salt because I live in Sweden where we don’t know what the kosher salt that Americans are obsessed with even is. Didn’t bother doing the second cabbage bit because we were hungry and it’s nice anyway – but since I turned down the heat a bit to protect my chicken from drying out I did miss out on some caramelisation there so I might try browning it off as per instructions next time. Thank you Deb, this was a good one!
Very good. I used a home type chicken Rotisserie recipe for the chicken and it flavored the cabbage nicely!
This! Was! So! Good!
I marinated mine 24 hours in buttermilk and lemon because I wanted to try Samin Nosrat’s method, then remembered this recipe. I have zero complaints about the results. Next time I will probably add some onions and carrots to the pile, because the juices and fat definitely seemed like they could handle more veg. Ate a quarter of the chicken straight out of the pan.
This is one of my favorite recipes! I have passed this along to my friends all across the country! They all LOVE it. So so so good. Leftovers the next day are even better. Found I love to use avocado plant based butter. And double it. So yummy!
Made this tonight, absolutely fantastic! I ended up doubling the butter (after 30 mins I didn’t have any drippings to spoon over) and added a chicken rub seasoning. My husband raves about how good the cabbage was and asked what I did to make it so good, never knew cabbage could be so easy!
Slowed roasted (300 degrees for 3 hrs) a marinated whole chicken (blitzed preserved lemon, garlic, cilantro, fresh lemon juice, cumin seed &paprika) over a bed of planked cabbage and Yukon gold potatoes. Sprinkle of olive oil over top of all. Started with 1/2 c water in pan and basted every hr . Amazing!! Slow roasting kept everything moist. Unctuous. No more hi temp toasting for me!
This is to die for and we’ve made it 3 times. Some big time magic happens with the cabbage and the chicken droppings – you’ll see cabbage differently from now on. If you can get a small chicken, I’d recommend spatchcocking it for the most even cooking. When we had a chicken that was too big to be spatchcoked on the cast iron, we cooked it on one of those wire coolers over the cabbage on a baking sheet. Worked just as well!
Can I use a red cabbage for this ?
I think it will work, just a little different flavor. It also can burn more quickly. You might add a spoonful of apple cider vinegar before returning it to the oven to finish coloring, which goes well with red cabbage.
One of the best roast chickens we’ve made and yet it was overshadowed by the buttery, tender, melt-in-your-mouth cabbage. So delicious. Chicken was just about 3lb and in the oven for almost 90 minutes at 450 the whole time. Did not flip the cabbage and it was still tender and nicely caramelized. I may have slightly overbasted with butter, will use less next time realizing how much the fat of the chicken self-bastes the cabbage. Served with wild rice and roasted carrots.
I love this recipe! I’ve made it a few times already, and tonight I made it with some sliced leek mixed in with the cabbage. It’s SO good.
Daaaaaaang good. Came together in a snap. Used a whole head of cabbage. Leftovers are going in broth with ramen tomorrow night.
Hey Deb! I’ve made this twice and it is so deeply satisfying. But both times the underside of the chicken has not been fully cooked when the rest of the chicken is ready. The first time I had sat the chicken directly on the cabbage. This last time I propped it slightly above on a grate. We just threw it in the cast iron on the stovetop once the cabbage was out and cooked it for a few minutes, which was fine. But I’m just curious if you have thoughts on what I might be doing wrong or how to avoid that next time? Thanks for many years of great eating!
I haven’t experienced this but you can absolutely start the chicken upside-down and then flip it for the rest of the time for more even cooking. And thank you!
This looks unbelievably delicious. And you have no idea of the joy you’ve sparked in my heart to know that I am not the only one who loves, loves, loves cabbage.
Have you tried this recipe? https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/caramelized-cabbage
I made it last night, with some jacket potatoes baked alongside and some kielbasa crisped up in a skillet. ( Because I’m from Western Canada and we find that there are few occasions that cabbage isn’t better with garlicky sausage. Though I expect that your recipe here would be a tasty exception)
I will be making this recipe soonest possible! Thank you!!
Made it last night. Family was a “meh” before tasting it but an enthusiastic “YUM” after! That schmaltzy cabbage under the chicken – WOW! An easy way to make roasted chicken on a weeknight. Another great recipe!
Not perfect like the pics, but still amazing. The chicken wasn’t cooked through after an hour and some rest time (I guess I don’t know where to temp a whole chicken properly???). Any way, didn’t matter. I cut it up, put it on a baking sheet (with any lose pieces of skin, of course) and finished cooking it while the cabbage crisped up. I used half the butter it calls for and we loved it. Still “smaltzy” but not overly greasy. Everyone from grandma to the teenagers liked it. Will definitely make again and again.
