The Drolet Chic-Choc is a large wood-burning cookstove made in Canada. It combines space heating with a full cooking surface and oven in one unit. With its 3.3 cubic-foot firebox, it can fit 20″ logs and burn for around 8–10 hours on a load of wood (or even longer with very dry, long splits).
This stove is EPA-certified and designed to heat roughly 2,000–2,300 square feet, making it suitable for a medium-size house, cabin or off-grid home. Unlike the smaller Drolet Bistro, the Chic-Choc has a wide steel cooktop and a big stainless-steel oven, so you can cook large meals while keeping rooms warm. It stands about 39” tall (cooking surface at 37”), which is a comfortable height for most cooks.
Here’s all the info you might need to determine if it’s right for you and your family, with real user reviews and tips.
Chic-Choc wood cookstove
One happy Chic-Choc owner, Leslie, shared this picture in the Drolet FB group: “Baking bread in our new Chic Choc.”
Another group member asked “Are you happy with it as a heater and cook stove?”, to which she replied:
Yes we are. We are still learning how to use it as a cookstove because you have to keep a close eye in it to manage the temperature.
Heats very well and looks anazing!
Inside the Chic-Choc’s heavy steel body you’ll find a secondary-combustion system and firebrick lining, which help it burn cleanly and efficiently. It’s essentially a modern take on the classic farmhouse range: one appliance that heats your home and bakes your bread. Users report it can roast a chicken and keep water hot while easily warming a living room.
The oven has two adjustable stainless steel racks and an integrated thermometer, so you can bake, roast or slow-cook like a regular oven. The wide cast-iron top has hot spots near the flue (for boiling or frying) and cooler edges for simmering. Think of the cooktop as having a quick-burn zone and a low-and-slow zone: for example, you might sear steaks near the back when the stove is roaring, and move pots toward the front corner to gently braise.
Unlike a gas range, there are no temperature knobs – you control heat by how much wood you burn and how you adjust the air damper. Learning this takes some practice: one owner mentioned it’s easy to hold the oven at 50–200°F (good for proofing or yogurt) and even reach 400°F when needed. But precise baking takes time to master.
Many users say the stove is powerful: one reported their Chic-Choc “easily burns/heats for 12 hours” on a full load, keeping the house cozy overnight and stabilizing the oven for baking and yogurt-making. Another noted the stove was “remarkably efficient” and “10 out of 10” for performance (once set up). Those reviews match its specs: nearly 10 hours of burn time and an EPA-rated high efficiency, which means less smoke and more heat from each log.
Features
The Drolet FB group is a great forum for finding out whether or not real users are happy with the Chic-Choc.
Rizal, another member shared this with a picture of his new cookstove:
Hello! We’re the new owners of the Drolet Chic Chok. We’ve been using it about a month and are very happy with it. All of our guests comment on how beautiful it is. I haven’t tried cooking on it yet. I would love to connect with others who are cooking on their wood stove.
Large firebox and long burn
The Chic-Choc holds about 3.3 ft³ of wood (log length up to 20″) and has a big ceramic-glass door. It’s built for long burns – expect 8–10 hours on dry wood (some owners report 12–14 with very long splits). This means you can heat overnight without refueling.
Big cooking capacity
A spacious stainless steel oven (about 3.3 ft³) comes with two adjustable racks and a built-in thermometer. You can bake casseroles, loaves of bread, or even smoke-cook meats inside it. The stove top is a wide steel plate at 37″ high, with plenty of room for multiple pots. It heats most near the flue, and cooler toward the edges.
Heating area
It’s designed to heat small to medium homes or open-plan areas up to ~2,300 sq ft. In a well-insulated house, it can be the primary heater. In larger or multi-room homes, it works best as the main heater in one floor or supplemented by other heat.
Efficiency and certification
The stove meets EPA 2020 clean-burning standards (via secondary burn). This means it runs much cleaner than an old wood cookstove or fireplace. High efficiency translates to more warmth and less creosote buildup.
Build quality
Made of heavy-gauge steel with cast-iron doors and handles, it’s a rugged appliance. It carries a limited lifetime warranty, reflecting its durable construction. The clearances are more forgiving than many ovens (it can come within about 15″ of walls with protection), and it was even designed in two pieces for easier handling.
Cooking and Heating Performance
Height and weight
The 37″ cooking height is a pro for many people (no stooping), but consider if it’s right for your kitchen counters. The stove itself is very heavy – about 896 lbs – even split into two sections. Putting it together took one owner a full day with dollies. They said it’s better to have help, but it’s designed so two pieces can slide in and connect.
