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 homemade no knead 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.

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!