This recipe was so good and a great reminder that food doesn’t have to have complicated ingredients to be delicious. The most recent time I made this, I added some chopped leeks to the cabbage under the chicken and it was even better!
So easy and so so delicious. I skipped the butter and used canola oil, the chicken fat was plenty tasty. Also cut up the chicken instead of roasting it whole. This recipe is a keeper.
soooooo good. my kids love it, too. The only problem is there’s not enough cabbage! I figured out a way to double the goodness:
-that cast iron pan you cooked the chicken in? don’t clean it out. It should have chicken juice and schmaltz in it. Leave it.
-the next day, slice some more cabbage, put it in the pan, smoosh around then flip over. brush with a bit of melted butter, salt and pepper
-take your left over chicken and flip it over. that flabby skin on the bottom that didn’t get crisp? peel it off and lay it on top of the cabbage
-roast at 450 until the chicken skin is crispy and cabbage is browned. can remove skin early if it’s getting too dark.
-remove from oven, toss in pieces of left over chicken meat. The cabbage soaks up the schmaltz and juice in the pan and rendered fat from the chicken skin, and you get chicken cracklins’! A second dinner with no more dirty pans and only uses leftovers and a cabbage
I like serving this and the original with farro. my kids even ask for it!
I roasted my boneless, skin-on Thanksgiving turkey breast atop a giant head of sliced cabbage. Although the turkey didn’t seem to have much fat, this worked perfectly. I didn’t spoon any butter over it during the roasting–just put it in and took the bird out when it was done, turned the cabbage over and put it in for another 10 mins at 450. It was absolutely divine, and the best Thanksgiving vegetable we’ve ever had. And so easy! It was even better the day after, warmed up in a schmaltzy frying pan. Ah, schmaltz …
I made this for the first time tonight, and I am truly stunned by how good this was. I hadn’t bookmarked this recipe and am not a huge fan of cabbage generally but I somehow found myself with almost nothing in the refrigerator but a defrosted 5-pound chicken and a week-old head of cabbage. I cooked the chicken for 1.5 hours at 425 due to its larger size, which worked perfectly. I also skipped the step of returning the cabbage to the oven since the edges were already deeply brown by that time. Also, I only had one tablespoon of butter left, which I brushed on the chicken before cooking, so I skipped the step of spooning additional butter. It turned out so delicious that I plan to buy cabbage on purpose going forward.
I made this for the second time for Thanksgiving and it was absolutely delicious! It went really well with the rest of the Thanksgiving sides! I might be a permanent convert to chicken for Thanksgiving.
This was absolutely delicious! My husband loved it! The cabbage was so full of flavor! I didn’t think it would soak up the seasoning that much but wow let me tell you, it really did. I want to make this every my week and try different seasonings too. I roasted it in my cast iron. For sides I made very buttery mashed potatoes and a vinegary cherry tomato salad. A complete hit. I’m so happy I have this recipe!
Is it normal to see a lot of blood in whole chicken?
Could I use two Cornish hens instead of a whole chicken?
I think so but the cabbage will probably need longer than the hens so just put it back as long as needed.
Best, easiest dinner! Thank you Deb :)
We did it with chicken thighs and no butter and it was delicious!
Couldn’t find cabbage at the store so I bought brussel sprouts and am going to attempt to make it with them tonight. Thoughts? Tips?
Hope your meal turned out delicious! I just commented with my own experience, but in case future people are wondering: since everyone said to leave their cabbage slices thick, I only halved my brussel sprouts as opposed to cutting smaller. I had such beautiful caramelization with the cut sides directly against the pan.
I’ve made this before, and I’m making it tonight! It’s delicious and perfect! According to my five-year-old, it’s even as good as Winco chicken. 🙄 seriously, make it!
This chicken is great! One thing I always have to remind myself is to cut the cabbage slices thick, that seems to be the trick for getting those crispy edges. I also like the built-in time to let the chicken rest… It gets so juicy! We had this earlier in the week with some more veggies and potatoes, and the whole thing got eaten (+bones for stock!)
Made this tonight with brussel sprout, potato, and parsnip, and honestly the veg alone was so perfect. An all brussel sprouts bed would be divine, but I appreciate the clean-out-the-fridge/pantry flexibility.
I followed this recipe as written except used lactose free butter (our family uses Green Valley). It was amazing.
Would this recipe go well with sour/picked cabbage? I have some left since the Christmas preparations..
It might be good to enjoy with the chicken after it’s roasted, but I wouldn’t roast pickled cabbage, it would destroy its magic.
