Kitchen Moxy

Beer Can Chicken

YUM, while this chicken is dry roasting on the outside, the inside is being bathed with steamy beer, keeping the chicken meat wonderfully moist. The result is tender, fall-off-the-bone meat, encased in salty, herby, crispy skin. Using olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, parsley and Rosemary on the chicken will bring out the wonderful flavor of the meat. If you are comfortable sliding your hand between the skin and the meat, rub some of the herb mixture in between, this way you are actually flavoring the meat not just the skin.

You can also roast a chicken this way in the oven. Just place it as directed on an open half-filled can of beer, sitting up, in a roasting pan on the lower rack of your oven. Roast at 350°F until done (about 1-1/2 hrs. for a 4 lb chicken, meat should register 180 degrees with a meat thermometer). You can substitute wine for the beer, just pour into a mason jar and sit the chicken on top. For an alcohol-free version of this recipe, just fill a pint mason jar halfway with chicken stock and use it instead of the beer.

If you are going to Grill your chicken: spray grill rack with non-stick cooking spray. Heat grill to medium or prepare a medium fire cooking by indirect method.

If using an oven preheat to 350 F

Ingredients:

• 4 lb Chicken – washed inside and outside with cool running water – dry with paper towels
• 2 tablespoons minced flat leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons of fresh Rosemary, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic – grated or chopped fine
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons of cold butter sliced into thin pieces

Directions

1. Combine parsley, rosemary, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil in a bowl
2. Slide your hand between the skin and meat – careful not to rip the skin
3. Rub about half of the herb mixture on meat, don’t forget the thighs
4. Slide the butter inside the skin (don’t forget legs) on top of the herb mixture
5. Rub the chicken skin with the rest of the herb mixture

Preparation

• Wash the beer can with hot soapy water
• Dry
• Open can and pour half the beer into a glass and drink
• Puncture 2 more holes in the top of the beer can
• Lower bird onto the can – the can must be inside the cavity
• Stand the chicken on the grill – on cool part of grill (indirect cooking) using legs and bottom of can as a tripod (if cooking in an oven, sit the bird inside a roasting pan using same method as just described)
• Cover grill and roast until an instant read thermometer reads 180 degrees inserted in thigh.
• Carefully transfer chicken and beer can to a cutting board and let sit for 10 minutes
• Carefully lift chicken off of beer can (may need two people for this, one holding the can and the other one lifting the chicken)
• Discard beer
• Enjoy!