Amish Roasht (PA Dutch chicken and stuffing) is a beloved Lancaster County dish made with tender chicken or turkey mixed right into buttery bread dressing. Baked together until hot and flavorful, it's hearty, comforting, and full of that rich, old-fashioned taste Amish cooking is known for.

This traditional meal is served at nearly every Amish wedding in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, but it's also enjoyed at home for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Simple, frugal, and absolutely delicious, Amish Roasht (pronounced rawsht) is the kind of cozy comfort food that brings everyone back for seconds.

Amish wedding food on a plate: roasht, cooked celery, and mashed potatoes with gravy.

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Why You'll Love This Amish Roasht Recipe
Ingredients for "Roasht"
Amish Wedding Chicken/Turkey
Use Chicken or Turkey
How to Make PA Dutch Stuffing
Baking Amish Chicken and Stuffing
Amish Weddings
Amish Food Lancaster, PA
More Amish Wedding Dinner Recipes
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Why You'll Love This Amish Roasht Recipe

Feeds a crowd - Perfect for holidays or Sunday dinners when you've got a table full of hungry people. It's a simple, frugal way to stretch a bit of meat into a hearty meal.
Make-ahead friendly - You can mix it up a day ahead and bake it before serving.
A true Pennsylvania Dutch classic - This dish is served at Amish weddings and family gatherings across Lancaster County.
Pure comfort food - The flavorful browned butter stuffing and tender chicken makes every bite cozy and nostalgic.

Ingredients for "Roasht"

Cooked Chicken or Turkey - This is the heart of the dish. You can roast a whole chicken or use leftover turkey or chicken. It gives the roasht that comforting, hearty flavor it's known for. If you want to use a whole turkey, check out my slow-cooked turkey recipe.
Bread - The base of the dish. The cubed bread soaks up all the rich flavors from the butter, milk, and seasonings. Day-old bread works great!
Celery - Adds a touch of freshness.
Onion - Brings a classic savory flavor and depth that makes the whole dish taste like home.
Eggs - Help hold everything together and add just the right amount of moisture.
Milk - Softens the bread cubes and adds a rich, creamy flavor to the mixture. (If desired, this can be replaced with chicken broth.)
Salt - Brings out all the natural flavors.
Black Pepper - Adds a subtle bit of warmth and depth.
Parsley Flakes - Give a mild herb flavor and a touch of color to brighten things up.
Browned Butter - The secret to that deep, nutty flavor. Browning the butter adds richness and gives the roasht that irresistible homemade taste.

Together, these simple ingredients create a hearty, comforting Amish chicken-and-stuffing dish that's perfect for family gatherings, holidays, and of course - Amish weddings.

Amish Wedding Chicken/Turkey

Amish Roasht is simply chicken or turkey meat that has been roasted, removed from the bones, and cut into small pieces. It is then added to a big bowl of stuffing.

So you have the chicken/turkey and stuffing served together instead of separately, as most of us do for Thanksgiving. (It helps to stretch the meat so the meal is not as expensive.)

My mom used to stuff her turkey with some of the dressing before she roasted it. Then when the turkey was finished, she removed the stuffing and the meat and added more stuffing to make a big roaster full of Amish roast (called Roasht in PA Dutch).

They typically prepare the chicken/turkey roast the day before the wedding, and then it just gets reheated before serving.

bread cubes in bowl, chopped veggies in chopper bowl, browned butter in saucepan, and cooked chicken in roaster.

Use Chicken or Turkey

You can use chicken or turkey to make this Amish stuffing. My mom always used turkey for her roasht, but she was usually feeding a crowd of people and needed more meat.

The recipe I am sharing with you today asks for a whole chicken, but this is a small recipe to feed your family.

Roast a whole chicken until done. Click on this link if you need instructions on how to roast a chicken. Or you can use any cooked turkey or chicken meat. You will need about six cups of cooked meat.

When the chicken is finished roasting, set it aside to cool a bit. Then remove the meat from the bones.

If you will not be serving your chicken roast right away, go ahead and chill the meat before adding it to the stuffing. Then cut it into small bite-sized pieces.

How to Make PA Dutch Stuffing

Cut a whole loaf of bread into small bite-sized cubes. Spread your cubes onto a large baking sheet and toast them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the onion and celery by cutting them into very fine pieces or pulsing them in a blender/chopper. I use my Ninja chopper (affiliate link).
Add the egg, milk, salt, pepper, and parsley to the celery and onion. Pulse it all together to mix.
Brown the salted butter by cooking it until it appears caramel in color with brown specks. It has a wonderful nutty aroma.
Pour the celery and onion mixture over the toasted bread cubes. Pour the brown butter over the top and mix well.

