Foil-Packet Chicken Roulades with Sweet Chili
Boned-out thighs rolled around red pepper, twisted into foil, and cooked on the coals.
- calories
- 485
- weight
- 7.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 65
- protein
- 32 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 20 min
- cook
- 30 min
- total time
- 50 min
- water
- none
- 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
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Foil packet
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Actual cooking
Ingredients
| Chicken thighs, bone-in, skin on | 2 | ask the butcher to bone them and skip the knife work at camp |
|---|---|---|
| Neutral oil | 1/2 tbsp | |
| Salt | 1/2 tsp | |
| Black pepper | 1/2 tsp | |
| Red bell pepper | 1/2 | travels fine loose in the food bin |
| Sesame seeds | 2 tbsp | |
| Flax seeds | 1 tbsp | |
| Dried parsley | 1 tbsp | fresh flat-leaf if you have a cooler and care |
| Sweet chili sauce | 4 tbsp | decant into a small squeeze bottle |
| Small-leaf salad greens | 2 handfuls | optional, cooler only, day one |
Method
- Build a fire and let it burn down, or set a grate over medium coals. You want steady heat, not flames.
- If the thighs still have bones, cut along each bone with a sharp knife and work it free, keeping the meat in one sheet. Take your time.
- Oil two arm-length sheets of heavy foil. Lay a thigh skin-side down on each and season with salt and pepper.
- Cut the bell pepper into thin strips and line them down the center of each thigh.
- Roll the meat over the pepper into a tight cylinder, then roll it up in the foil and twist both ends hard, like a wrapped candy.
- Set the packets on the grate or at the edge of the coals. Turn every five minutes or so. Thirty minutes gets you through; cut one open and check that the juices run clear and nothing at the center is pink.
- Let the packets sit closed for five minutes off the heat, then unwrap.
- Mix the sesame seeds, flax, and parsley on a plate and roll each hot roulade through it. Slice thick and pour the chili sauce over. Greens on the side if you brought them.
Roulades look fussy for camp, but foil does the hard part. Twisting the ends tight turns each packet into a small pressure cooker: the thigh holds its shape, the pepper steams inside it, and none of the juice runs into the fire. Bone the thighs at home if you can, in the kitchen, with a cutting board and good light.
Heat control matters more than timing. Coals at the edge of the fire cook these through in about half an hour without scorching the foil; direct flame will char the outside while the center is still raw. The seed and herb coating goes on after cooking, not before, because sesame burns. The chili sauce goes on last for the same reason, and because sugar in a hot packet turns to tar.
Packing
Thighs stay in the cooler on the bottom, in a sealed bag, and get cooked the first night. Seeds, flax, parsley, salt, and pepper premix into one small jar at home. Sweet chili sauce goes in a squeeze bottle, not the glass jar it came in. Two sheets of heavy foil, pre-cut.
Variations
- No fire discipline that night: cut everything into strips and stir-fry it in a pan with the chili sauce at the end.
- Swap the bell pepper for a scallion and a strip of carrot when peppers are out.
- Cook a third packet cold-side down and save it sliced for the next day's lunch wrap.
https://www.matprat.no/oppskrifter/kos/kyllingrulader-med-sot-chilisaus