Hi! Can I use red cabbage? Will it have any affect other than the colour staining everything?
Thanks!
Made this today – almost to perfection, got to give it one more try! 😁
The cabbage was a hit, even with my sceptical better half.
This was delicious! The best cabbage ever!
I made this last night and it was delicious! I normally roast carrots, parsnips, and leeks under my chicken and love the schmaltzy-ness of that. And I love roasted cabbage, so when I saw this recipe pop up again, I knew I had to make it. My 4 year old was super wary of the cabbage at first, but after she tried a bite she said “I LOVE CABBAGE! It’s the best!” and ended up asking for seconds, haha.
I will say that I had a very large (5.5 lb) chicken that released a lot of juice, which kept the cabbage from caramelizing as much as I wanted it to (even with the additional cooking time while the chicken was resting). I think next time I’ll make sure to do thicker slices of cabbage, to make sure more of it is out of the drippings at the bottom of the pan. I also might run it under the broiler if necessary. That being said, it was still super delicious and a huge hit with my family.
I’ve made this twice now and both times it was so good! I love using this higher heat method to roast chicken, and adding the cabbage is just genius. I wish there was a way to get even more cabbage in the pan! Thanks for such a simple recipe that has a deliciously big payoff.
OK this is sooo insanely delish I don’t know what to say! only recipe where you don’t need to read every comment for “added touches” or alterations. I guess you could cook chicken over cardboard and it would be good. Was beyond amazing and i made it while i was cooking a dinner for another night! Zero effort
I can stare at this recipe no longer. I don’t have a whole chicken but I have so many thighs in the freezer it must still work out right?!??! I just don’t want to wait for my next paycheck to eat this. I love roasted chicken and I freakin really love schmaltzy buttery roasted cabbage! So excited for dinner tonight
Pieces are fine but the cabbage will take longer — it will need to go back in the oven longer than with a full chicken. Don’t skip on the color on the cabbage.
This is the best, easiest 5 ingredient recipe I’ve ever made, but it’s amazing aside from that–looked lovely too and worthy of company. Thank you for this!!
This is amazing. I had low expectations but needed to use a cabbage that was taking up space in my fridge. We added some brown rice & shallots to the cabbage after roasting & it was delish.
Well that was outstandingly delicious. I used a 10-inch skillet (because that’s what I have). My cabbage was kind of funky—when I sliced into it the leaves were kind of loose, not as tightly packed as usual. The result was that even though I fit as much as I could in one layer in the pan, it all sort of collapsed into a puddle under the chicken. The final product did not look quite like yours, but was still tender and outstandingly delicious. The chicken was great too, although I had a hard time getting my thermometer in the right spot and kept having to put it back in the oven. Also I’m terrible at carving chickens; I absolutely hate it..:the final product always looks like a hacked up mess. But the meat was juicy and flavorful and so I will call it a success.
All that to say, I think the things that went wrong for me were not problems with the recipe, but with me 😆. And the end result was still wonderful!
Winner, winner chicken dinner – This was incredible, best roast chicken I have ever made, and yes, the cabbage lives up to the rave reviews. Made as directed, may add onion and whole garlic cloves to roast with the cabbage next time.
So good! Next time I’ll double the cabbage and spatchcock the chicken. I love a dish that adds up to more than the sum of the sum of its parts!
Truly delicious. The cabbage is reminiscent of Adeena Sussman’s melted cabbage recipe (as I suspected — and hoped! — it would be).
As someone who loves cabbage in soups, salads, and roasted in the oven, I absolutely loved this recipe! We had it with rice on the side, and it was simply delicious.
I have been scared to roast a chicken because it just seemed so overwhelming, but this was so easy and delicious! I think our leftovers were even better than this was fresh (somehow! it was so good last night it doesn’t seem possible it’s even better!).
I can’t wait to make this again and will definitely be using it when I need to make an easy meal that seems impressive.
Our bird was on the bigger side (5.5 lbs), so we cooked it at 425F for about 90 minutes and waited about 10 minutes before carving. Next time, I’ll wait longer to carve (30 mins?) so that the juices can redistribute more and I’ll leave the chicken out at room temp for longer. That said, the chicken and cabbage were amazing, especially with the added garlic cloves and half lemon added to the cavity.
Had seen this recipe in spring but didn’t make it until now, 9 months later. It’s cabbage time here in Germany and the recipe popped back into my head when I noticed cabbage is currently only €0.39 cents a head. How can a meal with only 3 real ingredients be so divine?! And cabbage, come on! My kids hate cabbage, but two out of three liked it. The third nibbled on the crispy cabbage edges. There is hope. I used a basketball-sized head of savoy cabbage, it was so tasty. Next time I’ll throw in some baking potatoes into the oven too so the kids can spoon up the juices left underneath the cabbage onto them… I’m happy for any amount of vitamins they get. Thank you for posting this. We will be making it very often.
