At Campsie Charcoal Chickens, not only do they serve the best hot chips we’ve ever tasted, but they also rotisserie their chickens in the traditional manner over hot coals.
We’ve been spending a bit of time at Labyrinth Aquariums around the corner (the fish tank is undergoing a major overhaul), and I popped in to pick up dinner recently. We came home with one and a half chooks that had literally just come off the pit. As a result, each foil bag had a few tablespoons of juice in it – stock and fat – which was just too good to waste. I poured it out carefully into a bowl and stashed it in the fridge.
A couple of days later, I used the leftover meat and stock to make an easy BBQ chicken rice…
I scraped the fat off the top of the stock and used it to fry Basmati rice (presoaked, washed and drained) until each grain was shiny and coated.
The rice went into my baby Romy with chicken stock (from the freezer), the gelatinous stock leftover from the roast chook, and the shredded meat. I cooked this in the microwave, but I’m sure an electric rice cooker would work just as well…
My hungry wolves loved this – it’s an easy twist on our Hainanese Chicken Rice recipe, and a delicious way to use up leftovers…
I have no affiliation with Campsie Charcoal Chickens, but we’re pretty excited to have discovered them!
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Campsie Charcoal Chickens
146 Beamish Street
Campsie NSW 2194
Tel: (02) 9789 3812
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Your charcoal chicken rice is a great way to use up that last bit of chicken. I’m committed to being waste-free this year. You’re my inspiration!
We don’t usually get so much juice from the chicken – I think it was just lucky that it was so freshly cooked! :)
Great tip on doing a quick chicken rice Celia! Thank you.
Ardys, sometimes we use duck fat and chicken stock (both from the freezer) and serve it with steamed salted chicken bought from the Chinese bbq shop – works a treat! :)
Deeeelish and I love how nothing goes to waste :)
Thanks Tanya! xx
How absolutely delicious! I love a good charcoal chicken Celia, looks like you’re onto a winner there.
Lizzy, these guys really do make the best charcoal chickens!
I love the way you use up every little bit, economical but also sensible. Waste worries me. Global waste amidst global hunger.
It worries me too! We were lucky to get such juicy, freshly cooked chickens!
You are so resourceful, like Maureen, you are my inspiration.
That’s very kind of you, thank you! x
How clever to pour out the stock and fat and save it for later, you are certainly quick on your feet. Love this rice dish.
I’ve never had chickens with so much juice in them! It was a rare treat! :)
Baby romy in the microwave? Please tell more Celia. I have been experimenting with brown rice in my romertopf (guided by your posts) and when I get the times and liquids right it is delicious.
Awesome recipe. Will be giving that a go next time I roast a chook & will give your recipe a go in the rice cooker.
Is it just me or are there so fewer good charcoal chook places around these days? I remember in the 80s & 90s there were many more, in Melbs anyway.
Kim, I don’t see them around Sydney very often either!
It’s this little one Madge, I picked it up on sale a few years ago. It’s the perfect size for the microwave, and we don’t need to presoak it for that…
http://www.petersofkensington.com.au/Public/Romertopf-Multifunctional-Round-Baking-Dish.aspx
Sounds absolutely wonderful! Wish we had a place like that here.
As I was saying to Kim above, we used to have lots in Sydney, but the fast food chains have largely put them out of business, I think!
My hero, yet again. I never thought to use the juice in the bottom of the bag/container. You’ve given it a whole new meaning! I love this one-pot combo. Yum :)
I have become a bit obsessed with secret stocks – I freeze even tiny amounts – because they’re like free stock cubes! :)
The quest for good takeaway chicken sadly has been lacking recently so I will keep Campsie Charcoal Chickens if we are in the car on weekends and able to detour :)
ED, we really like these guys! I prefer their chooks to the ones we used to buy in Petersham (the latter are often a bit too salty for us).
