Be careful of the cooking temperature you are using. I was having burning problems only to learn my thermometer was inaccurate by at least 25 degrees. I figured that out when I got a second thermometer. Also, I believe some recipes specify too high an initial temperature. The Alton Brown reference mentions 325 degrees. That would probably tend to minimize burning compared to some higher temperatures. Be aware that you've got to get the chicken in the pan rather quickly once the oil/fat reaches temperature. It can climb very fast with nothing in the pan. When the chicken goes in, the temperature will drop considerably. As long as it stays above 300 or so, or maybe even 275, it should be fine.
Dutch ovenIslands It's a type of oven of course, ergo the name... it's a vessel of a configuration that is used for baking directly in an open fire, typically...
Turning often will tend to even out browning problems, but if you have a thick crust on it, turning will tend to knock it off.
The cover on/cover off thing probably has an effect on whether the crust ends up crispy or moist, not so much on browning/burning. I cook with the cover on for the initial half of the time, and the cover off for the rest. It doesn't seem to keep the crust from getting very crisp on the recipe I am using. The spattering problem is worst at the beginning and minimal toward the end when most of the water has boiled off. It is that surface moisture on fried food that causes oil to "boil". The oil never reaches a high enough temperature that it boils itself.
I use a cast iron chicken fryer very similar to the one you are using, though mine was made by Vollrath and is about 70 years old. I am using a gas stove. I've gotten to the point where I know about how big the flame should be to maintain the temperature in the proper range. I don't use the thermometer much after bringing the oil to up to the initial temperature.
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