I know she said they didn’t use the lemon, but I’ve made it with and without lemon, and the lemon adds a bit of acid to the cabbage, just takes it to next level goodness.
Well, the chicken was simply delicious, which was a surprise to me since chicken is not my preferred protein, but I would eat it very, very often like this.
But the cabbage, OH THE CABBAGE……………… unbelievably wonderful!!!
I just came here to say that this recipe is simple and amazing. I’m making it tonight for the 4th time in under 2 months. Even my husband (who usually doesn’t get too excited about cabbage) enjoys this recipe.
I made this in a sheet pan. Didn’t oil the pan or flip the cabbage. I did 25 min at 425 degrees, then about 45 min at 350. Superb!!
I don’t think I’ve ever espoused cabbage this much in my life but DANG there are few words for how unforgettable the worlds most forgettable vegetable is here. The whole meal was spent moaning and repeating over and over again how we never expected cabbage to taste so unbelievably good. I sent the recipe to my mom and she made it over the weekend, with a massive chicken, but it worked!
Just made this for the second time. Any recipe that causes the 4yr old to proclaim “I love this cabbage, it’s my favorite food!” Is an obvious winner. Also the 6yr old ate 2 helpings of chicken (but no cabbage, alas). The 1.5 yr old ate a bunch of orange slices and nothing else, so the jury is still out on her opinion. 🤣
I just made this fantastic recipe last night and I have one, very important thing to add: MORE CABBAGE! I arranged my cabbage (about 3/4 of a medium head) in a single layer in the bottom of my 12″ cast iron pan. Having had this now, I would have put the entire head of cabbage in it–it is SO delicious and cooks down so much that what’s left behind is quickly eaten. So, cabbage it up, fellow chefs! You won’t regret it.
What are your thoughts on corned beef and cabbage using this method? I love the recipe, and trying to figure out how the corned beef drippings would change the flavor of the cabbage (as well as any time/temp changes needed).
This recipe will be perfect for a small Seder dinner! I’ve made it before and it’s surprisingly delicious! To make it even easier, I use thighs instead of a whole chicken.
Delicious! I followed some of the suggestions to make some tweaks: First I rubbed the chicken with kosher salt and Penzey’s Bavarian seasoning and stuck it in the fridge for a few hours before roasting. Then I also sliced an onion and put overtop of the cabbage. Unfortunately my thermometer broke while I was cooking it, but I cooked the 4lb bird for a little over an hour at 425. I also served it with steak fries at the suggestion of another reviewer. Yum!
I made this one evening last week. I roast chicken frequently but this was my first time doing so on top of cabbage wedges. Let me say it was simply amazing! Loved the sweetness of the roasted cabbage and the easy one pan approach. This will become a standard of mine. Thank you Deb.
How in the world do you find a 3 pound whole chicken? Years ago that was the norm, these days I can’t find one that is less than 4 pounds. Why has that happened?
Any tips for a slow cooker version?
After all the breathless buildup in the recipe and comments, this was a disappointment. A whole chicken takes longer to cook through than the stated time, and even 20 more minutes of chicken cooking time, an extra 15 minutes (5 more than instructed) with the oven turned up to 500 wasn’t enough to make the cabbage as “schmaltzy” and crisped-edge-y as described or pictured. It was fine as roasted chickens go. Wouldn’t make again—and I was just making this for myself this time…glad I didn’t make it for company!
Do you think this would work as well if you spatchcocked the chicken?
Yes but the cabbage needs the full cooking time, so the chicken would probably be done first.
LOVED this! I think our chicken was a bit bigger since it took forever to cook and then the pan juices prevented most of the cabbage from getting crisp and yet… it was still so delicious!
Absolutely gorgeous! I love cabbage and hate to cook it, this … it’s just a paradise for the laziest cook ever. Perfectly cooked, amazing deep flavor… omg. It will be my new love for the fall dinners
All I have to say on this INCREDIBLE recipe is definitely smoosh AS MUCH cabbage as possible under that bird because you will want every little schmalzy bit of that delightful vegetable! The cabbage cooks down quite a bit, so pack it in. Truly fantastic, simple, earthy and utterly delicious. All the things!
