Roasted Chicken in the Solar Oven

One of my favorite things to cook in a solar oven is roasted chicken. Because it is a real show stopper, I often cook it at festivals. It is easy and it turns out moist and falling off the bones tender.  This week I want to share a little bit about how I roast a chicken.

The pan is called a Fusion Roaster.  It is a pan with a cone in the middle.  In the past, we have often cooked “beer can” or “coke can” chicken on the grill or in the smoker.  I’m sure you have seen the wire racks meant to mimic this style of cooking. Maybe you’ve even cooked chicken this way yourself.  The Fusion Roaster cooks the same way, only there is a pan to catch the drippings, so you can use it in your oven. The minute I saw this pan, I knew it was perfect for the solar oven.  It fits perfectly in the All American Sun Oven.

Roasted Chicken

After thawing the chicken,  I washed and dried the outside and then applied a chicken rub all over.  This not only seasons the chicken, but also gives it a nice color.  We make our own rub using salt, pepper, chili powder, red pepper, cumin, garlic, and a few other spices.  You can use your own favorite rub – either commercial prepared or of your own recipe.

The chicken sits upon right on the Fusion Pan. I placed it directly into the GSO.  I did not cover the chicken.  The oven temperature hovered between 275 ° – 300°.  It took exactly three hours to roast.  when done, the skin was a beautiful golden brown – not entirely from the rub — and the meat was moist and tender.  It quite literally fell off of the bones.