I had no trouble browning the whole chicken. I used coated cast iron dutch oven not much bigger then the chicken. It was easy to turn the chicken 1/4 turn to get it brown all over using heavy tongs. The improvements I made to suit our taste was use more salt and pepper. The chicken was even better the next day after sitting in fridge. Don't over cook or the meat will be dry and grainy. Overcooked chicken will ruin any chicken recipe. I always use a meat thermometer when cooking any meats.