Campfire Cooking: Rotisserie Chicken and Mashed Potatoes
It’s hard to believe that we have reached the month of November, Dear Reader! This month always signifies the beginning of truly preparing for winter here at our little farm on the Iowa prairie. We have finished harvesting the produce from our garden and orchard, the animals are ready for deeper bedding, and we are generally spending the hours of the day storing away our food.
In this post, I will be sharing a delicious traditional meal of roast chicken cooked rotisserie style along with mashed potatoes, stuffing seasoned with marjoram and thyme, and a delightful orange cranberry sauce. This makes an excellent seasonal campfire dinner idea!
equipment for cooking over the fire:
I enjoy cooking over the campfire the most at this time of year. There are no longer any surprisingly warm days. The winter chill is beginning to settle in, and I can more easily cook over a roaring fire without sweating profusely.
I was so excited to give out some of my new campfire cooking equipment a try for this shoot. I have been wanting to cook meat rotisserie style over the fire for a good year now, and I finally decided to invest in a hanging rotisserie cooker. It was so fun to use!
To make this meal, I used a hang forged cooking set. You could also use a campfire cooking tripod (this set actually turns into a tripod), but I recommend a setup where there is a bar hanging across the fire so that you can cook both the potatoes and chicken at the same time. You will also want some small skillets (8-inch) and a 6 to 7 quart Dutch oven.
cooking chicken over the fire:
My main tip is, of course, BE CAUTIOUS. Cooking this way is dangerous. Please be aware of the dangers of cooking with fire.
Do Not Touch the Flames. To cook a chicken or any other type of meat over the fire, you want it to be cooked by indirect heat and the smoke. The smoke is what gives the meat that incredible flavor that is unique to wood fire cooking. You will want to have your chicken situated about 30-inches (76-cm) over the fire, or off to the side of the fire, and sitting in the smoke.
Do Not Leave the Chicken Unattended. The chicken needs to be rotated about every 8 to 10 minutes and basted every 10 to 15 minutes. Cooking in this way means that someone must always be watching the meat to make sure that it is not over-browning and cooking evenly. Cooking times for rotisserie meat over the fire vary greatly due to the temperature of the fire.
Use a Digital Instant-Read Thermometer. While my recipes tend to focus on the past, I do highly recommend using an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature of your chicken. It should be 165° F (74°C) for safe consumption, checked at the thickest part of the meat.
measuring the temperature of fire:
How do you possibly measure the temperature of a campfire? There is actually a common rule to this! You must perform the Hand Test, or placing your hand over the fire and gauging the temperature by how long you can hold your hand over the flames. Seems logical, right? Perhaps a bit dangerous…
Less than 1 second: 600° F
1 to 2 seconds: 400 to 500° F
3 to 4 seconds: 350 to 375° F
5 to 7 seconds: 325 to 350° F
preparing the meal:
One of the hardest parts about most meals, even cooking them indoors, is timing everything so that it is all ready at the same time. This is truly an art form out at the campfire, and I love trying to piece together the puzzle!
To make this meal, you will want to begin by making sure that all of your ingredients, equipment, and the fire is nice and hot. If you begin the process with everything pre-measured out and ready to go, it makes the entire meal much more efficient!
You will begin by preparing the chicken and stuffing. Then, begin roasting the chicken. Roasting the chicken takes about 2 1/2 hours, so you will have to figure out when to begin boiling your potatoes and making the sauce and gravy.
With a nice hot flame, you will place the pot of potatoes directly over the flame to boil. They take about 15 to 20 minutes to boil. The cranberry sauce takes about 8 to 10 minutes to thicken, and the gravy comes together at the end in about 2 minutes.
other sides to serve with roasted chicken:
Are you looking for other sides that might go well with this chicken? I have some options for you! Click the links below to find some delicious side dish options to serve with your outdoor culinary adventure.
final thoughts:
This was an incredibly rewarding meal to make! While it is a traditionally “simple” meal, cooking it over the fire added a new challenge. I love cooking over the open flame and making delicious campfire meals. They are so fulfilling and taste absolutely incredible.
