Dutch Oven Roast Chicken

Dutch Oven Roast Chicken with tender creamy potatoes and flavorful vegetables is a one pot whole chicken dinner recipe that can be roasted on a campfire or in the oven!

I have tons of information below on how you can make the most delicious whole roasted chicken complete with seasoned tender potatoes, onion, carrot and a buttery sauce.

Why this recipe works:

• Everything is cooked in one pot
• The chicken is incredibly tender and falls off the bone
• The potatoes and vegetables soak up all the flavor
• The dry rub combined with the butter and the juices from the chicken creates an unbelievable sauce

I love to roast chicken in my dutch oven when we go camping. There is nothing better than spending the entire day outside and then enjoying a hearty satisfying dinner cooked over the fire.

This is the absolute best recipe for a whole roasted chicken with potatoes and vegetables, and with a little prep work, it's an easy one pot dinner!

Because we love this chicken dinner recipe so much, we make it at home in the oven as well. I explain both the oven and campfire cooking methods below.

Ingredients:

This is an extremely simple way to cook a whole chicken and the entire recipe only requires six ingredients.

• Dry rub - you can use your favorite store bought dry rub but I will always recommend making my One Spoon Dry Rub. It's the best I've ever had!
• Whole chicken - mine was around 6 pounds
• Butter 
• Baby potatoes, carrots, and an onion

How to make campfire dutch oven roast chicken:

1. Before we left the house, I mixed up some of my one spoon dry rub, coated the entire chicken, and then wrapped it tightly in plastic wrap (photo 1). Keep it chilled until you're ready to cook. 
2. Heat the dutch oven over the coals and melt the butter. Then sear the chicken, breast side down, in the bubbling butter - ohhhh yeah (photo 2).
3. Take the chicken out and set it aside so that you can add the vegetables to the pot (photo 3). Then set the chicken on top of the vegetables, breast side up, with a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast.
4. Add the lid, top with hot coals (photo 5), and cook until you hit the required temperature (photo 6).

Camping cooking tips:

• If you plan on making this meal while you camp, you can coat the chicken in the dry rub, refrigerate it for 1-2 days before you leave the house, and then transport the chicken in a sealed container so that it's ready to cook.
• Campfire cooking: If the fire isn't too hot, I like to set the dutch oven in one of those disposable aluminum turkey roasting pans on the grate above the fire. That keeps all of my coals in one place and using the grate just gets it up off the ground. If your fire is roaring, just cook it on the ground so you can maintain total control of your heat source.
• Maintain a 2:1 ratio of hot coals on the lid compared to the base. Heat rises,  so you need more coals on top to create an even cooking temperature.
• Quartered potatoes will be ultra soft and they'll soak up all that delicious flavor. If you leave them whole, they won't be as good and will take longer to cook.

How to make a whole roast chicken in the oven:

The process is basically the same except that you won't be using coals.

1. Mix up the dry rub (photo 1) and coat the entire chicken (photo 2). Wrap tightly in plastic wrap (photo 3) and refrigerate for at least an hour.
2. Preheat the oven with the dutch oven inside. When it's hot, add the butter and let it melt (photo 4). Sear the chicken, breast side down, in the butter for about 5 minutes and then remove.
3. Add the vegetables (photo 5) and then set the chicken on top (photo 6). Cover with the lid and bake until done.

Related recipes:

Dutch oven camping recipes are the best! If you love to cook over the fire, you'll want to make a Dutch Oven Dutch Baby (or two) for breakfast.

You can use your dutch oven on the campfire to reheat pre-made breakfast burritos too. Or how about a Dutch Oven Stew? Who could deny a hot crusty loaf of bread?

The possibilities are endless.

How long to roast a chicken in a Dutch oven?

With recipes like this Dutch oven whole roasted chicken and vegetables, I don't like to give an exact time. Depending on the size of your chicken, the starting temperature, as well as fluctuations in the cooking temperature, the time can vary.

A good rule of thumb to follow is 20 minutes per pound or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. A trusted digital thermometer is always recommended. Especially when cooking meat.

Doesn't that look amazing? I'm not gonna lie - that cube of butter with all the seasonings from the dry rub combined with a slow cooked chicken is nothing short of amazing.

Dutch Oven Roast Chicken

Dutch Oven Roast Chicken with potatoes and vegetables is a one pot whole chicken dinner recipe that can be roasted on a campfire or in the oven.

4.89 from 9 votes

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RECIPE VIDEO WILL AUTOPLAY

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours

Hover to scale: 4 servings

Chef: Krissy Allori

Ingredients

• ▢ ½ cup dry seasoning rub (I made my one spoon dry rub and used all of it - see recipe in notes)
• ▢ 1 whole chicken (mine was around 6 pounds)
• ▢ ½ cup butter (unsalted recommended)
• ▢ 1 pound baby yellow potatoes (quartered)
• ▢ 4 large carrots (peeled and cut into bite sized chunks)
• ▢ 1 yellow onion (peeled and quartered)

Instructions

• Prior to cooking, coat chicken in dry rub and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least one hour or overnight.

To cook over a campfire:

• To prepare for cooking, heat 24 coals. Place 8 of the hot coals evenly under dutch oven.
• When the cast iron is hot, add the butter and melt. Sear the breast side of the chicken for about 5 minutes in the hot butter. 
• Remove the chicken and spread the vegetables in the pot. 
• Then return the chicken to the pot, breast side up with the meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast. You may need to redistribute the vegetables to get the chicken to fit. Ideally you want the chicken in the middle of the dutch oven and not touching the lid or the base.
• Cover with the lid and add remaining 16 coals to the lid. Rotate the lid a quarter turn every fifteen minutes or so. After about 45 minutes of cooking, you may need to add a few more hot coals. Just be sure to add twice as many to the top as you do the bottom. Continue cooking until the internal temp reads 165 degrees F and the drumsticks start to pull away from the body. This may take 1-1.5 hours.

To cook in your oven:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with the dutch oven inside the oven. You want it to get hot. 
• When the cast iron is hot, add the butter and melt. Add the chicken to the dutch oven, breast side down, and cook in oven for about 5 minutes in the hot butter. 
• Remove the chicken and spread the vegetables in the pot. Then return the chicken to the pot, breast side up with the meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast. You may need to redistribute the vegetables to get the chicken to fit. Ideally you want the chicken in the middle of the dutch oven and not touching the lid or the base. Cover with lid and return to oven.
• Continue cooking until the internal temp reads 165 degrees F and the drumsticks start to pull away from the body. This may take 1-1.5 hours. If your chicken starts out at room temperature, you can plan for it to take about 20 minutes per pound.

To serve:

• I personally enjoyed carving up the chicken and returning the meat to the dutch oven with all the liquid and vegetables prior to serving. Enjoy!

Notes

Cooking tips:

• Your favorite chicken dry rub will work, but I highly recommend you make my One Spoon Dry Rub recipe.
• If you plan on making this meal while you camp, you can coat the chicken in the dry rub, refrigerate it for 1-2 days before you leave the house, and then transport the chicken in a sealed container so that it's ready to cook.

NUTRITION INFORMATION

Calories: 676kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Cholesterol: 181mg | Sodium: 371mg | Potassium: 1066mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 11355IU | Vitamin C: 22.2mg | Calcium: 172mg | Iron: 8.4mg

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This post was originally created in July 2016 and has been updated with more information, cooking tips, and photos. Don't worry - I didn't change the recipe!