Camp Dutch Oven Artichoke, Olives, and Capers Chicken Mulligan
mul·li·gan /ˈməliɡən/ - a stew made from odds and ends of food. Fire up your coals in the charcoal chimney. You’ll be frying at first and simmering afterwards. You’ll start with 12 briquettes under the Dutch for Frying. Put about 20 briquettes in your charcoal chimney and get the ready. One of the biggest pieces of advice I can offer you when planning your Dutch oven meals is to prep the meals at home and bring the ingredients pre-measured and pre-chopped and ready to go.
Equipment
- 12-Inch Cast Iron Dutch Oven
- Large Bowl for “Seasoning” the Chicken
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Optional: Temperature Checker
- Stir/Flip Spoon/Spatula
- 2 Forks to Shred The Chicken
- Coal Tongs
- Charcoal Chimney
- Optional: Cook Table or Upside Down Garbage Can Lid
- Small brush for ashes
- Lid Lifter
- Lid Stand
- Hot Gloves
- Charcoal
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1 to ½ Teaspoon Salt To taste; remember: There’s salt in the capers, artichoke hearts, and kalamata olives
- 4-8 Chicken Thighs Boneless; Skinless
- 2 Tablespoon Ghee Or Grape Seed Oil, Olive Oil, or Good, Old-Fashion Butter!
- ½ - 1 Red Onion Chopped
- 2-4 Garlic Cloves Minced
- ¼ Cup Capers With Brine; likely the only additional salt you’ll need
- ½ Lemon Thinly Sliced
- 1 ½ Cup Beer at Room Temperature [12 ounces] IPA or Lager will work A-OK
- 1 ½ Cups Chicken Broth Chicken Bone Broth or Regular Old Chicken Broth; May not need it all
- 2 Cups Artichoke Hearts Canned
- 1 Cups Kalamata Olives
- 1-2 Teaspoon Chopped Fresh Parsley per serving
Instructions
- Fire up your coals in the charcoal chimney. Start with 12-20 briquettes under the Dutch for Frying (we’ll be searing the chicken).
- Get the lid stand ready to receive the lid later during the cooking steps.
- In your large bowl, combine the 1 tablespoon of garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and the 1 teaspoon of dried oregano.
- Add the chicken thighs and rub the seasoning into the chicken until evenly coated; set aside.
- Heat the 2 Tbsp of oil/ghee in your 12” cast-iron Dutch oven over 12-briquette heat; get that hot pot ready to receive thy blessings!
- Remove the seasoned chicken thighs from the bowl. If they are still moist, pat the chicken thighs dry.
- Place the chicken thighs in the hot oil, spacing them evenly, and sear until the meat begins to brown. Turn the chicken thighs and sear them on the opposite side for a few minutes. Remove from the skillet and set aside. If you are doing more than 4 or 5 thighs, brown the thighs in two batches in order to allow for a good browning and not “boil” in their own juices.
- In the same Dutch Oven and over 12 to 20-briquette heat (you may have to add a few or get some more briquettes ready depending on their burn rate), add the onion and the garlic and get the camp full of that awesome aroma. When they are almost ready...
- Add the capers and cook for 2-3 minutes more.
- Add the room temperature beer and deglaze the Dutch Oven, stirring to loosen any browned bits stuck to the bottom.
- Once you reach simmering, cook for about 5 minutes to let the flavors “get to know each other.” If it starts to boil, remove some of the briquettes. You just need “medium” heat for the simmering to work its magic.
- Return the whole thighs to the Dutch Oven in a single layer.
- Add just the amount of chicken broth needed to leave a bit of the chicken to still be above the liquid. Do you want soup or a stew?
- Cover the Dutch Oven with the Dutch Oven lid.
- OPTIONAL: Add coals to the top of the Dutch Oven
- Let this cook until the chicken reaches 165°F / 74°C (if you are a little low, don’t worry...there’s more cooking time).
- Pull the lid from the Dutch and set it on the lid rack/stand.
- Once the chicken is at temperature, use the two forks to shred the meat in the pot. You could remove the chicken thighs from the Dutch oven to roughly chop if you prefer.
- Add the artichoke hearts and olives and continue simmering for 10 minutes to get the artichoke hearts and olives nice and hot.
- Add the lemon slices on the top of the stew to prep for serving.
- To serve, scoop the stew into serving bowls and garnish with the chopped fresh parsley. Placing the stew over some rice will really “bring it home!”
Video
Notes
NOTES: *Often I will start with more charcoal briquettes than I need. For example, this recipe calls for a 12” Dutch oven. The “rule of thumb” for frying (searing) in the Dutch oven is the same number of briquettes under the Dutch as the diameter of the Dutch. Me? I would start with 20 briquettes. This is for two reasons. 1) you may need a few more under the Dutch oven to get it good and hot for frying. It may be a windy day and your temperature may need to be adjusted to “make up” for the environmental challenges. 2) Leave 2-3 hot briquettes in the charcoal chimney in order to have some lit to set you next set of briquettes to burning to get them ready to replace the ones under the Dutch that will be “weakening” as they burn away.
Nutrition
Serving: 6gCalories: 414kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 21gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 124mgSodium: 2091mgPotassium: 380mgFiber: 5gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 190IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 41mgIron: 1mg
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