Outdoor Cooking & Charcoal Oven Recipes / Chicken

Roast chicken with dauphinoise potatoes and roasted carrots in the Charlie Oven

Cooked in the Charlie Charcoal Oven

Roast Chicken with Dauphinoise Potatoes and Roasted Carrots

A whole roast dinner, cooked together in Charlie. The chicken sits on a bed of cumin carrots in the Deep Roasting Tray Rack, so every drop of juice goes into the veg, while the dauphinoise turns golden and bubbling on the rack above. Everything is ready at the same moment, with the tray juices to spoon over the carved chicken.

David WrightBaker and author, Pump Street Bakery
Roast
Prep40 minutes
Cook1 hour 30 minutes
Serves4
DifficultyMedium
Oven temperature180°C (355°F)
RackChicken and carrots in the Deep Roasting Tray Rack on the middle runners, with the dauphinoise on the Charlie Oven Cooking Rack at the top
CharcoalAbout half a football of lumpwood charcoal, in the centre of the grates

Charlie Oven — https://charlieoven.com/blogs/charcoal-recipes/roast-chicken-with-dauphinoise-potatoes-and-roasted-carrots

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Ingredients

For the chicken and carrots

For the dauphinoise

Equipment

Everything used in this recipe. Already have Charlie? Add the accessories in one go.

  • Charlie Charcoal Oven£5,950.00Choose your oven
  • Stag British Premium Lumpwood Charcoal£96.50
  • Charlie Oven Cooking Rack£280.00
  • Deep Roasting Tray Rack£280.00
Stag British Premium Lumpwood Charcoal, Charlie Oven Cooking Rack and Deep Roasting Tray Rack £656.50 together

Method

Setting up Charlie
  1. Fit the Charlie Oven Cooking Rack on the top level and leave the middle runners free for the Deep Roasting Tray Rack
  2. Build a small pyramid of about half a football of lumpwood charcoal in the centre of the grates and light with one or two natural firelighters
  3. Open both vents fully and close the door
  4. When the oven is about 10°C short of 180°C (355°F), set both vents to about a knuckle open (2.5cm or 1in) to hold the heat

  1. Set up Charlie

    Before lighting, fit the Charlie Oven Cooking Rack on the top level for the dauphinoise. Leave the middle runners free for the Deep Roasting Tray Rack.

  2. Light and heat

    Build a small pyramid of about half a football of lumpwood charcoal in the centre of the grates. Light it with one or two natural firelighters. Open both vents fully and close the door; Charlie takes about 20 minutes to reach 180°C (355°F). When it is about 10°C short, set both vents to about a knuckle open (2.5cm or 1in) to hold the heat. There's no need to wait for the charcoal to burn down.

  3. Prepare the chicken

    Take the chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking and pat it dry with kitchen paper. Crush the sea salt and pink peppercorns together. Rub the chicken all over with 1 tbsp of the olive oil, then the salt mix.

  4. Make the dauphinoise

    Peel the potatoes and slice them about 3mm thick. Warm the cream and milk together until just steaming. Layer the potatoes in the dish with thyme leaves and a little salt and pepper between the layers. Pour over the hot cream and press the potatoes down so they're just covered. Cover the dish with foil.

  5. Fill the roasting tray

    Halve the carrots lengthways. Toss them in the Deep Roasting Tray Rack with the remaining olive oil, the cumin seeds and the water, then spread them out flat. Sit the chicken on top, breast up, in the middle of the tray. The carrots lift the chicken so the heat reaches underneath, and they soak up the juices as it roasts.

  6. Into Charlie

    Slide the Deep Roasting Tray Rack onto the middle runners and set the dauphinoise on the cooking rack at the top. Close the door. The middle level gives the chicken heat from the charcoal below as well as the heat held in Charlie's walls. The top level is gentler, so the cream cooks slowly without splitting.

  7. Roast

    After 45 minutes, open the door briefly. Take the foil off the dauphinoise and scatter over the grated Gruyère and Pecorino. If the carrots look dry, add a splash of water to the tray. Close the door and roast for another 35 to 45 minutes. The chicken is ready when the thickest part of the thigh reads 75°C (165°F). The dauphinoise is ready when it is golden on top and a knife slides easily through the potatoes.

  8. Rest

    Lift the chicken onto a board and rest it for 15 minutes, loosely covered. Slide the tray of carrots back into Charlie while it rests, so they turn sticky in the juices.

  9. Carve and serve

    Carve the chicken and spoon the juices from the tray over the slices. Serve with the carrots and the dauphinoise.

Tips

  • Dry the chicken skin well before seasoning; a dry surface gives crisper skin
  • Keep the door shut between checks, as each opening lets heat out
  • If the dauphinoise browns before the potatoes are tender, lay the foil back over it
  • No wood is needed for this recipe

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The cook

David Wright

Baker and author, Pump Street Bakery

David Wright, known as The Breaducator, is a third generation Suffolk baker who was named Baker of the Year at the 2017 Baking Industry Awards. He coordinates the baking workshops at Pump Street Bakery and co-wrote DJ BBQ's Backyard Baking, a book of recipes for baking over live fire.

More recipes by David Wright

Frequently asked questions

  • How do I know when the roast chicken is cooked?

    Check the thickest part of the thigh with a meat thermometer. It should read 75°C (165°F). A 1.75 to 2kg chicken takes about 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes at 180°C (355°F). Rest it for 15 minutes before carving.

  • Can I cook the whole roast dinner in Charlie at once?

    Yes. The chicken and carrots roast together in the Deep Roasting Tray Rack on the middle runners, and the dauphinoise cooks on a cooking rack at the top. Both go in at the same time and are ready together.

  • Why roast the chicken on the carrots?

    The carrots act as a trivet, lifting the chicken so heat circulates and the skin underneath doesn't stew. In return, the carrots cook in the chicken juices. The tray's deep sides keep those juices in, ready to spoon over the meat.

  • Can I make this without the Deep Roasting Tray Rack?

    Yes. Use a sturdy metal roasting tin that's suitable for high heat, set on a cooking rack in the middle of the oven. The tray's advantage is that it slides straight onto the runners and holds the juices.

  • How thin should I slice potatoes for dauphinoise?

    About 3mm, as thin and even as you can. A mandoline makes this easier.