Juicy Beer Can Chicken Recipe
Follow this beer can chicken recipe for ultra juicy and flavorful chicken! We'll give you directions for both the grill and oven.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 3-4 lb. whole chicken
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1.5 tablespoons garlic powder
- ½ tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons salted butter softened
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 can light beer
Instructions
- Preheat your grill or oven to 425ºF. If you're using a grill, leave one side of the burners off so that you can grill over indirect heat.
- Remove any innards (giblets) from the chicken and pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Set aside.
- Prepare the spice rub. Add the brown sugar, garlic powder, salt, pepper, dried thyme, paprika, chili powder, and red pepper flakes to a bowl and mix together until combined. Set aside.
- Place the chicken on a plate or cutting board and separate the chicken skin from the meat. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the dry rub in between the skin and chicken meat and massage all the spices into the meat.
- Next, rub the softened butter in between the skin and meat of the chicken.
- Drizzle the olive oil on the outside of the chicken and then carefully sprinkle the rest of the chicken dry rub all over the chicken and massage the dry rub into the chicken skin. Be sure to massage the dry rub into every nook and cranny of the chicken.
- Open can of beer and pour out (or drink!) around 1/4 of it. If you're cooking your chicken in the oven, place it on a large baking sheet.
- Carefully place the open cavity of the chicken on top of the beer can. You may need to find a balance where the chicken can stand without support. Sometimes balancing the chicken legs on the baking sheet works well.
- Finally, scrape any excess dry rub from the plate or cutting board that may have fallen off the chicken and sprinkle it over the chicken.
- Oven instructions: Place the baking sheet into the oven and roast for 45 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature and continue roasting until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken reaches 165ºF. Ours took around 1 hour.
- Grill Instructions: Place the beer can chicken on the grill over indirect heat. Close the grill and cook for 45 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature and continue grilling until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken reaches 165ºF. It should take around 1 hour.
Video
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id="irGZITBv" upload-date="2021-08-05T22:23:24.000Z" name="Beer Can Chicken Recipe" description="Beer can chicken (AKA beer butt chicken) is a fun and flavorful way to cook a whole chicken. Whether you make this beer can chicken recipe on the grill or in the oven, it easy to prepare and even easier to cook! "]
Notes
- This recipe was updated on August 5, 2021. For the original recipe CLICK HERE.
- Beer Can Chicken Holder: we've found that sometimes it's hard to balance your whole chicken on the grill, so using a beer can chicken holder like this one can be super useful!
Nutrition
Calories: 359kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 52g | Fat: 13g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g