How to Make Wood-Fired Chicken in a Pizza Oven
It’s easy to see why wood-fired ovens have become one of the hottest new culinary trends. They have a one-of-a-kind way of infusing rich flavours into even the simplest dishes. Whether you are making sourdough pizza dough or sautéed mushrooms, you can elevate every meal by cooking it over a fire. When you learn how to make wood-fired chicken in a wood-fired oven, you have a go-to garden party dish that brings every plate to the next level.
Want to master the art of grilling tender chicken with a complex and smoky flavour? Here is your guide to cooking chicken in a pizza oven.
How to Prepare Chicken for a Wood-Fired Oven
Grilling juicy chicken is all about preparation. You can easily achieve mouthwatering perfection if you know how to get started. From selecting the best cuts of chicken to infusing them with flavours, those essential first steps make all of the difference.
For a truly gourmet grilled chicken and a great wood-fired cooking experience, it is all about starting with the essentials so let’s look at how to prep for your perfect barbecue meal.
Best Chicken for a Wood-Fired Oven
The first and perhaps most important step in making wood-fired chicken is getting good-quality meat and choosing the right cuts. While you can make any cut of meat flavourful with a good grilled chicken recipe, some options work better than others.
What Piece of Chicken is Best for BBQ?
Your very best option will always be thighs and drumsticks. For the tastiest wood-fired chicken, look for bone-in, skin-on cuts of chicken. When you are cooking a complete piece of thighs or drumsticks, you will get the best moisture retention for ultra-juicy meat.
How to Choose Good Quality Chicken
Want to bring your barbeque to the next level? Here’s what to look for when you want to find the best quality chicken:
- Firm: Look for firm and plump cuts
- Colour: Choose pinkish-yellowish cuts
- Smooth: Skin should be smooth and consistent
- Moisture: You want a good level of moisture but not wet
- Packaging: Check for damage or leaks
- Smell: Chicken should also smell completely neutral
- Free range: Free-range chickens offer a higher quality
- Irish chicken: The less time in transit, the fresher the meat
- Butcher: Chicken from the butcher counter tends to be better
Learn How to Properly Marinate Chicken
Marinating chicken is the most important step. This simple step is going to infuse it with flavour and make it tender. When it comes to chicken marinade recipes, you can get creative.
While there are some great marinade recipes out there, you have delicious results playing it by ear. The foundation of every easy chicken marinade:
- Oil (usually olive oil)
- Acid (lemon or some type of citrus juice)
- Salty or sweet sauce (sauces like barbeque, Worcestershire, soy, or balsamic vinegar)
- Seasonings (garlic, parsley, dill, rosemary, cilantro)
The best ratio for chicken marinade is three parts oil, one part acid, one part sauce, and one part seasoning.
- Once you have your marinate made, put the chicken in a resealable plastic bag and pour the marinade over it.
- Seal the bag and massage the marinade into the chicken. Move slowly and carefully to make sure that every piece is well coated.
- Let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour, or ideally leave it overnight.
Pro Tip: How long should you marinate chicken for a flavourful and tender but not too tender meat? If you opt for bone-in chicken, marinating it for up to 12 hours is perfect. If you go for a boneless chicken like chicken breast, one to six hours is best. If you marinate chicken too long, it will get a mushy texture.
Set Up Your Wood-Fired Oven
Now that your chicken is marinated, it's time to build a wood fire in your pizza oven. You will want to start by arranging the wood into a neat pile at the back of the oven. Here’s how.
How to Put Wood in a Pizza Oven
Step 1: Create the Base
- Get started by putting a pair of parallel logs on the floor of your pizza oven. This will give you a base for the kindling.
- Make sure that the space between the logs is wide enough to let you put more logs on top, but not so wide that the kindling will fall through.
Step 2: Put Together the Kindling
- The easiest way to gather the kindling that you are going to need is by collecting the splinters that fall off to the side while you're splitting firewood. Buying your firewood online? Just add kindling to your cart.