YUM! This chicken was so moist and the skin so crackly. We all loved it! I have a question about the vegetable. I didn’t have cabbage so used thick slices of cauliflower. It overcooked a bit (the chicken didn’t) and was a little mushy. But mostly the problem was that it was swimming in a lake of schmaltz and butter. My chicken was an organic 5 pounder. Could that be why there was so much liquid and fat? I’m fine with some fat but this was a lot. And the cauliflower tasted good but was too rich to have very much. I’ll try the green cabbage next time and it probably won’t overcook but I might still have the issue of too much liquid. Just go with a smaller chicken? My family of 4 devoured almost the entire 5 lbs! And it’s hard to find a small chicken for some reason. Even at my local coop. Lastly, could potatoes be used underneath instead? Thanks for ALL the great recipes!
We’ve enjoyed this recipe several times! I Was planning to roast chicken thighs coated in a miso paste/butter/honey/garlic mixture (another favorite of our family), but had cabbage on hand & decided to combine the two recipes. It was a really delicious spin on the original!
I used about 4 tablespoons butter, mashed with 2-3 tablespoons white miso paste, 2 tablespoons honey & several whole garlic cloves – exact proportions don’t matter
I had made this once or twice during the pandemic and then we moved to Germany on military orders. We are in a community far from post so we shop at the local stores and A LOT of the things I’m used to are not available — but the Germans love cabbage and so we make this one a bunch. Thank you also for listing your recipes in grams. I’m grateful.
I adore cabbage. I only had it growing up as stuffed cabbage or in a soup like stuffed cabbage. My husband is not a fan, but if I caramelize everything, he can eat it without grimacing. I’m going to use thighs too. I already have a half a cabbage in my refrigerator as well. Dinner tonight. Easy peasy. BTW, I live on the west side of Florida and I envy you for your fall. I miss a northeast fall so much!
Wow! I made this tonight with a chicken that was a little over 4 pounds. I used a 12” cast iron skillet but could fit all of the cabbage. No matter, it came out fantastic! I caramelized some onions, added some wide egg noodles, and then the cabbage and served that as a side dish. It was awesome! 10/10 would make this again!
I decided to try this with chicken thighs, since I knew I had some in the freezer. As I was prepping the cabbage I realized my chicken thighs were boneless and skinless. To compensate for the lack of chicken fat I coated the bottom of the pan in duck fat and just pressed on. The chicken is fine BUT THAT CABBAGE. I’m definitely making this again correctly but I’m starting to think this dish doesn’t even need the chicken?
I added four strips of thick cut bacon in the bottom of the cast iron skillet, mixed leeks with the cabbage and followed the rest of the recipe Delicious!
LOVE this recipe, but I’ve had issues with the bottom of the chicken being undercooked when the top is done. Any tips? Maybe cover with tinfoil for a bit?
Made this tonight. I normally don’t roast chicken because I can buy them roasted and my own are not noticeably better. But….but….
The cabbage makes this all worth it. We all went back for seconds of the cabbage and were pulling it out of the pan as we cleaned up. My husband said it tasted like “healthy butter.” Winner winner chicken dinner.
I made this twice and loved it! The first time I did it as written, but the second time I substituted whole leeks (the white and light green portion) under the chicken, instead of using cabbage. The leeks were amazing! They absolutely melted into a delicious, schmaltzy, softness. I cannot recommend them enough.
Deb- Am I crazy to think I can do this with my Thanksgiving turkey? It’s such a beloved recipe in our home I think the canna would be an amazing side- thoughts?
I think you can! Or you can apply this and use cabbage instead of onions underneath.
Dear god this was amazing.
That is all.
I cook almost every single night, and somehow this was the best thing I’ve made in weeks, if not months. I’m not even a cabbage person! My chicken was larger and definitely needed over an hour, but otherwise followed recipe exactly.
I love this recipe! Do you have a suggestion on how to use the left-over cabbage? How can I capture the cabbagy-schmaltzy yumminess but still have it be a different thing? I’m thinking maybe a fritter, or something.
Maybe chop it smaller, roast it longer, and add it to egg noodles?
Honestly I just heated it up and served it on a nice crusty bread. It was so well cooked that it almost became a jammy spread, and it made an easy and delicious lunch!
I’ve made this many times and it is my favorite way to roast a chicken. My cabbage doesn’t “crisp”–maybe my chickens are usually too juicy? But, I have found that by stirring the cabbage around midway through cooking, I can get better color and flavor out of it. (I usually use some tongs to lift the chicken a little and stir the cabbage underneath.) I find that helps the cabbage not directly under the chicken stay moist and the bits directly underneath get roasty instead of just steamed. The cabbage ends up silky and thick with schmaltz, and a bite with chicken and cabbage together is SO GOOD!
