How to Make the Best Beer Can Chicken
Beer can chicken may seem like a crazy way to cook a whole chicken, but hear us out… it really creates a moist, flavorful bird on the grill without much effort.
If you are concerned about a “beer taste” being added to the chicken, don’t worry. The chicken will not taste like beer.
What Is Beer Can Chicken?
So, what exactly is beer can chicken? Some other cultures may call it drunken or dancing chicken, beer butt chicken, or chicken on a throne. All these terms mean the same thing: an entire chicken sitting on a beer can over indirect heat.
Beer can chicken is a fun and easy way to roast a whole chicken. To make it, you’ll season the chicken, place it upright on an open beer can, and roast it in the oven or on a grill. As the beer heats up, it steams the chicken from the inside, keeping it moist while the outside becomes perfectly crispy and flavorful.
Indirect heat can be achieved on a grill by lighting the burners on one side, and placing the bird on the other.
The full recipe is below.
The Best Beer for Beer Can Chicken
The best beer to use would be a cheap, light beer. This means Coors Light, Miller Lite, Busch, Keystone… something cheap with little flavor.
You wouldn’t want to waste a premium beer on this recipe. The flavors from the beer simply won’t make a huge difference in the final taste of the meat. Oh, it would work, but I’d rather drink a good IPA or stout instead of wasting it on this.
In a pinch, you could always use a pop can, or an empty can of vegetables. Empty the can out, give it a good rinse, and fill it halfway with water. This will do basically the same thing.
Beer Can Chicken
Ingredients
- Disposable Tin Foil Pan
- A can of light beer (non-alcoholic beer works too)
- Thyme, pepper, and salt
- One whole chicken
- A meat thermometer
Instructions
- Remove the bird’s giblets, then rub the meat with a 1:1:1 mix of the spices. We recommend you use some thyme, pepper, and salt, but paprika and garlic powder go great here as well.
- Treat yourself to half of the beer (because we only use half)
- Place the bird on top of the can, with about half the can inside the bird. The bird's legs should be able to help steady the bird and can contraption and hold itself upright.
On The Grill
- Preheat half of your grill to 375°F (medium).
- Place the pan with the chicken can on top of the grill opposite of where the flames are (the "cold side") and cook it until your meat thermometer says 165°F. That should take anywhere from 50 to 90 mins.
In The Oven
- Preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Place the prepared pan with the chicken can on top inside.
- Next, bake until the chicken reads to 165°F. It should be around 45 - 55 mins.