Beer Can Chicken

This might look like a funny way of cooking a chicken but the steam rising from the beer keeps the meat lovely and juicy as it cooks. Use a beer can or one of those vertical roasters you can now buy, which are steadier and easier to cope with. You can use cider instead of beer if you like. A great recipe for a barbecue party. Cheers!

Whole roasted chicken with a crispy, seasoned skin, standing upright in a black roasting pan, resembling the mouthwatering Beer Can Chicken from a Hairy Bikers recipe, with herbs in the background.

Beer Can Chicken | 📷 Andrew Hayes-Watkins

Info

Serves
4 - 6 people
Prep time
around 15 minutes including resting
Cooking time
1 - 2 hours, includes resting

Ingredients

  • 1 x 1.8kg chicken, giblets removed
  • 1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika
  • 1 tbsp mustard powder
  • 1⁄2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tbsp light soft brown sugar or honey
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 50g butter, softened
  • 440ml can of beer
  • lemon wedges, to serve
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

  1. Prepare your barbecue or preheat your oven to its highest setting.

  2. Season the inside of the chicken with salt. Mix together the paprika, mustard powder, cayenne, garlic powder, oregano, sugar or honey and the lemon zest with lots of black pepper and a teaspoon of salt in a small bowl. Add the butter and knead it all together, then rub the whole lot over the chicken, making sure every bit of skin is covered.

  3. Pour out half the beer from the can – up to you what you do with it! Sit the chicken over the can and place it on a roasting tin. If roasting your bird in the oven, cook it for 15 minutes at the highest temperature, then turn the oven down to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6 and roast for a further 45–60 minutes. Check that the chicken is cooked through, then cover it with foil and leave it to rest for 20 minutes before serving.

  4. If you are cooking your chicken on a barbecue, make sure the coals are very hot. If you have a grid small enough to place directly on top of or just very slightly above the coals, use this and put the roasting tin on top. Otherwise, put the roasting tin directly on to the coals, making it as stable as possible, and put the lid on the barbecue. Roast the chicken for an hour and 20 minutes, checking the coals regularly, until it is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the barbecue, then cover it with foil and leave it to rest for 20 minutes.

  5. Serve with lemon wedges – the juice really enhances the fantastic flavour of the chicken.