Our Favourite Beer Can Chicken

This a favourite in our household, especially when entertaining. It’s so easy: you can leave it to cook while you entertain, and it’s a real crowd pleaser as the chicken is so beautiful and moist.

Serves: about 4

Cook time: 75 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken
• 1 can of beer (I prefer the taller, skinnier cans)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon chilli powder
• 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons olive oil (the spray kind is perfect for this)
• 2 limes

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.

Open the can of beer and take a few sips and/or pour about 1/4 of it into the dish or pan. Set the can in the centre of a roasting dish.

Pat it the chicken dry with paper towels (you don’t want one speck of liquid).

In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and chilli powder.

In another bowl, add the softened butter then add a few pinches (about 1/3 of the mix) of the spice mix to the butter and stir together until combined and smooth.

Gently lift the skin of the chicken and rub the butter all over the breasts (under the skin) and the thighs, if you can get to them. You only have to add a thin layer because much of the butter will run out of the chicken as it cooks. Push it up underneath the skin as far as it can go. Slice one of the limes into 1/8-inch slices and slide them up underneath the skin – as many as you can fit in one layer.

Gently sit the chicken on top of the can of beer, the beer can should go into the cavity of the chicken.

Rub or spray the outsides with olive oil – don’t miss a spot! And rub the remaining spice rub over top. Slice the other lime in half and shove it face down in the top cavity of the chicken (where the neck would be).

Roast the chicken for 1 hour and 15 minutes. When finished, carefully remove the pans from the oven and let the chicken rest for about 20 minutes. Before removing the can and serving the chicken as you wish.

Enjoy.