Baking Amish Chicken and Stuffing

To bake this Amish Roasht, mix the stuffing and the cut-up pieces of chicken. Place it into a greased roast pan or any baking dish. Cover and bake it for 1 ½ hrs. or until heated through, at 250 degrees F. Stir occasionally.

If it seems too dry, add a bit of hot water or chicken broth. Although, you don't want it too wet either.

Save the broth from the chicken to make gravy. Then serve the roast with gravy, mashed potatoes, and creamed celery.

In my opinion, Amish wedding meals offer some of the most delicious food ever. The abundance of tasty dishes at their weddings is enough to make me want to attend just for the food. 🙂

Amish Weddings

I grew up as a New Order Amish, and we did not have a traditional meal that was served at every wedding.

But most of my cousins are with the Old Order Amish. So whenever we went to one of their weddings, we always got served the same Amish wedding food. I wrote a post about the Amish wedding customs and traditions (you can follow this link to read it).

Amish Food Lancaster, PA

The Amish in the Lancaster area have some food that is unique to them. We never ate the traditional American turkey and stuffing meal for Thanksgiving. We always ate Amish turkey roast (Roasht) at Thanksgiving and Christmas, as well as numerous times throughout the year.

However, my brother got married to an Amish girl from Holmes County, Ohio. And she never had Amish Roasht until she came to our house. So this Amish turkey stuffing recipe is unique to the Pennsylvania Amish.

More Amish Wedding Dinner Recipes

Make a complete Amish wedding meal with more of my recipes...

Check out my other stuffing recipes too! I have a hearty Hamburger Stuffing as well as a simple Dressing recipe that's made without meat.

Visit my shop to purchase my cookbook

Check out my YouTube channel at MyAmishHeritage

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chicken roasht on a plate with mashed potatoes and cooked celery.

Amish Roasht Recipe (Lancaster Amish Wedding Food)

Amish Roasht is a traditional Lancaster County dish made with turkey or chicken and buttery bread stuffing. Served at Amish weddings and holidays, it's rich, hearty, and full of comforting old-fashioned flavor. It is quite delicious with mashed potatoes and gravy!

5 from 8 votes

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1 30

Total Time 2

Course Main Course

Cuisine Amish

Servings people

Calories 269 kcal

Ingredients

1 (6 - 8 lb.) chicken about 6 cups of cooked chicken or turkey cut into small pieces
1 loaf bread about 1 gal. of cubes
2 c. celery, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped only about ¼ c.
2 eggs, beaten
½ c. milk
2 ½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. parsley flakes
2 sticks browned butter ½ lb.

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Instructions

Roast the chicken and remove the meat from the bones. Cut chicken into small bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
1 (6 - 8 lb.) chicken
Cut a loaf of bread into small cubes. Place the cubes onto a large baking tray and toast them for about 20 - 25 min at 350°.
1 loaf bread
Finely chop the celery and onion (either with a knife or in a chopper). Add, eggs, milk, and seasonings. Mix.
2 c. celery, finely chopped, 1 small onion, finely chopped, 2 eggs, beaten, ½ c. milk, 2 ½ tsp. salt, ½ tsp. black pepper, 1 tsp. parsley flakes
Melt butter and continue cooking until lightly browned.
2 sticks browned butter
Pour toasted bread cubes into a large bowl, pour the celery and onion mixture and brown butter over the top. Mix. Add the chicken and mix well.
Place in a well-greased roast pan and cover.
Bake at 250° for 1 ½ - 2 hours. Stir occasionally. If it seems too dry, add a little bit of hot water or chicken broth.

Notes

This chicken roast/roasht can be prepared a day in advance. Mix it all together and refrigerate, then bake it just before serving.

If you do not bake and serve the roasht right away, make sure that the chicken is chilled properly before adding it to the stuffing. Chicken always needs to be loosely covered until chilled.

Serve chicken/turkey roasht with gravy and mashed potatoes.

*Nutrition is approximate.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 269kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 7gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 59mgSodium: 750mgPotassium: 220mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 607IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 104mgIron: 2mg

Keyword Amish chicken and stuffing, Amish Roasht, Amish Roast, Amish wedding food

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Amish Roasht (Chicken and Stuffing Casserole)