This Beer Can Chicken is tender, juicy and delicious! Made using our rib rub recipe, with the added addition of beer soaked in makes it a tasty meal for the summer!
We’ve been making Beer Can Chicken for a years now because it’s so easy, very minimal ingredients and everyone in our family absolutely love it.
This really is FANTASTIC! The first time we made it we were surprised by how fast it cooked which helps from the beer steaming the chicken from the inside so it is cooking from the outside and inside at the same time.
This has become one of our favorite grilling recipes! This juicy Beer Can Chicken is a delicious family friendly dinner recipe that is so versatile and easy to add any of your favorite sides!
Chicken really is our go-to recipe and when we can get our grill or smoker out during the summer then that is what we really love to use. This chicken turns out perfect each time.
If you want something simple but absolutely delicious then you have to take the time and make this Beer Can Chicken Recipe, you will not regret it!
Some of our other favorite chicken recipes we have on our site include: Bourbon Chicken, Lemon Pepper Chicken, and Lemon Pepper Chicken Kabobs.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- Tender, juicy, flavorful chicken that goes with any side dish.
- I used my famous rib rub recipe from our insanely popular Ribs, but just halved it
- Kids and adult approved (safe for kids too since the alcohol is cooked off).
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT BOTTOM)
Whole chicken
Vegetable oil
Smoked paprika
Light brown sugar
Black pepper
Kosher salt
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Ground cumin
Chili powder
Mustard powder
Lager beer
HOW TO MAKE BEER CAN CHICKEN, STEP BY STEP:
- Start by using paper towels to pat the outside of the chicken and get it nice and dry. Rub the whole chicken with the oil.
- Stir together the paprika, brown sugar, pepper, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, chili powder, and mustard powder in a small bowl.
- Rub the homemade rub all over the chicken and set it aside.
- Preheat the oven over high heat for 10 minutes. Then turn off half of the burners and lower the other burners to medium heat.
- Pour out half of the beer from the can and lower the chicken onto the beer can.
- Place the chicken sitting up directly on the grill grates over the area of the grill where you turned the burner off. Doing this will cook the chicken over indirect heat.
- Close the lid and let the chicken cook for an hour and 15-30 minutes. If it starts to brown too fast, tent it with aluminum foil.
- You can pull the chicken off the grill when the internal temperature reaches 165ยฐF when temped in the thickest part of the thigh. We like to let it cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 185-190ยฐF, at this temp the chicken is falling off the bone and is so good! It took a full 1 hour and 30 minutes to reach 185-190ยฐF.
- Then remove the chicken off the grill and tent it with foil, let it rest for 20 minutes and then you can carve and serve.
DO YOU HAVE TO LET THE CHICKEN REST?
We let it rest after cooking so the juices can disperse throughout the meat. This step makes it incredibly delicious. When you cut the chicken, the natural juices will run out of it and if it doesnโt rest then the chicken will be dry.
CAN YOU DOUBLE THIS RECIPE?
We like to cook a couple of chickens at a time, even though it is a very easy recipe, you are using a lot of propane on the grill since it cooks for so long.
So we like to maximize our cookout time and propane use. We can eat one now and have a couple ready to go for later in the week, or freeze them for later.
WHAT OTHER SPICES CAN I USE?
Other yummy spice ideas to use on this Beer Can Chicken recipe are: pre-made bbq seasoning, lemon pepper, cajun, old bay, jerk, or even curry.
Another yummy idea would be to use one of those injector mixes to get the flavor all the way down to the bone.
HOW TO STORE:
Leftovers keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container where it will keep for up to three days
This can also be frozen, we like to freeze already cut up chicken placed in a freezer bag or container where it will keep for up to 3 months.
To defrost, remove chicken tot he refrigerator overnight until thawed. To reheat, cover the chicken with foil and reheat in the oven with a bit of water or beer to steam the meat and cook until warmed through.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- We use a light lager beer so as not to overpower the other flavors. A lager is the most common type of beer for this grilling recipe.
- This recipe is great for meal prepping and making a few extra chickens so you can have cooked chicken to go on any meals all week long.
- You can freeze this, see my tips above.
- For more spice ideas, see above for some great alternatives.
- When you’re taking the chicken off the grill, be very careful because the beer can will still have some beer in it and it will be boiling hot!
- Make sure that you let the chicken rest so the juice can disperse.
Have you been thinking about finding a new juicy, tender grilled chicken recipe? Then this Beer Can Chicken is exactly what you need, easy tasty and the best diner ever!
If you like this recipe you might also like:
If you’ve tried this BEER CAN CHICKEN or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and what shenanigans I’m getting into!
Beer Can Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 5 pound whole chicken
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
- 1 ยฝ teaspoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ยฝ teaspoon garlic powder
- ยฝ teaspoon onion powder
- ยฝ teaspoon ground cumin
- ยฝ teaspoon chili powder
- ยผ teaspoon mustard powder
- 12 ounce can lager beer
Instructions
- Start by using paper towels to pat the outside of the chicken and get it nice and dry. Rub the whole chicken with the oil.
- Stir together the paprika, brown sugar, pepper, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, chili powder, and mustard powder in a small bowl.
- Rub the homemade rub all over the chicken and set it aside.
- Preheat the grill over high heat for 10 minutes. Then turn off half of the burners and lower the other burners to medium heat.
- Pour out half of the beer from the can and lower the chicken onto the beer can.
- Place the chicken sitting up directly on the grill grates over the area of the grill where you turned the burner off. Doing this will cook the chicken over indirect heat.
- Close the lid and let the chicken cook for an hour and 15-30 minutes. If it starts to brown too fast, tent it with aluminum foil.
- You can pull the chicken off the grill when the internal temperature reaches 165ยฐF when temped in the thickest part of the thigh. We like to let it cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 185-190ยฐF, at this temp the chicken is falling off the bone and is so good! It took a full 1 hour and 30 minutes to reach 185-190ยฐF.
- Then remove the chicken off the grill and tent it with foil, let it rest for 20 minutes and then you can carve and serve.
Notes
- We use a light lager beer so as not to overpower the other flavors. A lager is the most common type of beer for this grilling recipe.
- This recipe is great for meal prepping and making a few extra chickens so you can have cooked chicken to go on any meals all week long.ย
- You can freeze this, see my tips above.ย
- For more spice ideas, see above for some great alternatives.ย
- When you're taking the chicken off the grill, be very careful because the beer can will still have some beer in it and it will be boiling hot!
- Make sure that you let the chicken rest so the juice can disperse.
Nutrition
Tornadough Alli is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value is important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and values can vary depending on which brands were used.
Reen
Can this be baked in the oven instead?
Tornadough Alli
Yes! Bake in the oven at 425 degrees F for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Make sure you place it in a roasting pan to catch any dripping.