The first time I saw someone stick a can inside a chicken and cook it, I’m pretty sure I doubled over laughing. I mean, is it not the most ridiculous-looking thing on the planet? It’s a chicken. Standing up. On a beer.
But then I took one taste, and I didn’t care how silly it looked while cooking—that was a dang good chicken! By cooking the chicken on a can of your favorite beer (or hard cider—like I do here—or honestly, any liquid in a can), you not only keep the chicken moist and juicy, but you also get to impart all kinds of delicious flavor into every meaty bite. You also get to drink half a beer while you’re cooking (it’s part of the recipe!), which I’m not mad about.
What do I need to make this beer can chicken recipe?
Let’s talk about the ingredients and equipment you’ll need for beer can chicken:
- A whole chicken.
- Seasoning. In addition to a lemon and olive oil, you’ll need to mix up a spice rub. The spice rub is flipping delicious. It requires a number of different herbs and spices, but you can make it up in bulk (in fact, the ratio below will give you more than you need just for one chicken) and sprinkle it on all kinds of grilled meats, seafood, and veggies.
- Can of beer. Stick with a 12-ounce can for the most stability—you don’t want the whole thing tipping over on the grill! If you’re not interested in using beer or hard cider here, this method works beautifully with juices, wine, soda, or even just water. Just save a clean aluminum can and fill it halfway up with whatever liquid you want to use.
- A cast iron skillet. A 10″ or 12″ skillet works perfectly to hold up your beer can chicken and collect all the drippings so your grill doesn’t become a (literal) hot mess. Any oven-proof skillet, baking sheet, or grill pan will work, but, like so many things in the kitchen, a cast iron skillet is the perfect tool for the job here.
Protip: Beer can chicken in the oven?
You can follow this method in the regular oven, by removing the top rack and roasting at 375°F. But I highly recommend taking out the top rack of your grill (if you have one) and trying it in there. The combo of the smoky flavor from the grill plus the beer and my sweet and spicy dry rub makes for a chicken that you just can’t stop eating.
How do I make beer can chicken?
- Mix up the dry rub. Like I said, this is going to make more spice mix than you need for the chicken—store any extra in a small jar for future uses!
- Cut the lemon in half and rub the halves all over the chicken. Sprinkle the dry rub all over the chicken. I would recommend not actually rubbing in your spice rub. Just like our skin, chicken skin has pores, and when you actually rub in the spices, you are closing up those pores. Not a big deal when you’re cooking in the oven, but when you’re cooking over a flame, you really want that smoky, open-flame flavor to permeate the chicken. So no closing up those pores! Just give your chicken a very liberally sprinkling of the “rub” and be done with it. No worries, you’ll still have plenty of great flavor!
- Preheat a grill to 375°F. Either turn off the middle burner or divide the charcoal into piles on the edges—both will provide a spot to cook the chicken over indirect heat.
- Drizzle the chicken with oil. Open the can of beer, pour out or drink about half of it, and then arrange the chicken so that the can is in the cavity, holding the chicken upright.
- Place the chicken and beer can on a cast iron skillet or baking sheet to catch the drippings. The chicken legs should create a kind of tripod with the can to keep the chicken upright.
- Put the pan on that indirect heat spot of the grill, close the lid, and cook until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165°F. This takes about an hour and 15 minutes for a four-pound chicken, but time will vary based on the size of the bird.
- Remove from the heat and let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving and serving.
Grilled Beer Can Chicken
Beer Can Chicken looks a little silly while cooking, but it results in the most flavorful and juiciest chicken you've ever had!
Ingredients
For the Dry Rub:
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon finely ground sea salt
- 2 teaspoons fresh cracked black pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
For the Chicken:
- 1 large whole fryer chicken (approximately 3-4 pounds), gizzards removed
- 1 lemon, sliced in half
- Olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 can of beer, cider, soda, or juice
Instructions
- Mix together all the ingredients for the dry rub in a small bowl.
- Place the whole chicken on a baking sheet, and rub all over with the lemon halves (make sure to get in all the nooks and crannies). Discard the lemon halves.
- Liberally sprinkle the dry rub on the chicken—making sure to get in all the nooks and crannies. Do NOT rub the spice mixture in (see the notes). You will likely have some rub left over. Place the chicken, uncovered, in the fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight.
- When ready to cook the chicken, preheat a gas or charcoal grill to about 375°. Make sure to turn off the middle burner of the gas grill or divide the hot charcoal into two piles on the edges of the grill—you want to cook the chicken over indirect heat.
- While the grill preheats, liberally drizzle both sides of the chicken with olive oil or avocado oil.
- Open your can of beer, cider, soda, or juice, drink about half of it, and then carefully wiggle the whole chicken on top of the beer. Really wedge it in there. Place the chicken on a small baking sheet, cast iron skillet, or other grill-proof pan to help collect the drippings (unless you want to do some serious post-grilling clean up). Use the chicken's legs to help prop up the chicken.
- Place the chicken in the middle of the grill, close the lid, and cook for about one hour and 15 minutes for a four pound bird, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°. Check on your chicken occasionally during the cooking time, but don't open the grill lid too often—it'll release all the heat.
- Once cooked, remove chicken from grill and let rest for 10 minutes before carving. Carefully remove the beer can from the chicken cavity and discard. Enjoy!
Notes
- Tallboys are less than ideal for this, because the height of the can makes it to where you can't use the chicken's legs for stability. Stick to a 12 ounce can.
- Even though this is called a dry "rub," I recommend not rubbing it in. Rubbing it in clogs the pores of the chicken skin, which doesn't allow any of the gloriously smoky flavor from the grill into the chicken. Just sprinkle it on.
- If your chicken is bigger or smaller, adjust your cooking time accordingly (you'll probably want to go off of temperature instead of time anyway).
- You can use whatever liquid in the can makes you happy. I've used half cans of sparkling water, juice, and I've even filled an empty can with wine before with good results!
- To cook this in the oven, preheat to 375° and remove the top rack. Roast chicken in oven for about one hour and 15 minutes for a four pound bird, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 163Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 837mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 1gSugar: 18gProtein: 6g
At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.
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