Dutch Oven Roast Chicken

[nunzionuk]

Hi All,

Can anyone help me here? I have a 4Ltr oven, and want to do a roast chicken for a group of about 4/5 people.

Now give me a normal oven, and I am a king of cooking, but this is the first time I have tried anything more than burgers and sausages over a campfire. Does anyone have any hints or tips?

Thanks in advance

Nunz

 

[Pignut]

Add plenty of stock/water in the bottom and keep the bird out of this whilst it cooks, this will steam the meat (very effective)

Simply suspend the dutch oven over the fire, start high and slowly lower the oven down (Dutch ovens are brutley efficient) for the last 10 mins or so cover the lid of the oven with embers to brown the skin

Unfortunaly timing wise it will be done when it is done (the joy of open fire cooking)

Hope this was helpful!

 

[JohnC]

I used a trivet inside the oven, we wrapped the chicken in tinfoil with a lemon up its backside. I turned the base clockwise every 15 mins and the lid the opposite direction. It took about 2h30 -3hrs.

Also works with quail, but only takes 20-30 mins

 

[nunzionuk]

Nice was thinking over cooking it on a bed of veg, potatos etc etc. Didnt think about the stock will have to get some for oxo (chicken ones) for that.

JohnC - whats the pot you are cooking the quail in? Its TINY!

 

[spandit]

I cook a whole chicken in my conventional over but in a large cast iron casserole. I bung a whole bottle of cheap white wine in, with some garlic, vegetables, seasoning etc. and leave to cook for a few hours. The chicken juices eventually mingle with the wine and create amazing gravy.

We once invited some friends over for dinner and they were late - by the time the chicken came out of the oven, the parsnips we'd put in had softened into the most fantastic gloupy texture. Have never got it that good since!

 

[JohnC]

JohnC - whats the pot you are cooking the quail in? Its TINY!

It's a "Best Duty" south african 1/4 pot, about 13cm tall, the hands in the pic are my 11 yo sons so its pretty small...

 

[benjy]

I've done roast chicken many time in a Dutch oven on multiple scout and guide camps.

I've tried it s few ways, with stock, with veg around, and straight up juts roasting the chicken. My personal favourite was just roasting the chicken by its self. The best results I've achieved were when the chicken was raised up off the floor of the Dutch oven. Frequently I've used a 6" circular cake tin (costs about 80p from asda) inverted, and rested the chicken on that.

By raising up the chicken from the floor of the dutch oven, it gives you more wiggle room in getting the temperature right. If the bottom gets too hot, you don't burn everything instantly, so the next inspection will show you to put less heat underneath.

And as others have said, it takes as long as it takes, there are too many variables with ambient temperature, wind, quality and amount of embers on the dutch oven to say how long it will take.

 

[lab72]

Again use a trivet liquid in the bottom cider works well add lemon juice salt and pepper a bit of garlic put veggies in as well as potatos and cook untill meat goes white

 

[nunzionuk]

Yeah, did this over the weekend, got a few things to change on next try.

One, need a shovel to put the burning coals on the top.
Two, Bigger Dutch Oven 4ltr was a bit too small for the chicken to fit in.
Three, not tell anyone at camp I was cooking it, damn people ate it all before I got to try some.

Other wise it turned out pretty well, cooked in about 1ltr or so of dry cider. packed some garlic on top of the birdie, and pots, red onions and carrots under it to hold it off the cider.

Thanks for all the advice

 

[lab72]

Cool any pics ?

 

[nunzionuk]

Nah.. it was gone to fast

Will be doing it again in Aug, but this time family camping in the large tent we have, not really bushcrafty, but will get pics of it

Setup on day one.

 

[colly]

sounds good but i wouldn't call cooking in that much liquid even if it's cider "roasting"...

one tip for next time is to cut a piece of silicon baking sheet to live in the bottom of the oven this helps to cut down on burning.
you can raise the chicken off the base by cutting a lemon in half squeezing the juice into the oven and dropping the lemon halves in before putting the chicken in.
cooked one with a friend a month or so ago and doesn't like lemon so just the plain chicken. his reactions told me he wasn't lying when he said it was about the best roast chicken he'd ever had (and he keeps chickens) it was very juicy.
just keep about 80-90% of the heat on top.