I made this with no alterations to your recipe and it was just amazing. Thanks for
converting me to cabbage after 74 years. Wondering if I could replicate this with a 3# pork roast.
Not certain the pork would make the juices required and that heat might dry it out.
I made this with a head of cauliflower instead of cabbage–it was great! Highly recommend. The cauliflower florets did a great job of soaking up the flavor from the chicken.
This made me chuckle a little. Not to nit-pic, but I think you got this phrase backwards. “and we try to figure out how to do less with more”. You probably meant “we try to figure out how to do MORE with LESS.”
Thanks!
I think I’ll try this with duck legs!
Used a lovely Savoy cabbage and did a light brush of Dijon on each wedge before roasting as directed.
Simple. The purity of the ingredients combined with decent technique elevate this dish beyond what you think it should be.
Eat in candlelight with people you love. Add crusty bread and a glass of Beaujolais.
Nothing fancy.
But It’s all you need.
This was so good to eat in bed with my kids and watch Disney Plus. They ignored the cabbage so I got it all. I had a few bags of coleslaw mix from a recipe I didn’t make-and some leeks that were supposed to go in a soup at some point and were sliced up and put with the coleslaw-and it worked great. it was all melty and amazing.
This combination is really great… I try it on next sunday
I really want to make this, but for a crowd. Would it mess up the char to put 2 chickens and 2 cabbages into 1 giant roasting pan, do you think? I am wondering if it would get too juicy, you know?
If the pan is big enough, it shouldn’t affect it much. It might need more time to brown up the cabbage after, but not much more.
I made this for dinner for my family and my sister. She hates cabbage and she ate almost all of it. She now loves cabbage. I thought this recipe was so easy and and I absolutely loved it!!! I would make this even if there wasn’t a pandemic.
As usual I didn’t time my chicken quite right. But my god, the cabbage. So good.
I made this today. The cabbage was to die for! My chicken was almost 5 lbs. It is hard to find 3 to 31/2 lb birds around here. Anyway, as usual, it turned out kind of tasteless. It was beautifully browned and the skin was crisp. The meat tasted slightly steamed.
I thoroughly patted it dry inside & out. My pan was about 4 inches deep.
Any ideas? Or should I just make sure the bird is smaller?
It might be easier to get flavor into it if you spatchcock it. The chicken might take less time to roast and you might want to return the cabbage to the onion for longer, but it could work.
This is a fabulous recipe-I modified it just a little bit-I put slices of lemons and whole smashed garlic cloves on top of the cabbage before I put the chicken on top of it. I also seasoned the chicken with a little salt, pepper and paprika and inside the cavity I put a whole lemon quartered. Gave it all a little zing and it was amazing!
Would the cabbage burn if I baked it at 325 for 2 hours?
I don’t think so because there are a lot of juices and coverage from the chicken.
I just made this, and I can’t believe how easy and delicious this was! The cabbage was sweet, savory and buttery. The chicken was incredibly juicy! Made exactly by the recipe. Will definitely make again 11/10!
I made a version of this today with chicken thighs instead of a whole chicken. I adjusted times, but otherwise followed this dead-simple strategy and it was SO GOOD. The cabbage turned silky, almost like jam, and piled up on good bread sopped in more chicken juice it was just divine. I love being fancy, but there’s something satisfying about food flavored with nothing but salt that turns out amazing and tasting exactly like itself.
I love your recipies and would love to try this as a smaller dinner. Would the cook-time change significantly if I used 1 or 2 bone-in chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken?
They’re usually done in 30 to 45 minutes, but it will range by their size. The cabbage will need more time.
This is similar in concept to what’s called Stöcklkraut in Austria- a cabbage head chopped into wedges and boiled with some of the juices from roast pork and then finally served drenched in the drippings
Omg!! Just made this! Pnenominal!! The only tiny different thing I did was drizzle the cabbage with red wine vinegar for that last trip back in the oven. Don’t think it added anythingmonumental because this dish stands on it’s own! ♥️
I used savoy cabbage because that’s what I had on hand. Do not recommend hahaha! It was brown and as crispy as burnt kale chips before the chicken reached temperature, even though I had used a slightly lower oven temp. I think it’s more delicate structure wasn’t up to the job. I’m disappointed because I love cabbage, but that’s what I get for not following the recipe! The chicken was lovely. I saw what was happening in time to quick peel potatoes and carrots for a mash to go with it. I’ll try it again with the right cabbage. Oh, also my chicken didn’t give off loads of fat so maybe that was part of the problem.