- If you go the DIY route, look for thin pieces of firewood that are similar in size to a matchstick, with some slighter bigger and others a bit smaller, because these will ignite easily and get your fire started faster without any fuss.
Step 3: Layer the Kindling
- To make sure that you have enough heat, light the logs to create embers and then layer the kindling on top of the parallel logs to create a base layer.
- For your first layer, use a slightly thicker kindling then go for a decreasingly smaller size. This layered approach helps to create a gradual build-up of heat that will make it easy to ignite the bigger logs and maintain a steady fire.
Step 4: Add the Small Logs
- With the base in place, add a layer of small logs similar in size to the ones that you used at the base of the fire.
- Make sure that the logs are not leaning on each other so that you’ve got proper air circulation.
Step 5: Light the Fire
- With the kindling and small logs in place, it's time to start the fire.
- Carefully light the kindling at several different points to make sure you’ve got an even distribution of flames.
- Let the fire build as the small logs catch fire. This can take a while so be patient and watch the temperature.
Step 6: Add Larger Logs
- With the small logs burning steadily, you can add two or three larger logs on top.
- Make sure the bigger logs touch the burning kindling and small logs beneath them. These bigger logs will create a sustained heat source for cooking.
Step 7: Watch and Adjust
- As the fire burns, keep an eye on it. The stack may collapse as the logs burn down.
- If this happens, use tongs to rearrange the logs, ensuring proper air circulation and optimal burning conditions.
Step 8: Keep the Fire Going
- Depending on how long you plan to use your pizza oven, you might need to keep adding logs to maintain the fire. Again, watch the temperature gauge.
Pro Tip: What’s the best wood for a wood-fired oven? Hardwoods are a better option than softwoods, which usually have needles and cones. One of the reasons that these hardwoods are better for a pizza oven is that they burn cleaner and last longer than softwoods. The best types of hardwood are ash, beech, sycamore, birch and oak.
Notes on Preheating a Pizza Oven
When you’re cooking chicken in a pizza oven, cook it at 200 to 230°C. This will cook it evenly and keep the meat moist and juicy.
A wood-fired oven like the Luhnasa Setanta will get to 450°C in about 20 minutes so keep an eye on it and avoid letting it get too hot.
Cooking Chicken in a Pizza Oven
Once you have the pizza oven heated up and you can see that the wood has formed a bed of hot coals, it's time to cook the chicken. To get it started, put the chicken pieces on the Oven Grill Grid or a preheated cast-iron skillet.
With the chicken settled in place, close the oven door to keep in the heat and let the chicken cook. Rotate the chicken pieces occasionally to make sure that it browns even and then cook it until it gets an internal temperature of 74°C. While that’s not really an issue with beef, it is really important to make sure that chicken is thoroughly cooked, both for food safety and to get a good quality end result.
Cool and Serve
Once the chicken is fully cooked, take it out of the pizza oven and let it rest for a few minutes. This resting period is actually important for allowing the juices to cover the entirety of the chicken, which makes it more tender and juicier. Serve your wood-fired chicken hot with a bit of fresh herbs or a squeeze of lemon for a boost of freshness.
Why We Love Wood-Fired Chicken in a Pizza Oven
Making wood-fired chicken in a pizza oven is a truly gourmet culinary experience that elevates the flavours of your chicken. By following this step-by-step guide, you can make a tender, smoky, and delicious dish that will dazzle at your garden party. So, fire up your pizza oven, embrace wood-fired cooking, and enjoy the incredible outdoor dining experience.
Meet Luhnasa.
We are passionate about helping you create unforgettable memories with your friends and family with the art of outdoor cooking and living. That’s why we design and build high-quality, durable pizza ovens and outdoor living spaces that inspire people to gather, connect, and savour life's simple pleasures.
Irish-owned and operated, here are Luhnasa we offer exceptional customer service, expert craftsmanship, and innovative design solutions that will exceed your expectations at every turn