Campfire Roasted Chicken Wings

How to Roast Party Wings Over a Campfire! 

I've already (successfully) battered and fryed chicken on the camp stove in Warren Dunes a few years ago. So I wanted to take it up and notch and try something new: building a fire and cooking over it. I had never cooked anything directly over the fire besides smores and hot dogs. I have always used a pan or skewer or something so the fire was not directly on the meat. I had an air fryer that came with this metal rack, so I decided to use it over the fire. You can use any grill grate of your choosing, just make sure its the right size for your pit and for your meat to fit! 

Ingredients: 

You know I like to tell you the materials you need: this recipe requires a grill grate, fire pit and firewood. 

Step 1: Wash and Season Chicken

This is the main step, so don't skip it! Camping hack: Wash and season meat at home in your kitchen. So you won't have to do it on the campsite! If your chicken don't looked seasoned like this... Try again!

Here are the seasonings I used: sazon, slap ya mama, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper. 

Step 2: Build a Small Fire Inside Your Fire pit

I like to start with small wood chucks and these coffee fire starters... You can slowly build up your fire from here. Keep in mind, as you place the wood, you're gonna wanna position the wood in a way that your grill grate can safely sit over the fire, so you wont lose your food. Trust me, I've been here! My little grate happens to have little leg stands under it. The key to this fire is, you don't want alot of flames. So I like to let the fire burn down a little and let the wood simmer and turn red like hot coals. Do not build a massive fire, you're gonna have to get close to it, so you wanna keep it small. 

Step 3: Prep Grill Grate

Yes, Prep it. I was not sure if mine was non stick so I sprayed it with a little bit of veggie oil. I put the chicken on skewrs so they would be easy to handle. By the end I just ended up taking them off because they broke, burnt, and prevented me from moving the chicken freely. 

Line your chicken onto your grill grate and put it over the simmering firewood. 

*Some campgrounds come with a grill grate on the fire pit. Although I know exactly where its been, I don't know how to properly clean it to my satisfaction, so I bring my own. 

Step 4: Grill your Chicken 

Grill your chicken until it is brown on the outside. Cook time will vary between fires. Mine took about 40 mins to cook all the way through.  Sometimes the flame will come back to life. To combat that, you can mix water, lemon or orange juice and all the seasonings above in a water bottle and douse the flames with the mixture. You do not want to burn the outside of your chicken and leave the inside raw (eww), so you really need to control the fire for an even cook. Keep it slow and low! Turn your chicken as you cook it and babysit the hell out of them wings. We use metal tongs to flip wings until desired crispiness. If you don't know how to cook chicken or dont know how to tell when its done. You should probably get a thermometer to check the internal temperature. you should also google the internal temperature for your cut of meat too. I would imagine this grilling method would work with many meats. 

Step 5: Serve Chicken with Rice 

Or veggie packets or whatever... I like to use the Uncle Ben's Ready Rice. The long grain with herbal seasonings is the one we like but feel free to pick any of the many flavors! I add a bit of sazon seasoning and butter to a pot with the rice to heat it up on the camp stove. Serve and Enjoy!