Beer Can Chicken In The Oven Recipe

If You Arent A Beer Drinker Thats Okay

Beer Can Chicken (Oven Baked) | The Hungry Bachelor

Believe it or not, beer is not necessarily required. Some die-hard beer can chicken aficionados might argue that there is a scientific reaction that takes place between the yeast in the beer and the meat while its cooking. However, in all the times I have made drunk chicken, I never once thought the meat came out tasting like Budweiser.

Instead of beer, consider one of these substitutes:

The Most Flavorful Beer Can Chicken

Beer can chicken is seriously one of our favorite things to make. We love it on the grill and in the oven. Since you cook a whole chicken on top of a can of beer, the end result is both white and dark meat that is so juicy and tender.

What is beer can chicken?

Beer can chicken is a method of cooking chicken where you place the cavity of a whole chicken on top of a can of beer. It can be cooked in the oven or on the grill.

Is beer can chicken and beer but chicken the same thing?

Yes! Beer butt chicken is just another name for beer can chicken.

Why should I make beer can chicken?

Oven Roasted Beer Can Chicken

Have you ever made Beer Can Chicken? Im going to show you exactly how to make the most amazing Oven Roasted Beer Can Chicken, in the oven, with only 3 ingredients!

RECIPE IS BELOW IN PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD BUT BLOG POST IS FULL OF HOW TO MAKE IT, TIPS, INFORMATION AND FAQ

Dont get on me for making this beer can chicken in the oven and not on the grill. I really wanted to make Beer Can chicken on the grill this year but alas, our grill is just not tall enough for a lovely chicken to hang out inside of it with a beer can under its bum.

So in our house we opt for Oven Roasted Beer Can Chicken and it is darn good, yall!

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How Do I Make Beer Can Chicken

Brine the chicken overnight or for up to 24 hours. A two-gallon food-safe zipper seal bag works great for brining a chicken.

Rinse and pat the chicken dry with paper towles, then brush on vegetable oil.

Sprinkle with spice rub to coat the inside and outside of the chicken.

Pour out one quarter of the can of beer, then place a sprig of rosemary in the opening.

Prop your beer can in the rack specifically made for beer can chicken recipes, or place a tall can of light beer up on a rimmed sheet covered in foil. Note: We prefer to roast our chicken in an additional disposable pan or tray for easy clean-up and so the roasted vegetables absorb some of the flavors from the juices. You can also place the rack or can directly on the grill if you prefer.

Place the chicken over the can, legs facing down. Use kitchen shears and nip off the wing tips they will dry out and burn if you dont.

Cut small potatoes and onions in half or quarters. Husk ears of corn and cut into thirds or quarters. Place the vegetables around the pan below the chicken, brush with vegetable oil and sprinkle on salt and pepper.

Let the chicken rest for at least 20-minutes to redistribute the juices. Leave any probes in, and loosely cover the chicken with foil. If any of the vegetables need more time, remove the chicken to a platter and place the vegetables back in the grill or oven while the chicken rests. The corn may cook quicker than the other vegetables so remove them if done.

How To Make Drunk Chicken In The Oven

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Move the oven rack to the lower third of the oven. Once preheated, slide the chicken roaster, with the chicken standing upright, into the oven. Roast the chicken for 18 minutes per pound. For a five-pound bird, it took two hours to cook through.

The recommended internal temperature for poultry is 180 degrees. Insert a reliable meat thermometer into the inner thigh area near the breast of the bird, but not touching bone. Remove the bird from the oven when the internal temperature reaches between 165 170 degrees. Allow it to sit for 15-20 minutes to give the juices time to redistribute through the meat. The chicken will continue to cook while it rests.

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Removing The Chicken From The Can

Here comes the tricky part. The chicken is hot. The roaster and the can of beer are really hot. And as the chicken cooks it kind of sticks to the roaster and the can. How do you get the gosh dern thing apart?

Silicone oven mitts come in really handy here because you can handle the chicken without burning your fingers and then rinse the gloves off under the sink. But if you dont have a pair handy, place the roaster on a cutting board. Hold the roaster down with a spatula and grasp the chicken with a pair of large tongs. Pull the chicken straight up using the tongs. Move the roaster with the beer can out of the way and lay the chicken onto the cutting board.

Grilled Beer Can Chicken

The great thing about this chicken is that you can also grill it and it will turn out just as delicious and amazing.

Preheat your gas grill to medium-high heat, with all burners lit. Prepare the chicken as stated in the instructions with the spice rub and oil.

Make sure the beer can is open, and only half-filled with beer, dont throw away the other half, drink it!

Lower the chicken onto the beer can, making sure the chicken sits upright.

Place the chicken on the grill, use the legs and beer can to support the chicken and keep it stable.

Cover the grill and let it cook. Check it after an hour, then every 15 minutes or so. As with the oven, its best to use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken and make sure it reaches 165 F degrees.

