When I got home from running a million errands yesterday, I had a surprise sitting on my porch. No, it wasn't the prize patrol (don't we all wish), it was my new dutch oven camp table. Hooray! No more cooking on the ground! I opened it up to see how many DOs I could fit on it. The answer is 3; 1-14" and 2-10" ovens. That is an entire meal on one table. I searched the Internet for the best price and I found it here. It is lightweight and portable, and has side shelves that are sold separately. For me, it is a must have. But like I've said before, you don't need anything like this to cook DO. A 16" paver from Home Depot will do! I wouldn't recommend heating coals in your chimney right next to your cooking food. I put it there so you could see the size. :)
Okay, recipe time. I have several recipes for Sweet and Sour Chicken, most of them I've never tried. This is one of those. My oldest son loves this stuff, so I had to make extra for him. I also cooked some rice in my DO. It is so easy to do. I've done it several times, but never posted it until now.
Sweet and Sour Chicken
12" Dutch Oven
3 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. pepper
3/4 cup flour
2 eggs
Sauce:
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup vinegar
1 Tbs. soy sauce
3 1/2 Tbs. ketchup
Mix the flour, garlic powder and pepper in a bowl. In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs. I also cut up my chicken breasts into strips. Dip the chicken into the egg, then roll in flour. Place in your oiled DO and fry until golden brown on both sides. I used 18 coals for this. While the chicken is cooking, mix together the sauce. When chicken is browned, add the sauce. Bake at 350* for 1 hour or until the sauce thickens. I used 10 coals on the bottom and 14 on top.
White Rice
10" dutch oven
1 cup long grain white rice
2 cups water
1/2 tsp. salt, optional
1 Tbs. butter, optional
Boil the water with the salt and butter in your DO. I used 15 coals. Stir in the rice. Remove about half the coals. You want it to cook over low heat. Cover and cook 15-18 minutes or until the rice is tender.
I started out with too much heat, so the breading pulled off my chicken.
Perfectly cooked DO rice!
The Review
This recipe was just okay. It had good flavor, but the sauce never thickened like the recipe said it should. We all ate and enjoyed it, we just like a thicker sauce. I had to double the sauce because it needed more. Maybe if it was thickened with some cornstarch it would be better. I have better recipes for this, so I probably won't use this one again. Grade: B-.
Toni, that looks pretty good. We LOVE stir-fry type dishes in the Dutch Oven. Here is a Sweet & Sour that we like to do:
ReplyDeleteSWEET and SOUR CHICKEN
Cover bottom of DO with cooking oil, enough to cook the chicken in
3 lbs Chicken, skinless breasts (I like to cut into 1-2 inch cubes)
4 Tbs ketchup
2 Tbs honey
2 20 oz cans pineapple chunks in juice, undrained
4 large red bell peppers cut into thin strips
6 Tbs soy sauce
4 Tbs Cornstarch
12 scallions cut into 1” pieces
Preheat the Dutch oven over medium-high heat, about 400 degrees. Heat the oil until hot, but not smoking. Add the chicken and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until no pink remains, stirring occasionally. Add the ketchup, honey, the pineapple with its juice, and the red peppers. (To add color use some red yellow and green peppers ). Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the sauce begins to boil.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the soy sauce and cornstarch mixture. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes more, or until heated through and the sauce has thickened. Add the scallions and toss around until well coated.
I personally like to let this mixture cook for a total of about 35 minutes total. Serve over rice.
I also love to add other veggies like Broccoli, Pea Pods, Cauliflower, Carrots, Water Chestnuts or what ever is around.
Just another thought......
ReplyDeleteMark over at Marks Black Pot has a great recipe for Mongolian Stir-Fry that is most definately worth taking a look at too.
Congrats on your new cooking table, Toni. You are going to love it! I highly recommend getting the side shelves, they are great for expanding your work space.
ReplyDeleteToni, glad to hear you are so happy with your new DO table. I have been thinking of getting one, but I would want to take it camping and I was wondering how easy it is to remove the legs and reattach them - a pain in the rear or no big deal? When the legs are off, how far down do the connections posts go? It looks like the sides fold in and back folds down - yes? I guess my real question is, how compact does it get for packing up and transporting? Would you bother to do it?
ReplyDeleteThanks for any and all info.
Steve
4 thumb screws and there off. the post they connect to are about 5" long. Very fast, very easy. You can also use it with out the legs, setting on a picnic table. its the only way to go. See the other tables on bolg "roguedutchovencookers.blogspot.com" I always take mine to camp.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. It is lightweight, and breaks down quickly. It doesn't fold up, but it is so flat without the legs that it isn't an issue. It also has a carrying case for the legs and windscreen. It is my best tool so far!
ReplyDeleteToni, I've been using the same table for years now and it's held up great. Mine came with plastic thumb screws for the legs. I replaced them with the metal ones I picked up at the hardware store. I'm having a great time following your site and adventures in DO cooking. Next weekend we're having a Regional DOG (Dutch Oven Gathering) here in Texas. For one of our meals, I'm preparing the "Moist Garlic Chicken" recipe. It really looked yummy.
ReplyDeleteChuck
You will love the garlic chicken. Try using Panko bread crumbs for a little crunch, but it is also great with the regular Italian bread crumbs. Let me know how you like it!
ReplyDeleteTalk about an endurance test on that table :) How many tables get used everyday? I'm sure the makers would love to hear about it as well :)
ReplyDelete