Thank you, once again, for reminding me that every ounce of the chicken, including the juice in the takeaway packaging, has a purpose! Your resourcefulness is always what first impresses me…secondly, though, is this wonderful recipe. I would just love this!
Thank you! I don’t often get a lot of juice in the foil bag, but this time there was nearly a small bowlful – far too good to waste! :)
I dont know ANYONE that would ever think to do this. You are amazing. I bet it tasted fantastic.
You’re kind love, thank you x
I could have cheerfully roasted one of my chooks the other day (vegan or not!) that has gone clucky in Stevie-boys shed and who is doing her best to entice her sisters to lay eggs so that she can hatch them! I keep taking them… she keeps enticing…one day one of us is going to give up and I am not laying bets that it will be me first! ;). Steve would love this…if she refuses to uncluck, you just never know…he might get it sooner rather than later ;)
Fran, I have no idea how a vegan manages so many chooks and eggs! I hope Steve is up to the task of eating the surpluses! :)
I give a lot away to the city mission at the moment but within a few weeks they all go clucky and start laying out in the bush and its a game of cat and mouse to find them all. I think I am a vegan masochist actually Celia ;)
Another great tip, Celia! Chicken and basmati work well together :) Sounds yum!
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
Thanks Julie, they really do!
Rice looks lovely darling but i am stalled at the chicken and chips.. YUUUM! have a good one.. c
I KNOW! A good charcoal chicken is worth driving quite a distance for! :)
Looks yummy Celia and I do like how you make such good use of every bit of that chicken, including cooking the rice in the fat. Wonderful!
Andrea, I always like it when we can get a second “free” meal like this! :)
i love it when you can make meals out of meals… it is my favourite thing! Liz x
Liz, mine too! :) x
Those chickens are so popular in Brazil, and sooooo tasty! Love what you came up with to use it all, you ARE a great source of inspiration…..
Sally, we used to get them in every suburb in Sydney, but the trend has definitely passed. And it’s rare to see someone still make it in such a traditional way!
I’ll have to try that for the mencats. Last night I made Jamie Oliver’s BBQ pork kababs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExWfYleLAQk They were super easy and the salsa came out great. I made a tofu version for me. I recommend, Maz.
Sounds fabulous Maz! You and I could probably run the Jamie fanclub together.. :)
Oh look at all those roasted chickens on the rotisserie! My old barbecue grill had a rotisserie (also know here as a spit) and i do miss having it. the meat just cooks up beautifully and is so tender and juicy. Yummy way to use up the leftovers although I’m surprised you had leftovers.
Di, I deliberately bought one and a half chooks because I knew one wasn’t quite enough for the four of us! The leftovers never go to waste! :)
Sounds wonderful, I already do a quick and dirty version of Hainanese chicken rice in the rice cooker, but this would be a great variation – it looks like some smoked paprika in the rice might also be good? though maybe unnecessary…
We do a mexican rice with annatto paste added – I considered that too! :)
Yummo Celia! A good old cooked cook is such a nice and easy option for a tasty meal. I always save the juices too, and love amber coloured jelly to add a flavour boost to my dishes xox
Becca, isn’t it great how it sets solid like that? I love that bit best of all, I think.
I’m starting to think leftover chicken is like having a magic wand for quick, delicious meals — there is always something you can do with it! I also think you have to start with good tasting chicken to begin with, which sounds like you did. :)
Judy, you’re so right, there’s not all that much to do with ordinary roast chicken! But this one was divine!
Celia, i love the way you use every little bit ….
Thanks G! xx
Glenda just summarized exactly what I was going to say! Super frugal – love it
Not really super frugal (you more than anyone else probably have a good idea what I spend on my vintage ports :)), but I do hate to waste something so good! And I love using up stuff that other folks might discard – that bit is like finding secret treasure! :)
Goodness, the cat gets our leftover chicken, including all the bits i pull off the carcass that has made the stock! Not any more. The leftovers are going straight into making Charcoal Chicken Rice. What have I been thinking??!!