Campfire Jerk Chicken Sandwich

With a little planning and the right equipment, you can eat like a king even when you're on the trail!

You'll need:

  • 500g free range chicken thighs
  • 6 sandwich or burger buns
  • Jerk chicken spice, garlic powder, paprika - we'd recommend checking out Calgary's own Silk Road
  • 1-2 lbs potatoes
  • 2 lbs of red and green cabbage
  • 3 medium rainbow carrots
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup mayonnaise (or yogurt)
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • Salt and pepper

Pickled Onions (optional):

  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/2 tbsp whole black peppercorns
  • 1 chile de abrol, broken in half
  • 1 bay leaf

Directions:

1) Cut potatoes into thick wedges. Bring heavily salted water to a boil, add rinsed potatoes and parboil for ~15 mins until cooked through (potatoes will start floating to the top). Make sure water is not aggressive boiling to avoid damage to your fries! 

 

2)  Drain potatoes and let cool for ~20 mins. Season with garlic powder and paprika. Put in a tupperware and don't forget to toss them in your pack in the morning.

3) Quarter the cabbage through the core, and then cut out the core. Cut each quarter crosswise in half and finely shred. Place the shredded cabbage in a very large bowl (you will have 6 to 8 cups). Add the shredded carrot and parsley to the cabbage and toss to mix.

4) In a separate bowl, stir the mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper together. Taste for acidity and seasoning then adjust as desired. Pour two-thirds of the dressing over the cabbage and carrot then mix well. If slaw seems a little dry, add more dressing as necessary. Package in a trail ready container.

5) Cut chicken thighs into 1 inch cubes and season with olive oil and ~2 heaping tablespoons of jerk spice. Throw into a ziploc and store with the rest of your trail prepped ingredients.

6) Now for the fun part. Build a cooking fire and pre-heat your cast iron skillet with a good splash of oil.

7) Throw on the chicken and cook, stirring frequently until done. 

8) Set chicken aside (and keep warm if you can) and throw the seasoned fries into the cast iron. Cook until golden brown...or black in our case.

9) Prep your buns!

10) Put it all togeather! Put a healthy dose of chicken on the buns, top with pickled onions (if you chose to go the extra mile) and add the slaw. Serve with fries.

Extra) If you chose to go with the pickled onions: Put the onion in a heatproof bowl. In a non-reactive pot, bring 1 cup water, the vinegar, sugar, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, chile de abrol and bay leaf to a boil then pour over the onion. Let cool completely and refrigerate. Leave for at least 24 hours for best results.

Enjoy and take pride in your creation!