You’ll need:
Basic bread dough
1 free-range chicken prepared as for
the pit oven
Potjie pot or baking tray
Make the basic bread dough, then prepare a chicken as if you were going to cook it in a pit oven. When the dough has been knocked down, roll it out into a flat circle (think of a pizza base, but not as thin). Try to make the dough slightly thicker in the centre. Place your chicken on the dough, then fold over the sides to wrap the chicken completely (aim for airtight).
Place this in a pre-heated, welloiled, flat-bottomed potjie pot. Putthe lid on, place plenty of hot coals on the lid and walk away for about an hour and 15 minutes. Remember to add new coals underneath and on top every now and then to maintain the heat. It’s virtually impossible to overcook this chicken as the bread seals in all the juices, so my advice is to err on the side of caution and cook for slightly longer. Also, use a potjie pot that’s roughly the same size as the chicken – you don’t want the chicken swimming around in a massive pot as it’ll take a lot longer to cook. At the hour-and-15-minutes mark, blow the ash off the lid and open the pot. The bread should be crispy and brown.
Stab the chicken with a skewer (into the breast) and leave it there for about 30 seconds.Remove the skewer and, if it is hot to the touch (I check on my top lip- just don’t burn yourself), chances are the chicken is ready. If it is cool, cook the chicken for a little longer. The beauty of this chicken is it literally falls off the bone and, when you crack it open, you get to eat the bread that’s saturated with all those lovely chicken juices.
*tip* If you’re doing this in an oven, pre-heat to 180°C, place the chicken on a baking tray and cook for about an hour and 15 minutes. Check if it’s done with a skewer, the same way you would if you were doing this in a potjie pot.
For more recipes and outdoor cooking ideas, read Justin Bonello’s Cooked in Africa: A cooking journey through Southern Africa.
