How to Cook a Whole Chicken on a Campfire
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The outdoors is the best place to enjoy good food. And you don鈥檛 need a whole lot of聽equipment to make a great meal either鈥攋ust a hot campfire, a decent聽cast-iron pan, and some quality ingredients. Here, Wes Siler shows you his favorite聽method for cooking a whole chicken,聽and all the fixings, over聽an open fire.
Ingredients:
- One whole chicken, giblets removed
- Potatoes
- A bunch of parsley
- A bunch of cilantro
- One large jalape帽o
- Salt
- Pepper
- Red-wine vinegar
Supplies:
- A sharp knife (Wes is using an )
- A cutting board
- A one-gallon plastic bag
- Kitchen shears (Wes is using )
- Aluminum foil
- A large cast-iron pan
- Soap, water, and hand sanitizer for cleaning
- Gloves or a hot pad (Wes is wearing )
Preparation:
Get a fire going at least an hour before you want to start cooking, creating a solid bed of red-hot coals.聽Spatchcock your chicken, set it aside, then sanitize your cooking station. Next, make a chimichurri sauce by chopping the cilantro, parsley, and聽jalape帽o, and adding the salt, pepper, olive oil, and vinegar to taste. Pour this mix into the聽plastic bag. Slice the聽potatoes in halves or quarters, depending on their size.聽Lightly oil the pan and then place the chicken in it, breast side up. Carefully arrange the thighs so the chicken is spread out evenly, then place the potatoes around it and cover the whole thing in chimichurri sauce.
Set the pan directly on the fire, tent it with聽aluminum foil, and cook for 45 minutes to an聽hour, depending on the size of your chicken and the intensity of your fire. Check your bird聽after 20 minutes鈥攜ou can do this by slicing into the thickest part of the breast or thigh; it鈥檚 done when the meat is evenly white throughout and the juices run clear.聽Add a liquid like white wine or beer聽if anything in the聽bottom of the pan is sticking.聽Slice,聽serve, and enjoy.