Roasting a chicken

If there's a single thing which depresses me is eating crappy fast-food day in and day out as I work my arse off. Granted, my arse is looking a little slimmer because I know how horrible it is for me and I don't eat a lot of it, but still I can't wait to get home to cook one of my favorite meals: Roasted Dutch Oven Chicken.

This is one of the easiest recipes that I know from my scouting days, you put it on the coals or in the oven at 300 or so degrees, and you leave it alone for 3 hours. The best thing about a dutch oven is that it will lock all the moisture inside, leaving a tender bird which falls right off the bones.

Roasted Dutch Oven Chicken

Tools:

Dutch Oven (cast iron are the best!)

Small heat resistant metal rack to rest the chicken on (or a cleaned out tuna can with paper removed and the top and bottom removed)

Ingredients:

5-6 lb whole chicken (make sure the bird isn't bigger than the dutch oven, and make sure it is thawed out!)

Salt and Pepper

cooking oil to cover the bottom of the dutch oven

Set the oven to 300 degrees. Take the chicken and make sure there aren't any goodies inside of the bird (in case the company that preps the bird treats it like a turkey and leaves any 'surprises' in the bird like a packet of gravy, which would be BAD). Place the metal rack inside the dutch oven and place the bird on top. Make sure you have at least an inch away from all the sides of the dutch oven for best results!

Liberally apply salt and pepper to the bird, making sure to get the inside of the bird, and then place it on the metal rack. Then pour oil into the bottom of the dutch oven to about the halfway point of the metal rack. Don't let the oil get up to the bird, we aren't trying to fry the bird, only use the oil to help steam/cook it! (yes, it seems counter intuitive, but oil will

Put the lid on the dutch oven and place it inside the oven. Once it is in there, LEAVE IT ALONE! Wait three hours and check the bird, it should be cooked all the way through at this point and smelling delicious. You can cook the bird for even longer at 200-250 degrees, but make sure you use a meat thermometer if you do to make sure it is done. This will make the chicken just fall off the bones each and every time!

Bien Camino!