I hope that you enjoy this recipe. If you would like to watch me cook it in action, be sure to watch my video on YouTube!
xoxo Kayla
Campfire Rotisserie Chicken, Stuffing, & Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 lb (1.8 kg) whole chicken
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup (116 g) salted butter
- 1 1/2 cups (55 g) soft bread, cubed
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried oregano or marjoram
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 large egg
- 2 to 3 tbsp (45 to 60 ml) dry white wine
- 3 lb (1.36 kg) potatoes, skins on or peeled
- 3/4 cup (87 g) salted butter
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 1/2 cups (174 g) fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup (110 g) brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) orange juice
- 2 tsp orange zest, about 1 orange
Instructions
- Heat a moderately sized fire until it is about 350° to 400° F (177° to 204° C) by holding your hand over the fire. If you can only hold it there for about 2 to 3 seconds, it is hot enough. Alternately, to cook the chicken indoors, preheat the oven to 425° F (218° C).
- Prepare your chicken by patting it dry. Rub the chicken all over the with the salt and pepper, including inside of the cavity and underneath the skin being careful not to rip the skin. Adjust the seasonings to your preference. Let the chicken rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before beginning the roasting process.
- In a medium bowl, combine the bread, salt, pepper, marjoram, thyme, egg, and wine. Mix until the stuffing is well saturated, about 2 minutes.
- Fill the cavity of the chicken with the stuffing. Then, truss the chicken or tie the leg together with a piece of twine.
- CAMPFIRE INSTRUCTIONS:
- Place the chicken on your rotisserie cooker. Hang the rotisserie to one side of the fire, in the direction that the smoke is blowing. You will be cooking the chicken with indirect heat rather than directly over the flame.
- Underneath the chicken, place a pan to catch the drippings. I suggest setting this pan on a trivet, or a cast iron stand, so that it does not have any ashes blow into the pan. In this same pan, melt the butter.
- Continually turn the chicken, every 8 to 10 minutes, so that it is evenly cooked on all sides. You will brush the chicken all over with the butter and drippings about every 10 to 15 minutes.
- This entire process takes about 2 to 2 1/2 hours, depending on the size of your fire. Because you are cooking with indirect heat, it will take longer. This allows the chicken to cook internally while gently browning the skin. Cook the chicken in the smoke, feeding your fire more wood as needed.
- The chicken is finished when the internal temperature reaches 165° F (74° C) with an instant read thermometer stuck into the thigh without touching bone.
- Remove the chicken from the fire and let it rest under tin foil or a covered dish for 30 minutes before carving.
- TO COOK IN THE OVEN:
- While the chicken rest, place a 12-inch (30-cm) cast iron skillet into the oven to preheat. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the butter is melted, remove the pan from heat.
- Once preheated, place the chicken into the skillet breast-side up. Stuff the chicken with the stuffing mixture. Truss the chicken by bending the wings underneath the body and tie the legs together. Brush all over with about 1/3 of the chicken.
- Cook the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165° F (74° C) with an instant read thermometer stuck into the thigh without touching bone. In general, you should roast a chicken at this temperature for 20 minutes for every pound. Every 20 minutes, brush the chicken all over with butter and drippings from the pan.
- Remove the chicken from the oven. Cover the chicken with tin foil and let it rest for 30 minutes before carving.
- Chop the potatoes and place them into a 6 quart Dutch oven. Cover the potatoes with water.
- Hang the potatoes over the fire and cover the pot with the lid. Bring the potatoes to a boil and boil until fork tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Drain the water from the potatoes and return them to the Dutch oven. Add the butter, salt, pepper. Then, mash the potatoes until they are smooth, about 3 minutes.
- Cover the pot and place it off to the side of the fire to keep the potatoes warm while you finish roasting the chicken. Rotate the pot occasionally to prevent them from burning.
- In a small skillet, combine the cranberries, brown sugar, orange juice, and orange zest.
- Place a small trivet over the fire. If you are cooking everything together, drag some small kindling away from the main fire and start a smaller fire. Place the pan with the cranberry mixture on the trivet.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer by adjusting the fire underneath the pan. Stir the sauce occasionally, cooking until it thickens just slightly.
- Remove the skillet from the fire and cover the pan. To keep the sauce warm, place it off to the side of the fire.
- Combine the drippings with about 1/4 to 1/2 cup (65 g) all-purpose flour. Place the drippings pan over the fire or medium heat on the stove. Stir in the flour until the gravy thickens, about 2 minutes. If you would like a thicker gravy, add more flour. If you would like a thinner gravy, add water or chicken broth until a desired consistency is reached.
- Serve the chicken with the gravy alongside the mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce.
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