As most of you know, chicken is the only meat that I eat fairly frequently. And boy do I love me some chicken! I couldn’t think of many ways that chicken could become more delicious. After years of hearing about cooking a chicken on top of half a can of beer, I tried it for myself. I bow down to whoever came up with this idea. It’s incrediable. It has completely revolutionised my chicken-eating world. I never want non-beer can roast chicken ever again.
Sam and I sometimes like to cook together, and some parts of this recipe seemed to require two people (like balancing the chicken on top of a beer can!)
(Adapted from Jamie Oliver’s recipe.)
Ingredients:
1.8 kg whole chicken
olive oil
butter
2 garlic cloves
1 330 ml can of beer (any beer… really!)
2 tablespoons of barbecue sauce
1 fresh red chile
1 bunch of spring onions, chopped
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
(For the rub)
1 tablespoon of smoked paprika
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon of cumin
2 teaspoons of red chile flakes
1 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of ground black pepper
1 tablespoon of dark brown sugar
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 200 C (400 F). Remove the chicken from the fridge and let it come to room temperature. Mash your two garlic cloves with a pat of butter and gently insert that into the top of your chicken under it top layer of skin. Mix all of the spices for the rub together in a bowl. Then rub olive oil all over your chicken, followed by all your bowl of spices.
Open your can of beer and pour out (or drink) 2/3 of it. Then carefully lower the cavity of the chicken onto the top of the open beer can (the chicken should look like it’s standing up in the roasting tray.) Then carefully place the chicken (in it’s upright position) into the oven for about 1 hour and 10 minutes. It should be golden and the juices should run clear when you check to see if your chicken is done.
Take the chicken out of the oven, and rub him all over with the barbecue sauce. Then return him to the oven for a final 10 minutes. Whilst the chicken is in the oven for the last bit, chop your red chile, spring onions and cilantro. Once you take the chicken out of the oven, very carefully remove the can (it’ll be very hot!). Then carve your chicken, and scatter the platted chicken meat with the chile, spring onions and cilantro.
Sam’s favourite part of cooking.
The chicken cooked in an upright position the entire time, but when I took him out of the oven for the last time, he finally fell over. That’s okay, almost all of the beer had evaporated by that point!
This is a meal that I will definitely enjoy again and again!
