The Easiest Chicken Casserole in the Camp Oven
We continue our simple bush cooking meals with one of the easiest chicken casserole dishes cooked in the camp oven. If you do not have a camp oven, then this can be cooked in a saucepan. We have cooked this chicken casserole in both our Aussie camp oven and one of our Uni-Flame saucepans so we will share photos of both.
There are minimal ingredients in this camp oven chicken casserole, hardly any preparation, and always tastes fantastic. The below ingredients are for two people so double for four to five and triple for six to seven.
Gear We Use
- 12-inch spun steel Aussie camp oven
- Sharp knife
- Chopping board
- Heat resistant gloves
- Hot coals
- Saucepan and gas cooker if you do not have a camp oven
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- Cooking Chicken Casserole While Touring
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- Cooking Chicken Casserole Out the Back of the 76 Series Wagon
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- Use Protective Gloves When Cooking in the Camp Oven
Servings
- For two people.
- For more people increase the amount of thyme leaves, chicken, potatoes, carrots, and rice.
- Double the amount of chicken stock and then add water if required for more servings.
Ingredients
- 1 x onion
- 2-3 x garlic cloves
- 250 grams of boneless thigh fillets
- 1 x bay leaf
- 2-3 x teaspoons thyme leaves
- 500ml x chicken stock
- 1/2 x can potatoes
- 2 x carrots
- 1 x cup of rice
- Olive oil
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- Chicken Casserole in the Camp Oven Ingredients
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- All Other Ingredients for the Chicken Casserole
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- Canned Potatoes are a Good Option
Canned potatoes were a weird one for us initially. We always stayed clear of them, but we do find after a lot of travelling on corrugated roads, potatoes do get badly bruised if not stored correctly. So, we thought we would give canned potatoes a go and when it comes to stews, curries, and other camp oven dishes, I do not think we will choose anything else. They are super easy to store for a long period of time and are perfect for meals in a touring setup.
Cook Time
- Preparation time – 3-5 minutes
- Cook time – 70-90 minutes
Method
Chop up the onion. Does not need to be chopped fine. Finely chop the garlic cloves. Remove many hot coals from the fire and heat up a good amount of olive oil in the camp oven. Then fry up the onion and garlic in olive oil. If cooking in a saucepan over gas, fry up the onions and garlic on medium to high heat. Once the onions are soft, add the chicken thigh fillets and quickly seal each side of the chicken. While waiting chop the carrots into chunks – we usually do this beforehand.
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- Chicken Casserole Preparation Using the Svnty6 Fab Barn Door Table
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- Chop Onions & Garlic for Chicken Casserole
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- Fry the Onions & Garlic
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- Use Protective Gloves When Cooking in the Camp Oven
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- Frying Up the Onions & Garlic in the Camp Oven
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- Frying Up the Onions in the Camp Oven
Once the chicken has sealed, add the chicken stock, canned potatoes, chopped carrots, thyme leaves and bay leaf. Stir and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, cover, add more coals on top of the camp oven, and then let it cook for 45 to 60 minutes. You might need to add more coals if the heat drops off.
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- Seal the Chicken Thigh Fillets
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- Chicken Thigh Fillets Sealed
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- Add Stock and All Other Ingredients
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- Add All Other Ingredients Once Chicken Sealed
After 45-60 minutes, check that the potatoes and carrots are starting to get soft. Then add the rice. We have said a cup, but this will depend on your taste. It could just be a couple of handfuls. Give it all a good stir and then cover and let simmer for another 25 to 30 minutes. Stir occasionally through this time checking that the casserole is still simmering. If not, add more coals on the bottom and on top.
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- Add Rice After About An Hour
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- Rice Added to the Chicken Casserole
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- Rice Added to the Chicken Casserole
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- Chicken Casserole Cooked in the Camp Oven
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- Chicken Casserole Cooked in the Camp Oven
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- Cooking Chicken Casserole in the Camp Oven
After 25 to 30 minutes the rice should be cooked. If cooked the chicken will break away easily while stirring and prodding with a spoon. Once all the chicken has been broken up, stir it all once more, remove the bay leaf and serve. You should have a tasty thick sauce with juicy and tender chicken. The potatoes and carrots should be perfectly cooked, nice, and soft.
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- Chicken Casserole Cooked Perfectly
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- Chicken Casserole Cooked Perfectly
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- Chicken Should Break Apart Easily When Done
This is such an easy meal to get going and let simmer while you sit around the campfire with family and friends. It does not require lots of ingredients and is always super tasty, full of flavour. We like to use canned potatoes as they are easy to store and keep for long periods. The small potatoes make preparation easy as you do not need to chop or clean anything.
We hope you give this camp oven chicken casserole recipe a good crack on your next camping adventure. For more camp cooking recipes you can read our other posts here. To keep up to date on our future posts, join the 4WD Adventure community here. For more regular updates, follow us on Instagram.
Thanks for reading legends.
Recipe & method by Peter.
