Beer can chicken

Roasted chicken over a beer can with beer juice, vegetables and spices. Roasted and steamed in outdoor grill or in the oven.

Why make this recipe?

• Fun way to bake a chicken
• Full of flavour
• Tender and soft meat, which is partly cooked from the inside

What exactly is beer can chicken?

Beer can chicken is a way of cooking chicken on a half-empty beer can, which is filled with spices and herbs. As the can heats up, it cooks the chicken from within as well as helps to steam up the inside of the chicken. The beer, herbs and spices help to flavour the chicken.

If you prefer, you can also use a cider can, as apple flavour works great with chicken.

Any specialist equipment needed?

You will need either outside grill (with closable lid) or domestic oven. I use a baking tray, when baking beer can chicken in the oven (as you don’t want the juices to run into the bottom of the oven). If you are using outside grill, you can choose to leave the chicken without a tray. This will make the juices run out, but you’ll also get a great smoked flavour from the wood chippings (depending on what you are using for fuel your grill).

Ingredients & Possible Substitutions

The chicken spice rub

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon smoked or mild paprika
• 1 teaspoon rosemary finelly chopped
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

The chicken

• 1 whole chicken small to medium size
• 2 teaspoons oil
• 1 can beer your choice
• 1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1-2 cloves garlic crushed
• 2 teaspoons thyme
• 1/2 onion chopped rougly
• 1 lemon juice from one lemon

The method – Instructions

INSTRUCTIONS

• Prepare a suitable baking tray – large enough to hold the chicken.
• Preheat the oven to 220 C 450F or prepare outdoor grill for indirect cooking on lower heat of 400 – 450F.
• To make the spice rub mix all the spices together in a small bow.
• Rub the chicken with the oil and apply the spices to the outside and inside of the chicken. Use more oil and spice mix rub to make sure your chicken is nicely covered.
• Open your beer can and pour some beer out (save for later) so that it doesn’t splater as the chicken is roasting.
• Add the rest of the spices, rosemary springs, garlic, onion, lemon juice, thyme and any other spices that you like into the beer can. This will add flavour to the steam as the chicken bakes.
• Place the beer can on a sturdy baking tray (if using oven) and sit the chicken over the can pushing the can through the middle of the chicken.
• Place the chicken in the oven or inside your outdoor grill (you don’t need to use a baking tray for the grill).
• If using outside grill place inside the grill on indirect medium heat and cook with the lid closed.
• Depending on the size of the chicken, grill or bake for 1¼ to 1½ hours.
• When the chicken is done (juices run clear and the outside is golden brown), take it out and leave it to rest for 10 minutes (cover with a foil loosely if it’s cold).
• When you are ready to serve the chicken, carefully lift it from the beer can.
• Serve with baked or mashed potatoes, couscous, salad or homemade bread.

How else you can make this recipe?

• Use a can of cider or other drink suitable for cooking
• Vary the different spices and herbs that you use for the chicken rub and the inside of the beer or cider can
• Add potatotes or carrots to the baking tray as you bake your chicken. This way you’ll end up with the whole meal at the same time and the running juices from the chicken will flavour the vegetables.

What can you serve beer can chicken with?

SIDE DISHES

• Couscous >>
• Creamy mashed potatoes with chives >>
• Sriracha roasted cauliflower >>
• Gratin Potatoes >>
• Baked Potatoes (Crock Pot) >>
• Green Beans >>

BREAD

• Cornbread (Sugar Free) >>
• Rye Bread (no knead) >>
• Rustic Beer Bread (Quick Recipe) >>

Serving size

This very much depends on the size of your chicken, but even the small size chicken usually feeds family of 4.

Can this recipe be made in advance?

You can make the chicken well in advance and either re-heat it later that day or the next day. Alternatively, you can cook the chicken, cool it completely and then freeze it. If you decide to freeze it, I’d normally divide the meat into portions, so that I can take out only what I need and it takes less time than when you freeze the whole chicken.

How to store cooked chicken

Leave the meat to cool down properly first, cover and then keep in the fridge for 1-2 days. Alternatively, freeze on the same day (providing that the chicken wasn’t previously frozen).

How to re-heat this recipe

Roasted chicken over a beer can with beer juice, vegetables and spices. Roasted and steamed in outdoor grill or in the oven