Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Mmmmmm Beer. . . Can Chicken

Want to be able to make your own delicous roasted chicken at home?  Well, this is the recipe for you!  Best of all, a whole chicken is much cheaper than chicken parts, and if you catch it on sale, sometimes you can get a whole chicken for $0.99/pound, that's way better than the $3.99/lb they want at the grocery store (around here anyway) for boneless skinless chicken breasts!  Ideally, you can use a beer can chicken rack, but if you don't have it, it's still possible to make, you just have to be good at balancing the chicken on the can on a cookie sheet (although you'll probably want to use a jelly roll pan or something with some sides so the drippings don't run off onto the oven.

So, first you'll need to pre-heat the oven to 350°.  Then grab a can of your favorite beer: I'd recommend something light, like a lager or a light beer even (I've been using Heineken Light, mainly because the can is taller and thinner than a normal beer can, which makes it easier to get the chicken on it), a heavier beer isn't going to infuse as well and might add too much of a bitter flavor.  So, if you've got the rack, crack open the can of beer and pour out (chug?) about a third of the beer and place the can in the can holder.  Then, take out your whole chicken and make sure you've taken the giblets out of the body cavity.  Lift the chicken and fit the can into the body cavity and arrange the legs to help support the chicken.  If you don't have the beer can rack, then this is a little more difficult and might require some supports or using a high-sided pan like a 9"x13" pan or something to balance the chicken. 

Once you get it so it will stand on its own, rub with a little olive oil or spray on a little cooking spray and then rub liberally with my Spice Rub or your own mix, (a nice mix of rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, salt and fresh cracked black pepper would also work).  Once you've got it rubbed down, put it in the oven and back for about 2 1/2 hours or until it has an internal temperature of 180°.

If you want to be real fancy, you can back some chopped potatoes on the bottom of the pan with the chicken for the last hour or so.  Chop some redskin potatoes into 1/2" to 3/4" pieces and toss in a bowl with some olive oil and some of the above spice rub (or Rosemary, Thyme, Garlic, and Salt and Pepper again) and bake with the chicken for the last 40-50 minutes that the chicken is in the oven.

This is a good recipe to have people over, you'll look like the best chef in the world and there's really very little work to do.  Also, if you have a nice grill, you can also take the chicken off the rack and grill it on medium on the grill for 5 minutes or so to crisp it up a little bit. . .

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