Dutch Oven Campfire Chicken and Dumplings
Brown chicken thigh pieces in a Dutch oven over medium coals, soften carrots, onion and celery, then simmer in a flour-thickened broth until the chicken hits 165°F, about 20 minutes. Drop spoonfuls of biscuit-style dumpling dough on top, cover, and steam 15 minutes without peeking. Total time is about 70 minutes, and it feeds six.
This is a one-pot dinner for a cold evening. Chicken thighs stay tender in the simmer, and the dumplings steam on top of the stew into soft, fluffy biscuits. You only need one pot and one spoon.
The Dutch oven does the hard part. Its heavy lid holds in steam, which is what cooks the dumplings through. Mix the dry dumpling ingredients at home and the camp work is mostly chopping and stirring.
Dutch Oven Campfire Chicken and Dumplings
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Serves
- 6
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Heat
- Medium coals, then low simmer
- Pack weight
- 6 lb
- Campfire
- Camp stove
- Backpacking
- Cooler required
- No stove
- Some water
- A few dishes
- Prep ahead
Ingredients
Gear you'll need
- 12-inch (6-quart) camp Dutch oven with lid
- Grate or trivet
- Lid lifter or long tongs
- Heat-proof gloves
- Long-handled wooden spoon
- Small shovel for coals
- Instant-read thermometer
- Cutting board and knife
- Large mixing bowl
- Ladle and bowls
Steps
-
Set up the coals
Let your fire burn down to a bed of hot coals, or light charcoal briquettes until ashy. Set the Dutch oven on a grate or trivet over medium heat, and keep extra coals on the side for the lid.
-
Brown the chicken
Heat the oil in the Dutch oven for 2 minutes. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add it, and cook 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until browned outside. It will not be cooked through yet.
-
Soften the vegetables
Add the onion, carrots and celery. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, stirring, until the onion turns soft and translucent. Add the garlic and stir 30 seconds.
-
Build the broth
Sprinkle the 1/3 cup flour over everything and stir for 1 minute. Pour in the water a little at a time, scraping the bottom. Stir in the bouillon, thyme and bay leaves.
-
Simmer until done
Cover and simmer 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until the broth thickens and the carrots are tender. Pull a few chicken pieces and check with a thermometer: they must read 165°F. Stir in the peas and taste for salt.
-
Mix the dumplings
In a bowl, stir together the 2 cups flour, baking powder and 1 tsp salt. Rub in the cold butter with your fingers until crumbly, then stir in the milk until just combined. Stop mixing while the dough is still shaggy.
-
Drop and steam
Spoon 8 to 10 mounds of dough onto the bubbling stew, leaving small gaps. Put the lid on and shovel a few hot coals on top. Steam 15 minutes without lifting the lid.
-
Check and rest
Lift the lid and poke a dumpling with a clean knife. It should come out clean, and the dumplings should look dry and firm. If not, cover for 3 more minutes. Rest 5 minutes, fish out the bay leaves, and ladle into bowls.
Trail Notes
At home, mix the 2 cups flour, baking powder and 1 tsp salt in a zip bag. Cut the chicken into pieces, bag it, and freeze it flat so it doubles as an ice pack. Use it within 2 days. Chop the onion, carrots and celery too if you want less work at camp.
Keep raw chicken on the bottom of the cooler at 40°F or below, away from the butter and milk. Use a separate cutting board for it, and wash your hands and knife with soapy water before touching anything else.
No fresh milk? Stir 1/4 cup powdered milk into the dry mix at home and use 3/4 cup cold water at camp. Frozen mixed vegetables can stand in for the fresh ones.
Use an existing fire ring and burn wood down to ash. Scrape leftover stew into a bag to pack out, strain dishwater to catch food bits, and scatter the water well away from streams and camp.
Campers ask
Can you make chicken and dumplings in a Dutch oven over a campfire?
Yes. Simmer the stew over medium coals, drop the dough on top, and cover it so steam cooks the dumplings. Putting a few coals on the lid helps them cook evenly.
How do you keep dumplings from turning gummy?
Mix the dough only until it comes together, and keep the lid on for the full 15 minutes. Dumplings need a steady, gentle bubble underneath, so don't let the stew go cold.
How do you keep the bottom of a Dutch oven from scorching on coals?
Use a trivet or grate to lift it slightly off the heat, and stir often while the stew is thickening. If it scorches, move some coals away and add a splash of water.
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