I made this last night exactly as written except in my dutch oven with no lid and it was INCREDIBLE!!! The crispy end bits on the cabbage were amazing, the chicken was moist and flavorful. Going into regular rotation in my house!
This recipe blew me away. Cannot recommend it enough. Made it exactly as directed in a large cast iron and it came out perfect. Flavorful, super moist chicken, perfectly browned skin. Never thought cabbage could be this good!
This recipe is a winner- winner, chicken-dinner! Wow! So delicious!
Get a bigger cabbage! I made this night and it was amazing. Foolishly I underestimated how popular this would be and only got a medium cabbage. (Shakes head.) Get the biggest cabbage you can. I also spatchcocked my four pound chicken, which fit perfectly on top of the cabbage in my 12 inch skillet.
When you say 12″ skillet, is that the measurement across the bottom of the pan? or side to side across the top??
Top
This was delicious and so easy. My chicken was over 4 pounds. I cooked it at 425 in a cast iron skillet and it was done in a little over an hour. I had to cover it for the last 20 minutes of cooking and I ended up blasting the underside under the broiler to get the skin on the bottom to crisp up. The cabbage is really yummy. I also added carrots, onion and garlic with the cabbage. I roasted the lemon with everything, half with the vegetables and half inside the chicken.
This was so so good, everyone in the family loved it! And easy!!
It’s cabbage season in Florida right now and I yipped when I saw it at the farmer’s market because it meant I could make this, one of my favorite dishes of all time.
This is my favorite way to use large amounts of cabbage. I prefer when the cabbage gets really caramelized, so I usually leave it in the oven more than 10 min after taking the chicken out. Also, it’s delicious with mushrooms, turnips, Brussels sprouts, elephant garlic, any veggies that roast well and taste good with chicken!
I made this with shredded coleslaw mix, tightly packed. It shrunk down to very little, but it was delicious. I baked Yukon Gold potatoes in the same oven, crushed them, then poured the chicken-grease cabbage shreds on top. So good. I want to try it again with shredded leeks too.
This is such a great meal! I’ve made it several times. Easy and comforting.
Can you make this the same slow-roasted way as in SK Keepers — just basically subbing the croutons for cabbage or maybe even potatoes / onions?
I swear by my caste iron, unbranded, old, 15” diameter fry pan. It fits neatly on top of my wood stove – the only way I can cook in the winter. I spatchcock the chicken, fry on the breast side until nice and brown, turn over for a bit, lift onto a bunch of vegetables, add water to the point of touching the chicken, cover and cook on top of the wood stove until it’s a bit more than simmering. Then I put the whole thing on a trivet until the chicken is tender. Amazingly, it tastes like it’s been roasted in an oven. I can’t wait to put cabbage underneath the bird instead of celery and carrots. Sounds scrumptious.
I was craving roast chicken yesterday, and had four bone-in thighs and a cabbage that needed using. To my dismay, the cabbage was one of those that wasn’t dense inside, boo.
Nonetheless, this was delicious. The thighs put out plenty of juices, but I did wish we’d had stout planks of cabbage. I ate it so fast I gave myself heartburn, oops. Thanks, Deb!
Made this for dinner last night. What a tasty, easy meal! I made it with a half chicken as it was just my husband and myself. The chicken was juicy and the skin crispy. Effortless dinner! Served with a side of broccoli.
This was delicious! After reading recipes for a couple days, I got confused and used cauliflower instead of cabbage and it was soooo good! I can’t wait to try it with cabbage. This recipe is so easy and so delicious. May try spatchcocking the chicken the next time.
Oh, I missed the last part of the recipe, the flipping the cabbage part! But my cabbage was too loosy-goosy by that time to flip–it was barely scoopable out of the pan. This was super easy and very nice but I think I missed out on one of its chief charms. Oh well, if at first you don’t succeed …
By the way I served this with “skirlie,” a Scottish stuffing-esque side dish consisting of toasted rolled oats and onions caramelized in poultry fat. It was divine.
This is not a recipe you want to downsize. Get a large head of cabbage because the browned edges get so beautifully caramelized and are 100% addictive to eat. And get serious about making sure the chicken is DRY before you butter and s&p that bad boy. It’s so crucial to the crispy skin. Will make the worst cook look good because it’s so simple and damn delicious.
This looks fabulous! I was wondering if I could use tofu instead of chicken? And avocado oil because. I’m going to use eggplant for my veg because that’s what I’ve got!
Kidding!
