Chicken in beer can indoors

The secret to a good rotisserie chicken is to keep the breast moist. A modern method steams chicken from the inside out while it cooks. A can of boiling beer there keeps the chicken moist. Beer, soda, wine, whatever – entire books have been written on variations on the canned chicken theme. There are many good ones, some of the simplest are outstanding.

A chicken in a beer can is cooked standing up. The body cavity slides over a can of spiced beer or other liquid. The can and the two legs of the chicken support the bird during cooking. Wire or ceramic holders are available for those of us who serve beer canned chicken frequently. You will probably want to invest in one after trying this simple recipe.

Traditional beer canned chicken is smoked on a charcoal grill. The upright chicken is tall and will not fit on most grills. Even my large grill requires a reconfiguration for canned chicken beer. Still, it only works well for smaller birds. Also, some days are just not the time for barbecuing. That is why I developed this recipe for the oven. It works for a conventional oven and is ideal for a convection oven. The skin comes out crispy and the meat is moist. It does not produce smoke when cooking indoors, but you can add a little liquid smoke to your beer if you like.

– 1 12-ounce can of beer

– A pinch of cayenne pepper

– 1/2 tablespoon of paprika

– 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

– 1 teaspoon chili powder

– 1/2 teaspoon oregano

– 1/2 teaspoon salt

– 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

– 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar

– 1 3-pound chicken

– 2 green onions, chopped

– 2 garlic cloves diced

– 1 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)

Open the beer. Drink half. Preheat a conventional oven to 375 ° F, or a convection oven to 325 ° F. Combine seasonings and sugar in a small bowl and mix well. Set the mixture aside. Remove extra treats from body cavity and trim excess fat from chicken. Rinse inside and out and pat dry. Sprinkle two teaspoons of the mixture inside the bird. Rub another tablespoon on the skin.

Remove the tongue from the half-full beer and open another large hole with a church wrench. Pour the rest of the dressing into the can and add the onion and garlic. Add the liquid smoke if you are using it. Slide the beer can up into the chicken’s body cavity. Keeping the can upright, pull the chicken’s legs forward until it can stand on its two legs (plus the can).

Place the chicken on a roasting pan in the oven. Cook until browned and cooked through, about 1 hour in a 325 ° F convection oven or 1 1/2 hours in a 375 ° F conventional oven. Using an instant-read meat thermometer, check that the legs and thighs have reached 165 ° F. Remove from oven and let rest for five minutes. Remember that the beer is still boiling. Take care to remove the chicken from the can.