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Why Youll Love This Grilled Beer Can Chicken:

Effortless: It takes no more than 10 minutes to prep the chicken and the cooking time is totally hands off, no flipping needed!
Simple ingredients: You just need some oil, a can of beer and a few everyday herbs and spices to make this recipe.
Fool proof: Roasting a whole chicken can be tricky, its so easy to overcook which can lead to dry meat. This method of cooking the chicken over a beer can means that the chicken steams and cooks from the inside which results in the most perfectly cooked chicken!

If you love a whole roasted chicken, but dont want to run the risk of it being dry and tasteless, then you have to try this recipe! Its a classic and a favorite for a very good reason!

Storage Reheating And Freezing

Beer Can Chicken Quick Easy Oven Baked

Storage: Leftover cast iron roast chicken should be cooled completely before transferring the carved meat to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator and consume within four days.

Reheat: Leftover chicken can be reheated for a few in the microwave. Alternately, place the meat in a covered casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes until heated through.

Freeze: Place leftover meat in an airtight freezer bag. Consume within three months.

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Beer Can Chicken Spice Rub

You can really use any any spice rub you like from just salt and pepper to a premade or rub, or opt for my homemade version.

It makes a satly, sweet and just barely spicy crust that caramelizes over the chicken helps to crisp up the skin. I dont like crispy skin and juicy chicken said no one ever.

Here is what youll need to whip up a batch and I promise you already have it in your pantry. Make a double or even triple batch, as this spice blend also tastes great on pork, cuts of chicken and even steaks.

Coarse Kosher salt- please use a coarse sea salt or Kosher salt, it gives the best pure salt flavor without being too salty.
Brown Sugar- white sugar can be used, as can dark brown sugar.
Smoked Paprika gives a mild heat with smoky essence.
Black pepper- Omit if you dont want a pepper element.
Garlic Powder & Onion Powder- These are used to give onion and garlic flavor since fresh ingredients would otherwise burn for this length of time on the grill. Make sure they are less than 6 months old for the best flavor profile.

If you want a little more kick, consider adding chili powder or crushed red pepper flakes to the spice blend.

Youll also need a beer and a whole roasting chicken. Light beer works great for a mild flavor, as does Narragansett beer, known as the official beer of Jaws the movie, because its salty. A larger chicken is best because the beer can needs to fit into the cavity and it wont with a small one.

How To Make Beer Can Chicken

After deciding on a spice blend, all you need is your favorite beer and a chicken. I do suggest using a lager and not something over flavorful. It might sound bland, but I like a light beer so the flavors dont overpower anything else.

Prepare your grill- either charcoal grill or gas grill. Heat to medium high heat and clean the grates.

Unwrap and clean the chicken. Cut off any excess fat or chicken skin and remove giblets. Pat dry with paper towels really well so the skin is totally dry. Set the chicken on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet or roasting pan. Using a disposable one is also nice for easy clean up. This helps you get the chicken from point A to point B easily and also prevents it from falling through on the grill and the need for a drip pan. Check to make sure the sheet you use fits on the grill with the lid closed.

Mix together the spice blend in a small bowl and then, starting at the neck, gently loosen skin from breast down to the drum sticks with your fingers. Massage the dry rub underneath and on the outside of the chicken so it gets flavor from both directions. Some folks use olive oil, but I find that even after patting dry, there is still plenty of liquid to make a paste from the seasoning to help it stick. It also makes a better bark instead of just sliding off while cooking.

Open a can of beer and take 2-3 big swigs . Using a can opener make an additional opening on the opposite side of the can so it can evaporate well.

How To Make Oven Roasted Beer Can Chicken From Scratch:

PREPARING THE CHICKEN FOR ROASTING

Preheat oven to 350F. You may need to remove racks from the oven so that the chicken will fit. Do this before they get hot.

Clean and Dry

Pour half of beer into the bottom of a casserole dish.Place beer can into the center of the casserole dish with the remaining beer inside.Place chicken on top of beer can and push down so that the beer can goes at least half way into the cavity of the chicken.Chicken should be standing upright.Place casserole dish and chicken into preheat oven.

Time to roast it

Roast for 1 hour and 30 minutes.A 4 pound 4.5 pound chicken should be done after 1.5 hours. Chicken needs to reach an internal temperature of 165° Fahrenheit to be done cooking.Remove chicken from oven once cooked and let rest 5 minutes.

SIDES TO SERVE WITH BEER CAN CHICKEN:

How Does Beer Can Chicken Work

The concept is fairly simple. The beer evaporates during the cooking process to keep the meat moist and also infuse it with flavor, whatever flavor the beer carries.

Grilling is a great method for chicken, but commonly ends up being dry or chewy. The problem is that chicken needs to be cooked to an internal temperature of 165° through and through. The exterior tends to cook faster than the interior which results in uneven cooking.

Introducing moisture into the air of a hot grill assists in keep the chicken juicy, but let the outside develop a nice bark or crust booming with spices.

