Dutch Oven Smokehouse Chicken
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Dutch Oven Smokehouse Chicken is tenderized and slow-cooked in a Dutch Oven. The meat becomes extra-tender and stays that way beneath a skin that is crisped and browned in the final step of the cooking process. Read on for the mouthwatering recipe.
Serve this with a heaping helping of Alabama White Barbecue Sauce and you might feel as if you’ve gone to Glory.
In order to make the smokehouse chicken I grew up with, you’d need a pit building that has been smoking chicken since the 1950’s and pit masters who work on it all day to get it just right. But on the off chance that you, like me, don’t have your own barbecue smokehouse, this is how I do it and it comes in as a very close kissin’ cousin — awfully good in it’s own right.
Recipe Ingredients:
- Cider Vinegar (more about that under the next photo)
- Kosher salt (or regular)
- Smoked Paprika (or regular)
- Hot sauce (the red kind)
- Crushed Red Pepper
- Brown Sugar (light or dark)
- Smoked or Regular Black Pepper
Oh yeah, you’re gonna need some chicken. Bone in, skin on. No exceptions if you want this to be just right.
Seriously, if you don’t have the exact ingredients I am using (other than the type of chicken), it will be ok — what you have on hand will do just fine. But the chicken must be bone in, skin on.
*If you really want to give it a smokehouse taste, add in a little bit of liquid smoke. I don’t use that on here because I get too many emails when I use it that are actually worse than the emails I get when I use food coloring — and that is sayin’ something — believe me!
How To Make Dutch Oven Smokehouse Chicken
Pour your vinegar into a dutch oven or deep baking dish.
A 9×13 would work for this as long as you are careful not to spill the liquid when putting it in and out of the oven.
Why Add Vinegar?
The chicken doesn’t taste like vinegar — don’t worry. The vinegar is a base that tenderizes it and infuses it with all of the other flavors. Once you add everything else to the vinegar in the next step, it becomes just a base. However, your kitchen will smell like cider vinegar and it WILL clean your sinuses out when you open the lid. If you can’t deal with that then you should have someone make this chicken for you :). However, if you like my slow cooked pulled pork, you’ll love this dutch oven smokehouse chicken. I used that recipe as a starting point to come up with this one.
Now add in all of your other stuff, everything except the chicken.
Stir that up good and well until the sugar is dissolved. The vinegar helps this happen pretty fast.
Now put your chicken in, skin side down.
Put a lid on your dutch oven or cover your baking dish with foil.
Bake this at 300 for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully remove lid (watch for the steam). Flip chicken over and put lid back on. Return to oven for another 45 minutes.
After that time, remove lid and keep pot in oven. Place oven on broil for 15-20 minutes to brown and crisp skin, watching carefully so chicken doesn’t burn.
This is what mine looked like after 20 minutes under the broiler. I removed some of the liquid to get more parts of the chicken browning (the parts under the liquid won’t brown).
And this is what you have on your plate.
Now go ahead…Dig in to this crispy moist meal of goodness. Dutch Oven Smokehouse Chicken might just be your new favorite way to eat chicken.
Ingredients
- Bone-in skin-on chicken however much will fit in a single layer of a baking dish or Dutch oven
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked black pepper can use regular
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar dark or light
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce the red kind in the glass bottle
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 +1/2 cups cider vinegar
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients except for chicken in enamel Dutch Oven, or other baking dish. Stir well until sugar is dissolved.
- Place chicken in pot, skin side down. Cover and place in 300 degree oven for 45 minutes. Remove pot from oven and flip chicken. Cover again and return to oven for another 45 minutes.
- Remove lid and place oven on broil. Broil for 20 minutes, or until skin is nicely browned and somewhat crispy on top, watching carefully so that it does not burn (this may take significantly less time in your oven as they vary).
- Spoon additional pan juices over to serve.
Nutrition
“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.”
~Albert Einstein
Holler at me in the comments. I love to hear from you 🙂
I just made this, my boys came home a little early from school while the house still smelled like vinegar so they were a little hesitant to try it. Well, they LOVED IT! With mine, I drained most of the juices before placing under the broiler so more of the skin would get crispy. Thanks for the recipe!
I am so glad everyone liked it!!!
I have an old stove, the broiler doesn’t work. Any suggestions on how I brown the chicken without a broiler?
Ryan,
One of my specialties is a Filipino dish called adobo. In that dish, you brown the chicken, braise it then brown it again in the flying pan to crisp the skin again.
Three steps, brown, braise and brown/crisp the skin. I just finished this dish (cooking and eating) and I might try the three step method next time. A little more control than the broiler too. How much oil depends on what pieces of chicken you’re using. The more oil when frying, the more brown which is just the opposite of the broiler step..
And Christy, this was a grand slam, right out of the park. 6 thumbs up in our house!
Hey John!! I am so glad to hear everyone liked it!!
For perfect cold weather soup: Make this recipe and enjoy on the first night. Next day, skin and debone the chicken; pull into bite-size pieces; defat the broth. Put chicken pieces and broth into soup pot. Referring to Christy’s recipe, make the liquid for this dish as second time and add to the pot plus a couple of cups of water. Chop a couple of small onions and some small tomatoes and add to the pot along with a bag of greens (any kind: turnip, mustard, collard, kale, etc.). Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and allow to simmer for two hours or longer. Thank heaven – – and Christy – – as you enjoy your warming, delicious soup!
That sounds delicious Philippa!!!
I’m not a fan of the bone in leg and thigh pieces, the skin and thighs have too much fat for me…can you substitute for boneless breast cut in half or fingers?…thank you for sharing your knowledge and passion for food…bless…:-)
In order for this to turn out juicy with the smoked in effect, you’ll need to use bone in skin on pieces. But you can certainly use bone in chicken breasts and cook them with the skin on, then just not eat the skin when you serve them.
Is it apple cider vinegar? I can’t find anything but apple cider and regular vinegar??
Yes, it is apple cider vinegar. Sometimes it may be called just cider vinegar and is usually available in most all stores in the same area as the regular vinegar. Hope this helps.
can I use white vinegar?
You can, but it will change the taste. Probably still be good though!
YUM! Gotta try this now if not sooner! Love BBQ anything!
Thanks! Have a great new year!
I say go for liquid smoke and food coloring when you want to! There ain’t no shame in that game! 🙂