Pros and cons
Dawn T shared this stunning picture of her family’s new Drolet Chic-Choc, saying:
We got our Chic Choc earlier this year, but our remodeling has been slow-going. We finally managed to get it up the stairs and into the new great room. We lit our first fire this evening! 🔥 Yay!
Pros:
- Dual-purpose appliance – Heats and cooks in one unit. You save space and fuel by doing both with the same fire.
- Huge cooking space – Large oven and thick cast-iron top can handle big meals. You can slow-cook stews on one side while boiling water or searing on another.
- Long burn times – The oversized firebox means you can often make it through the night on one fill of wood. Users have routinely seen 10+ hour burns with hardwood.
- High efficiency, clean burn – Modern secondary-combustion design meets strict EPA limits. More of the wood’s energy becomes heat (and less creosote), so it’s green and economical to run.
- Robust construction – Sturdy steel body, solid doors, glass window, and cast-iron details. Drolet stoves are known for durability and come with a lifetime warranty.
- Off-grid readiness – No electricity needed. In a power outage, you still have heat and the ability to cook fully (unlike a furnace + electric stove setup).
- Comfortable height – The 37″ stove-top is about waist-high, which many cooks find easier than stooping over a short wood stove.
- Attractive flame view – The big glass door puts a nice wood fire view front and center, giving a cozy feel in the kitchen or living area.
Cons:
- Learning curve – Cooking on wood requires practice. The oven can be kept steady, but you adjust it by fire size, not knobs. Searing on the hot-spot vs simmering on the cooler area takes getting used to.
- Chores and maintenance – Like any wood heater, you’ll split/stack wood, empty ash regularly, and sweep the chimney yearly. It’s more work than a gas range or electric heater.
- Size and weight – This is a big stove. It’s heavy (nearly 900 lbs) and needs good clearance. You need a sturdy floor or hearth pad. It also requires adequate side and back space from combustible walls (though heat shields help).
- No built-in air intake – It pulls fresh air from the room unless you add an optional outside-air kit. Some owners noted they wished it came standard with an outside air port.
- Pricey – As a large premium appliance, it costs several thousand dollars. But many see it as a long-term investment in home heat & cooking.
- Space vs convenience – If your kitchen is small or you mainly want quick everyday meals, an electric or gas stove is much easier. The Chic-Choc is more like a lifestyle choice for people who embrace wood cooking and heating.
Also, there’s no fan blower included, so you rely on natural convection (the steel body and door radiate heat). Many owners use ceiling fans or small fans to push warmth into other rooms. Because the oven and stove function together, anything you do in one affects the other. For example, baking at 400°F gives off a lot of heat to the room.
In daily use, the Chic-Choc excels at multi-tasking. You can throw in a load of wood, bake a roast, and boil water all at once. Owners say it heats evenly; the room gets very warm near the stove and naturally spreads out. The double-pane glass door lets you watch the fire, adding ambiance as you cook. Note that with such power, it can easily overheat a small, super-insulated space if run at full burn, so many run it at a medium output for cozier comfort in shoulder seasons.
Is is right for you?
The Chic-Choc shines in the right setting. It’s a great match for rural, off-grid, or cabin homes where firewood is plentiful. If you gather wood yourself or have cheap fuel, it cuts your heating and cooking bills. Families who love hearty home-cooked meals – breads, roasts, soups – will appreciate the large oven and cooktop. Also, it’s excellent as a backup during storms: even if the power is out, you can still warm the house and prepare meals.
On the other hand, city dwellers or anyone who prefers minimal chores might find it overkill. If you live in a tight apartment or a well-served suburban home, the clearances and wood requirements could be a hassle. Also, if most cooking happens on weekdays or you need instant on-demand heat, you might opt for separate solutions (like a high-efficiency wood stove plus a kitchen range). The Chic-Choc is best for people who genuinely enjoy tending a wood fire and see it as part of their home lifestyle, rather than a pure convenience appliance.
In summary, the Drolet Chic-Choc is a powerful and versatile cookstove that does both jobs well in the right circumstances. It offers exceptional heat and cooking capacity: a huge oven, a wide cooktop, and very long burn times. If you have the space, wood supply, and interest in wood-fired cooking, it can be a centerpiece of your home. It heats big spaces (up to 2300 ft²) and bakes, boils, and steams with ease, all while adding the charm of a real wood fire.
However, it is not a small appliance. It demands routine care and thoughtful use. You’ll be balancing logs, cleaning ashes, and learning to cook by fire management. If you’re ready for that, the Chic-Choc can reward you with hot meals and warmth at all hours. In the end, it’s a blend of stove and hearth: choose it if you value self-reliance, enjoy wood heat, and want robust cooking power even when the grid goes down. If that sounds like you, the Drolet Chic-Choc is worth a closer look!