This is the second time I’ve made it and the first time I did use Napa. Good but mostly melted away and we wanted MORE! So now I just took the whole chicken out and flipped the cabbage and popped it back in. Looking unbelievably good. Stupidly it will be ready at 4:30! Read the recipe right and the clock wrong
I made this (for the 3rd time) last night. 1st time with whole chicken. Then with legs. Even with equal weight (3lb) of chicken and cabbage, I still wanted more veg–and that’s after also including 2 huge Yukon golds, 2 huge carrots, and an onion! This is so delicious, but next time, I’ll use double the weight of the chicken for the cabbage!
Has anyone ever made this with red cabbage?
Yes. I wondered about that too, but it was all I had. It worked just fine. After all, red cabbage doesn’t stay entirely red once cooked. It was delicious.
I’m so delighted with this recipe! I used corn-fed, skin-on Chicken breasts, and it worked beautifully. For a bigger crowd I think that Chicken thighs would work really well too. Forget all pre-conceived notions about cabbage, do try this recipe!
Okay so forgot this recipe was A Thing and…. My CORE recipe is my roast cabbage and it is just this: slice a cabbage into enough layers to at least layer 1x across a lasagna dish. Slice butter thin thin thin and cover the cabbage with the slices. If you want, add another layer of cabbage on top and more butter on top of that. Roast until caramelized and soft and perfect.
And of course, Deb has done it first here 😍 you’ve never steered me wrong!
Made this last night and not sure where we went wrong, but had similar issues to others where the thighs were still raw after an hour in the oven, but then breast was over cooked. 4 lb bird. Fit a whole cabbage in the cast iron, but it never got a lovely brown like the photos, some areas burned a little and others were just green. Was hoping this would be a win based on all the comments!
OMG!!!! i made this tonight for dinner and i think this is the only way i ever want to eat cabbage!!! soooo good! i know some people said that their chicken steamed and didn’t brown but i didn’t have a problem, maybe because i used my cast iron skillet. this is a definite keeper for sure!!
What level do you set the oven rack? I can’t find this in the recipe or comments. Thank you
Rarely do I find a recipe that is both simple to prep and super delicious, yet this one delivered on both fronts. My chicken was huge and took longer than I would’ve liked to come up to temp but the cabbage still was SO GOOD. The chicken skin was super crisp (the legs were a bit over-cooked but I admittedly love them that way), and I can’t believe how much FLAVOR was there with so few ingredients. Thank you so much!
I’ve made this with whole chicken. I’ve made this chicken hindquarters (favorite). I’ve made this with a whole turkey (easiest Christmas dinner ever). I love this recipe. It’s chicken flavored cabbage and it’s so savory and warm and delicious and easy.
I usually get more cabbage than in the recipe, and scoot the chicken around periodically so it gets appropriately chickened. I like using a sheet pan; the time I used a Dutch oven it didn’t really work out.
Idk if I have already commented on this recipe but just in case… I love this recipe. As is it is perfect and really doesn’t need anything extra. I probably make this at least once a month since first trying it. I always have onion and garlic on hand so I typically shove garlic cloves in between the cabbage wedges. I then slice an onion probably 3/4 inch thick, lay it on top of the cabbage and rest the chicken on top. I usually make another veggie side because people in my house hold really love this dish and don’t skimp on their portions. The cabbage is by far my favorite part of this dish so if I still have some leftover after the first layer I just start a second layer to use it all up. Even if I don’t do a second layer of cabbage I up the temp so it is done when the chicken is done resting. If I don’t it takes much longer.
Well, I like it with the chicken spatchcocked, but then it’s a bit too big for my larger cast iron pan. Brainwave, I filled TWO cast iron fry pans with cabbage (1-1/2 small heads), and then cut chicken in half through Back & breast, put half on top of each pan of cabbage. Worked like a charm, will do it that way again next time
This is my favorite recipe of all time.
Made this tonight for the first time and it came out perfectly! So easy and agree, the cabbage is the star! My teenage boys who aren’t big veggie eaters loved it!!
Permanent spot in our rotation!
An excellent dish. Made last night in a 10″ cast iron skillet which held about 1/2 of the cabbage in the recipe and a Bell&Evans chicken. The results was a perfectly roasted chicken and very tasty roasted cabbage. When I make this again, I will use a combination of cabbage, carrots, and potatoes. The minor adjustments I made were to add Herbs de Provence which I put under the skin and mixed with the S&P that was sprinkled on top, and to use a combination of melted butter and olive oil to baste the dish.
We made this, following the directions exactly. The chicken was delicious! The cabbage was greasy and slimy.
Wow. The cabbage was delicious (I’m a big cabbage fan) but the star was the chicken. This recipe delivered the most moist and tender chicken I have ever cooked. Absolutely scrumptious.