A Dutch oven is a thick-walled pot with a tight-fitting lid that is used for cooking.
Regular Dutch ovens are designed to be used indoors, therefore a camp Dutch oven is one that has been designed for outdoor use.
They are perfect for camping and practical enough for a range of delicious meals.
Read on for a simple yet succulent recipe for creating the perfect chicken on a camp Dutch oven, and discover why this is the superior choice when it comes to camp cooking tools.
Wondering what’s the difference between a camp Dutch oven and a regular Dutch oven?
In this post we'll cover:
Camp Dutch Oven Chicken Recipe
Now, what better way to enjoy the great outdoors and a nostalgic campfire than kicking back with some tasty food.
Camp Dutch Oven Chicken
Equipment
- Camp Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 1 Whole chicken
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup dry rub of your choice optional
- Vegetable selection of your choice optional
Homemade dry rub
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 tbsp. onion powder
- 1 tbsp. garlic powder
- 1 tbsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp. ground cumin
- 1 tbsp. ground black pepper
- ½ tbsp. cayenne pepper
Instructions
Dry rub
- The ingredients for the dry rub are interchangeable, but using some kind of sugar, pepper, and paprika will ensure good taste and color.
- Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container.
- Spread rub evenly over chicken.
Chicken
- In the same way that you preheat an oven, you’ll want to make sure your pot is hot before you start cooking the chicken.
- Heat the camp Dutch oven over your coals and melt the butter inside.
- Cover your chicken with the (optional) dry rub and place it into the pot (breast side down). Alternatively, you could do this step at home and wrap your chicken so it’s ready to go straight in.
- Sear both sides of the chicken. While this is happening, cut your vegetables into fairly thick pieces. (If you don’t want any vegetables then skip this and steps 5-6.)
- Once chicken is well browned, remove from the pot and add vegetables into the pot, lining the base with them.
- Return the chicken to the pot, setting it on top of the vegetables.
- Cover with the lid, and place hot coals on top of the lid so the chicken cooks evenly.
- Check the chicken is cooked all the way through and remove from heat.
Camp Dutch Oven Cooking Tips
Before you set up your campfire, make sure the area is dry. If the ground is damp, this could affect the efficiency of your coals.
If you decide to cook without vegetables, you’ll want to put a trivet or some tin foil at the bottom of the camp Dutch oven. Your chicken goes on top, and this prevents it from burning.
It’s hard to stick to an exact cooking time as this will depend on several facts, such as the size of your chicken, starting temperature, and fluctuations in temperature while cooking.
Therefore, a good rule of thumb is to add 20 minutes for every pound of chicken.
If you use a digital meat thermometer like one of these, the chicken should be okay to eat once it reaches 165 °F.
When it comes to the hot coals, try to maintain a 2:1 lid to base ratio. This is because heat rises, so you should have more coals on top to ensure an even cooking temperature.
It can be worth investing in some extra accessories to go with your camp Dutch oven, such as a lid lifter, tongs, and a small hand shovel to move your coals around.
Certain materials may need extra preparation. For example, a cast-iron camp Dutch oven could do with being seasoned with oil.
This not only stops the oven from rusting but helps stop food from sticking to the pot.
Looking for more delicious chicken recipes? Why not try Pellet Smoker Beer Can Chicken next?
