Okay, I moved to Idaho after that summer and the next year was taking classes at the university, community classes at first. One was a dutch oven cooking class and I used this as my recipe for the cook-off at the finals for the class. A cookbook was compiled with all the recipes from the cook-off so it even has an official name!
So I looked up the actual recipe so you can get a good take on it. Mind you, switch out and do whatever makes it right for you, this is one pot campfire in the desert food, you use what you got.
The actual name is: 2na's Ocotillo Coq au Citron! (What? :roll
Apparently I used a combo of oil and butter for initially frying the chicken to get it started and for flavor, and you want to dredge in flour or crumbs, the chicken before frying. I also, for the cook-off, used a lemon too but any citrus fruit is good, you cut them in chunks/quarters and when adding to the pot, give each piece a good squeeze over the pot then drop the rest in, peel and all.
And you want to add in an onion in chunks like you would for a stew, they should be browned by the time you add the citrus, after the chicken is nearly done. Let that meld together for about fifteen minutes then add the honey. They honey dose this cool thing where it coats/glazes everything and seals in the flavored chicken juice in the chicken so it comes out moist and tender. Carrots might be a good thing to add.
For spices, celery is a big flavor but any or a mix of these can work too; Ground ginger, tarragon, oregano, cracked pepper. You may have one or some that you like, go for it with those. Whatever works with the citrus flavors you use will do. You could use grapefruit and adjust for something more savory rather than sweet too. You might use some other glazing element rather than honey too, though my mind is blank on what that might be, I'll get back to you on that. Play with it.
I was totally winging it when I made this out in the Ocotillo desert in 1990. But it was probably the best thing I came up with that summer, an adventure to never forget. The recipe was fancied up a little for the cook-off but the simplest version is probably best.