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The Best Beer Can Chicken Recipe

Beer Can Chicken is one of my favorite dishes because the beer steams the chicken making it so juicy and succulent. Its an old school recipe that creates a delicious dinner without a lot of effort.-

While it is possible to simply rest your beer chicken right onto the can of beer, you can also buy a beer can chicken rack specifically for this purpose. Its something to consider if you think youll be making this chicken often- it does stabilize the chicken and you dont have to worry about spills.

The simpler, the better! And if you want, you get to drink a little beer as youre preparing your beer can chicken. How can you go wrong?

Chicken On A Can Of Beer

Beer can chicken is one of my favorite things to cook when hosting a cookout for friends and family. Super quick and easy to prep and the smell of it cooking on the grill is hard to resist!

A whole chicken is placed over a can of beer during cooking on the grill which means it cooks more evenly and the steam from the beer makes the meat so succulent.

This is always a sure fire crowd pleaser at a BBQ, or cook it up for a fuss free family dinner.

Be sure to try my Crockpot Whole Chicken and Air Fryer Whole Chicken too!

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Place The Chicken On The Roaster

This may be obvious to some, but Ill say it anyway just in case open the beer can first. If you dont, the contents of the beer could cause the can to explode due to the building pressure cause by the heat.

Second, dump about ¼ ½ of the beer out either down the drain or better yet, into a glass to drink later. The beer will reach boiling during cooking. We need to give it a little space so it doesnt boil out of the can and make a big mess.

Place the open beer can down into the chicken roaster. I like to drop a couple whole cloves of peeled garlic down into the can as well. Ill explain why in a minute. Lower the chicken cavity down over the can so that its basically sitting on top of the roaster. If your roaster doesnt come with drip pan, place a pie plate or a casserole dish underneath to catch all those yummy juices. This is also a good place to arrange some sliced vegetables for a side dish!

Quick Glance At Ingredients For Oven Roasted Beer Can Chicken:

Beer Can Chicken oven cook time | Perfect recipe to roast a chicken

Whole Chicken
All Purpose Seasoning

WHAT WE USE FOR OUR BEER CAN CHICKEN:

Now you can use any brands you want, but these are what we use for now. I say for now because were always switching up our seasonings and well when I cook with beer, I just grab whatever for recipes like this.

I had Budweiser at the house from when I was making a bunch of beer bread so thats what I used. This seasoning is what weve been using on chicken lately and its fantastic!

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Key Ingredients And Substitutions

Whole roasting chicken about 6 to 7 pounds to feed a family of four with some leftovers. Adjust your cooking time if you buy a smaller bird.
Beer No need to buy an expensive craft beer for this recipe. We used a taller can of beer so the chicken would sit higher off the grill for even cooking.
Brine We used our favorite turkey brine recipe to brine the chicken overnight. You can use any other favorite chicken marinade or brine recipe you prefer.
Chicken rub You can use your favorite store-bought poultry rub or, follow this recipe to make your own spice rub for chicken from spices and herbs in your cabinet.
Roasted Vegetables To make this a complete meal, we roasted potatoes, onions and corn in the pan along with the chicken.

Here Is Why This Recipe Works

Smoking a beer can chicken adds extra flavor to the meat and the sauce or gravy.
Keeping the temperature at 225°F cooks the chicken slowly and allows it to infuse with more smoke flavor.
Increasing the temperature during the last 30 to 40 minutes lets the skin get crispy.
The garlic herb butter drips down the chicken and bastes it while it cooks.
Beer inside the can gets hot, lets off steam, infuses the chicken with more flavor, and keeps the meat juicy.
Garlic butter and drippings from the chicken fall into the baking dish and combine with the beer to make a delicious sauce or gravy.

If you like this recipe, try our roasted turkey breast or baked chicken quarters.

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Beer Can Oven Baked Chicken

Use your favorite beer or ginger ale for this easy, oven-baked version of the popular grilled beer can chicken.

1 can beer or ginger ale2 tablespoons dry barbecue-flavored seasoning or rub1 Gold’n Plump® Whole Chicken1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Open can of beer or ginger ale using pointed tip of bottle opener, puncture two holes in top of can. Pour 3/4 cup of beer or ginger ale out of can drink or discard.

Sprinkle 2 teaspoons barbecue-flavored seasoning into beer or ginger ale in can.

Sprinkle 1 teaspoon barbecue-flavored seasoning inside chicken.

Brush outside of chicken with vegetable oil rub with remaining 1 tablespoon seasoning.

Place beer or ginger ale can in 9×9-inch ungreased baking dish. Hold the chicken upright and lower it onto the can so the can fits into the cavity. Pull chicken legs forward to form a tripod.

Place in oven and bake chicken until no longer pink near bone and juices run clear, about 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes. Carefully remove chicken in pan from oven.

Let chicken rest for 5 minutes, then carefully lift it off the can, using tongs and paper towels . Place chicken on a platter or carving board. Let rest for another 10 minutes before carving. Discard beer or ginger ale in can.

Nutritional information may change when substituting your chicken product. If you choose to substitute frozen chicken for this recipe, it’s best to thaw before cooking.