There is nothing better than a cool evening, a roaring campfire, camp chairs around it, people laughing, sipping, talking, the skies waning into darkness and something totally decadent in the cast iron Dutch oven on the grill. I'm talking north african chicken stew! Now, you don't have to have a campfire to make this stew. Yep, you can do it in your slowcooker or oven, but you'll need to adjust the cooking times and temperatures, as well as the pan searing of the bird before it starts cooking in those luscious liquids. But, that's not a problem. Just a few adjustments and you're good to go.
Cooking over an open fire in a Dutch oven is, for me, an exhilarating experience. The temperature of the fire plus the hot red coals that are fired and put under the Dutch oven and on top of it make this chicken cook in no time~it's kind of like a pressure cooker, but it's all about the high heat. Since we have a 14″ Dutch oven, it takes two of us, yep, my hubby, to help because that lid and pot are heavy. And, while I've got some Popeye arms going, it's just a safety thing to have a sous chef right by your side to help.
What makes this stew so amazing are the juices and spices. Yes, the exotic and tantalizing Middle Eastern harissa and ras el hanut. There's no reason to buy them because in my cookbook, Ally's Kitchen~A Passport for Adventurous Palates, I show you how to make them (and more). This cookbook is one you'll definitely want in your collection because it lets your palate travel the globe without having to go through TSA checks!
This recipe is part of my cooking for Food.Fire.Feasts. Oh, lawsy, what an experience and you can see all of the menus, videos and shenanigans of the 8 diverse camping bloggers at the website!
Oh, yes, this recipe is sponsored by Dole Packaged Foods. For a complete rundown of my work with them, click here.
Ingredients
- 1 whole organic chicken, 5-7 lbs., butterflied and cut in two halves
- 1/3 cup organic coconut oil
- 3 Tbl. Harissa
- 2 Tbl. Ras el Hanut
- 2 tsp. sea salt
- 2 tsp. peppercorns
- 2 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. red chili flakes
- 2 cups white wine (buttery chardonnay)
- 12 oz. Dole pineapple juice
- 1/4 fresh pineapple, cut in random size chunks
- 1 (32 oz.) organic chicken broth (divided)
- 1 (32 oz.) organic creamy sweet corn soup (Imagine brand)
- 2 (12 oz.) boxes (Pacific brand) organic cream of chicken condensed soup
- 1 whole garlic clove (most of papery skin removed but left intact)
- 1 bunch organic rainbow carrots, stems trimmed, left whole
- 3 sweet onions, cut in chunks
- 4 stalks celery (with leaves), cut in 2=3" pieces
- 3 large heirloom tomatoes, cut in chunks
- 3 pattypan squash and/or zucchini, cut in chunks
- 10-12 red potatoes, cut in chunks
Instructions
comments
