For Mothers Day I requested a cast iron Dutch Oven. I am a simple girl, & I love to cook. Mr. Restoration Rambler and the kids ordered one online for me from L.L.Bean. Amazingly enough, it was free shipping - even here, to Canada! About 10 days later it had arrived, and we could hardly contain ourselves. We decided on a whole chicken to start because the kids are kinda picky, but chicken is Rambling family friendly.
The Rub:
1/4 cup parsley
2 tsp. dry salsa spices (I used Epicure Selections)
1 tsp. hot pepper chunks in oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
fresh ground pepper
Light 28 coals for a deep 12", 8 quart Dutch oven.
Meanwhile: Mix together & rub over the chicken with your bare hands, making sure to get it into the crevaces of the chicken.
- Cut up 1 medium onion in chunks.
- Slice 6-8 potatoes, in thick slices.
- Slice 8 carrots in thick slices.
- Make 4 cups of creamy chicken soup broth: ~Bring 2 cups of water to a boil, add 2-3 Tbsp. of powdered soup base, dissolve & add 2 cups of milk. Simmer over medium/high heat.
Warm up the Dutch Oven with about 2 Tbsp. of good oil in the bottom. Use about 16 coals, in the bottom only for now, and when the oil is hot add the onions. Keep stirring. When the onions are opaque, add the chicken and brown on all sides to seal in the juices.
Then add the vegetables and pour the thick broth over the vegetables.
We cooked this for about 1 hour & 45 minutes. At about at the 30 minute mark, we made about 20 more coals, because they generally only last about 45 minutes total.
The result of our first ever Dutch Oven recipe was...FaNtAsTiC!! It was, hands down, the most moist chicken I have ever had! We had company for dinner,
& there was not a morsal left! - Success!
