Amish Roasht (PA Dutch chicken and stuffing) is a traditional Lancaster County dish made with tender chicken or turkey mixed with buttery bread stuffing. Baked together in one pan, it's a hearty, old-fashioned meal that's especially popular at Amish weddings.
This Amish chicken and stuffing casserole is also a favorite for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and family gatherings. Growing up Amish in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, we called it roasht (pronounced rawsht), and my mom made it often for holidays and family meals.
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Why You'll Love This Amish Roasht
- Feeds a crowd: A hearty, budget-friendly meal that stretches the meat with buttery bread stuffing.
- Make-ahead friendly: Prepare it a day ahead and bake it when you're ready to serve.
- Traditional Amish recipe: A Lancaster County favorite served at Amish weddings and holiday meals.
- Delicious comfort food: Tender chicken mixed with flavorful, browned butter stuffing.
Ingredients for "Roasht"
- Cooked chicken or turkey: Either works for this recipe. Roast a whole chicken, use leftover turkey, or use any cooked chicken you have on hand. If you want to use a whole turkey, check out my slow-cooked turkey recipe.
- Bread: The base of the stuffing. Day-old bread works well because it absorbs the butter and seasonings.
- Celery: Adds flavor and texture.
- Onion: Adds a savory flavor.
- Eggs: Help bind the stuffing together.
- Milk: Adds moisture to the bread. Chicken broth can be substituted if desired.
- Salt and black pepper: Season the stuffing.
- Parsley flakes: Add a little color and flavor.
- Browned butter: Gives the stuffing its rich, buttery flavor.
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.
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. Follow 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
- Toast the bread: Cut the bread into bite-sized cubes. Spread them on a large baking sheet and toast at 350°F for approximately 20 minutes.
- Prepare the vegetables: Finely chop the celery and onion, or pulse them in a food chopper. I use my Ninja chopper (affiliate link).
- Mix the ingredients: Add the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and parsley to the chopped vegetables. Mix until combined.
- Brown the butter: Melt the salted butter in a saucepan and continue cooking until golden brown with little brown specks. It should have a nutty aroma.
- Combine: Pour the vegetable mixture over the toasted bread cubes. Add the browned butter and mix well.
Baking Amish Chicken and Stuffing
Mix the prepared stuffing with the cooked, chopped chicken or turkey. Transfer to a greased roasting pan or baking dish and cover.
Bake at 250°F for approximately 1½-2 hours, stirring occasionally, until heated through and the center reaches 165°F.
If the stuffing seems too dry, add a little hot water or chicken broth. You want it moist, but not soggy.
Save the broth from cooking the chicken to make gravy. Serve your Amish roasht 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 that you can read here.
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 and stuffing dish is especially popular among the Lancaster County Amish, but it isn't necessarily familiar to Amish communities in other states.
More Amish Wedding Dinner Recipes
Make a complete Amish wedding meal with more of my recipes...
If you're curious about the traditional dishes served at Amish weddings, check out my collection of 27 Amish wedding food recipes.
Looking for more stuffing recipes? I have a hearty Hamburger Stuffing, as well as a simple Dressing recipe that's made without meat.
📖 Recipe Card
Amish Roasht Recipe (Lancaster Amish Wedding Food)
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.
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.
Leslie
There were only two of us for Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I did not want to make a complicated meal. I bought a few turkey thighs and made this. We were very happy. The house smelled like the holidays, and we still had the appropriate leftovers. I have loved every one of your recipes.
Anna
Awesome!! I appreciate your feedback!!
Anna
I love Amish roasht!
Ellie
Excellent the way it is but adding some thyme and sage was excellent too!
Anna
Thank you! And I agree, those would be great additions.
Greg
Prepared per recipe it was very good will be making again. Thank you!
Anna
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for leaving a nice comment!
Ann S Waskom
I want to do this for about 50 homeless people but our chicken is cooked. Can we use it. Or do I have to buy raw chicken.
Anna
Using cooked chicken will be just fine.
Sandra
I live in Lancaster County and have attended many Amish weddings, yes the meal is so delicious. If your lucky and in Lancaster while a firehall is doing a Amish wedding meal benefit you can enjoy the meal without attending a wedding.
Wade
When I visit Lancaster County, I always have to make sure I stay over a Friday night. The Hometown Kitchen (18 Furnace Rd, Quarryville, PA) is an Amish owned and operated restaurant (nothing fancy) where a lot of Amish come in and take-out their meals. Friday's Special has always been "The Amish Wedding Dinner" and it is like you've died and gone to heaven. I usually order two specials. I eat one at the restaurant so that I can observe the locals coming and going. Then I take a meal back to my hotel. Did I forget to mention how wonderful their pies are? 😎
Anna
It's been awhile since I attended an Amish wedding, but I always enjoyed the food a lot!!
Debra
Totally agree, this Amish Wedding meal is fantastic at the Hometown Kitchen!
Dorothy
Wonderful recipe! I am wondering if this can be frozen and if so should it be baked before freezing?
Anna
I know we used to freeze this sometimes as leftovers, so it would already have been baked. But I don't see any reason why you couldn't freeze it before baking either.
Linda Vargas
This is wonderful. Had “The Threshers” meal in Napanee Indiana, at an Amish restaurant. Oh my gosh, their chicken and noodles were AMAZING!!! If you have the recipe, would you be able to share it? Thank you.
Anna
I have some chicken and noodles recipes. But I don't know if they are like what you had?? Did you ever try the Pennsylvania Dutch chicken pot pie? It's made with homemade pot pie noodles. Recipe is on my blog.
Beatrice
love Amish food