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Cantina Jack Chicken Recipe in a Cast Iron Camp Dutch Oven

Tenderized and Brined Chicken Breasts rolled and centered with Pepper Jack Cheese, buttered, and cornflake-battered on a bed of vegetables all cooked in a Camp Cast Iron Dutch Oven.
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Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 0

Equipment

  • Cutting Board
  • Needle Tenderizer
  • Tenderizing Mallet
  • Larger Zipper Bag
  • Paper Towels
  • Drying Rack (Optional) (Optional)
  • 12-Inch Deep Cast Iron Dutch Oven with the Notch
  • 10-Inch Cast Iron Dutch Oven (Optional)
  • 8-Inch Cast Iron Dutch Oven (Optional)
  • Colander or Strainer to let the Vegetables Drain
  • Bowl to Catch the Liquid from the Vegetables
  • Spoon or Rubber Spatula to Stir the Vegetables
  • Parchment Paper to Cover the Vegetables (I use Parchment Paper in Other Parts of the Recipe as Well).
  • Cheese Shredder
  • Parchment Paper to Wrap the Cheese
  • Bowl or other Container to Store the Cheese
  • Gallon-Sized Zipper Bag For the Cornflakes
  • Rolling Pin (Optional) (Optional)
  • The Temperature Probe - Meat Thermometer
  • Charcoal Briquette Chimney
  • Tongs to Manipulate the Briquettes
  • Wind Screen (Optional) (Optional)
  • Lid Stand
  • Lid Lifter
  • Leather Gloves (Optional)
  • Serving spoons

Ingredients
  

For the Chicken:

  • 6-8 Boneless and Skinless Chicken Breasts (Tenderized and Brined)
  • 1-2 Ounces Beer and Iron’s Taco Seasoning Store-Bought Packets are about 1 oz
  • ½ Gallon Crushed Cornflakes ½ Gallon Zipper Bag of Cornflakes (Crushed)
  • 16 Ounces Pepper Jack Cheese (or Monterey Jack Cheese for a Mild Version)
  • 8 Tablespoons Melted Butter

The Vegetables / The Base Ingredients:

  • 32-34 Ounces Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes (Regular if you can not find Fire Roasted)
  • 4-6 Ounces Sliced Black Olives Drained
  • 14-15 Ounces Diced Green Chiles Somewhat Drained
  • 22 Ounces Mexican Style Corn Drained
  • 30 Ounces 30 oz Black Beans Drained

Garnish:

  • 1/2 Cup Green Onions Optional
  • Slices Jalapeno Pepper Optional

Instructions
 

Home Pre-Preparation

  • Tenderize and Brine 6-8 Chicken Breast Halves. You’ll tenderize these a bit more than normal. They really need to be thinner than you’d normally prepare a chicken breast. Get it down to about ¼ inch. A bit thicker is okay.
  • Brine the tenderized chicken breast meat for about one hour. Then, remove from the brine and pat dry. (Brine: 24 ounces of beer and 2 Tablespoons Salt)
  • After pouring out the used brine from the zipper bag, place a few paper towels in the zipper bag and place the chicken back into the zipper bag with the paper towels. Refrigerate until you are ready to use.
  • Add your cornflakes to a gallon zipper bag and crush to a coarse “meal” like consistency. Don’t crush back to a cornmeal and don’t leave them in big flakes. Somewhere in between is perfect. Leave them in the zipper bag (this could be done in camp)

At Camp - Time to Cook

  • Set 26-30 charcoal briquettes to fire.
  • Slowly melt 8 tablespoons of butter. Just melt to the point you can still touch the butter.
  • Lay out one of the tenderized and flattened chicken breasts. Dust one side with some of the taco seasoning.
  • Set the crushed cornflakes out and have them ready to roll the chicken breast in.
  • Baton cut the cheese (in long, stick-like cuts). Add the cut cheese sticks to the chicken and roll the thinned chicken breast over the cheese where the cheese is wrapped in the rolled chicken.
  • Keep your hand on the rolled chicken and then coat the chicken in the butter. Now, roll the chicken in the crushed cornflakes. Secure the chicken with two or three toothpicks
  • Place each prepared chicken breast roll in the bottom of the cast iron camp Dutch oven one-at-a-time and until all the pieces are prepared and set with the toothpicks pointing up
  • Cover the camp Dutch oven. Place 8 hot charcoal briquettes under the Dutch oven and place 16 hot charcoal briquettes on the top.
  • Turn the pot and lid 1/3rd turn every 10 minutes. If you are using a temperature probe, move the briquettes about every 10 minutes or so.
  • While the chicken is cooking, prepare your base ingredients: Set a colander over a bowl or other receptacle to receive the liquids as we open each can of vegetables and drain by pouring the contents into the colander
  • Shred the rest of the cheese and keep the cheese in a separate container separate from the base ingredients. Set aside for later.
  • Once the chicken has reached about 125°F / 50°C to about 145°F / 63°C, remove the lid and place it on a lid stand (the briquettes can remain where they are). Using tongs, remove the chicken from the pot and set aside (take care that we don’t lose our cornflake crust).
  • Dump all of the base ingredients from the colander into the bottom of the Dutch oven. Then, using the tongs, replace the chicken to the top of the base ingredients (not submerged but resting on top).
  • Here, you can add a few more cornflakes from earlier. Go easy…more is not better.
  • Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top of the chicken. Return the lid and cover the pot. Do you need a fresh set of hot charcoal briquettes? This is a good time to add a fresh set. You could even add a few extra on the top to toast the cheese.
  • When the chicken has reached 165°F / 75°C, it’s time to eat! Garnish with the green onions. No resting time needed. Just serve and enjoy.

Notes

This recipe goes very well with some cornbread or even some Mexican rice (both cooked in separate Dutch ovens). I love to take the rolled up chicken and use a white bread roll to make a sandwich. There’s some prep and some steps to accomplish and the end result will be well worth it! 
We usually cut these chicken rolls in half and use each chicken roll as 2 servings.
Keyword baked chicken, beer mac and cheese, Cantina Jack Chicken
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