Cooking a chicken on a beer can may seem gimmicky but you will be amazed at how tender and juicy the chicken comes out using this cooking method. Every time I cook a chicken this way I am amazed with how simple the recipe is and how it never fails to wow my guests. The rub with its abundant and varied spices adds such robust flavor to an otherwise plain chicken. It may seem like there are too many spices in the rub but they all work together very nicely. The brown sugar helps the chicken to get that nice golden color whether cooking on the grill or in the oven. It really is a no fuss recipe and I hope you’ll give it a try!
Notes on the Recipe, Tips and Tricks
I use a disposable foil tray to catch the drippings. You’ll be surprised at how much fat drips out of the chicken. The tray catches everything and makes the clean-up super easy.
The below rub recipes makes approximately 1/4 cup of rub and it should be more than enough for a 5 pound chicken.
I am not a fan of chicken skin and will peel it off and discard it. So that I don’t lose any of the wonderful flavors, I put the rub underneath the chicken skin. Just gently work the rub underneath the skin with your finger. The chicken skin is really stretchy and you can get to most areas of the chicken simply by lifting the skin and then running your index finger between the skin and meat to create pockets where you can then place the rub.
If you enjoyed this recipe, you may also like: Asian-Style Stuffed Cornish Game Hens.
Ingredients
for the Rub
1/2 Tbsp 5-spice powder
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
1/2 Tbsp ginger powder
1/2 Tbsp onion powder
1/2 Tbsp sea salt
1/2 Tbsp paprika powder
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne powder
5 lb whole chicken
1-12 oz can beer
1/4 small onion
Directions
To make the rub, add all spices into a measuring cup or bowl and mix well making sure to break-up any chunks of spice. Alternatively, put all ingredients into a jar, seal tightly and shake the jar for 1 minute to combine the spices.
Open beer can and pour out 1/2 cup of beer into a glass. Drink just the beer in the glass before proceeding to next step. 🙂 Use a can opener to make some additional holes on the top of the can. Add 2 tsp of the rub into the can. Coat the can with a thin layer of vegetable oil. (This will make the chicken easier to remove after it’s done cooking.)
Remove giblets from inside the chicken. Rinse the inside and outside of the chicken with cool water. Shake off any excess water and then pat dry with paper towels. Using kitchen shears cut off the flaps of fat at the opening of the chicken and discard.
Sprinkle spice mixture and rub it onto the chicken, coating it evenly. Put some rub inside the chicken too. Optionally, work the rub underneath the skin.
Hold chicken with one hand and beer can with the other. Tilt beer can slightly and insert into the opening of the chicken. Lower the chicken onto the beer can until it can stand on its own. About 1 inch of the can should be visible. Arrange the legs to help support the weight.
Place an onion wedge into the neck cavity and pull the skin around the onion to hold it in place.
Cooking in the Oven
Transfer chicken to a baking dish or sturdy disposable foil pan.
Arrange oven rack so it is at the lowest position. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until the internal temperature of the breast meat is 165 degrees. After 1 hour, check the temperature with a meat thermometer and then keep checking every 5-6 minutes until the it reaches 165 degrees. (A 5 lb chicken takes approximately 1 1/2 hours.)
Cooking on the Grill
Transfer chicken to a sturdy disposable foil pan. Set the grill temperature to Medium and place the tray over indirect heat. (If your grill has 2 heat sources, turn on the one heat source and place the chicken on the opposite side so the chicken is not directly over the flame). Close the lid and grill until the internal temperature of the breast meat is 165 degrees. After 1 hour, check the temperature with a meat thermometer and then keep checking every 5-6 minutes until it reaches 165 degrees.
After Chicken is Done
Remove from the oven or grill and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Use 2 pairs of tongs to remove the chicken from the beer can. Clamp the chicken with one pair of tongs and use the other pair of tongs to extract the beer can. Be careful with this step as the chicken, can and the beer inside is really hot.
Serve the chicken as a rice plate with broken rice, egg meatloaf, carrot and radish pickles, scallion oil and fish sauce dipping sauce.
Yields: 4-6 servings
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