Camp Kettle Pulled Chicken
A whole bird simmered slow in a covered pot at basecamp. Meat for two days and broth for the next meal.
- calories
- 420
- weight
- 10 oz
- cal / oz
- 42
- protein
- 45 g
- serves
- 6, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 180 min
- total time
- 185 min
- water
- 2000 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Campfire coals
- Dutch oven
- Liquid fuel
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Whole chicken | 3 to 4 lb | carried frozen solid in the cooler, thawed by day two |
|---|---|---|
| Water | enough to cover, roughly 2 L | |
| Salt | 2 tsp | |
| Black pepper | 1 tsp | |
| Dried herbs | 1 tbsp | thyme, bay, or whatever is in the spice kit |
Method
- Unwrap the bird and set it breast up in the dutch oven or a deep pot. Add salt, pepper, and herbs.
- Pour in water until the chicken is just covered. More than that and you are boiling instead of simmering.
- Lid on. Set it over low coals or a stove flame turned down until the surface barely moves. A hard boil makes the meat stringy.
- Hold that for two and a half to three hours. Check every 45 minutes and top up water if the bird breaks the surface.
- Pull the pot off the heat and let it sit until you can handle the chicken. Lift it out onto a plate or a clean cutting board.
- Strip every scrap of meat off the bones and skin with two forks. Drop the bones back in the pot.
- Ladle a little of the cooking liquid over the shredded meat so it does not dry out. Keep the rest as broth.
- Cool the meat fast and get it into a sealed container in the cooler. Same for the broth.
A whole bird is the cheapest protein per pound you can bring to a basecamp, and a covered pot over low coals is more forgiving than a fire-roasted chicken. Three hours at a bare simmer is hard to ruin. Late by an hour and it is still fine, just softer.
The water level does the real work. Just covered means the meat poaches and the liquid reduces into stock worth keeping. Fully submerged in a rolling boil gives you thin broth and dry meat. Shred it all at once and you have chicken for tacos, rice bowls, and cold snacking for the next two days, plus a pot of broth to start tomorrow’s dinner.
Packing
Freeze the chicken solid at home and pack it at the bottom of the cooler as a block of ice. It thaws over the first day and keeps everything above it cold in the meantime. Salt, pepper, and herbs travel in the spice kit.
Variations
- Drop in a halved onion, a few garlic cloves, and a lemon before the water goes in.
- Skip the water for a dry cook. You get less broth but a more concentrated drippings pot.
- Simmer the stripped bones another hour for a stronger broth, then strain it into bottles for morning.
https://hedgecombers.com/slow-cooker-whole-chicken