Beer Can Chicken

I've made this before and it's very good. I find that instead of sprinkling the 1 tsp of seasoning into the cavity, it's easier to put it inside the beer. Also I use an aluminum pie plate large enough to hold the beer can and chicken. This catches all the drippings and reduces flare-ups. I've also made this recipe using a spice called Montreal Chicken Seasoning.

There's nothing quite like Beer Can Chicken! I made another recipe on this site a while ago and have been making these every summer. Since there's never a shortage of beer in this house or neighbor's to help us eat these birds we always love to make these. I made three of these last night for a BBQ! Two I made with regular paprika and one I made with smoked paprika and I added a couple teaspoons of garlic powder to all three. It's much easier to take the seasoning mixture and blend it with 1 cup of melted butter and place half of it into the beer can and baste the chicken with the other half. (I bascially had to triple the butter/seasoning for the BBQ). Invest in the holder that you can purchase at Wal-Mart or Bed, Bath, & Beyond, you'll be glad you did!

Excellent. I've done this a bunch of times before reading this recipie. We call them Beer Butt Chickens where i come from. One tip though - before putting the chicken over the can, make sure there's about 2 mouthfuls gone from the can. Some times the beer can splash up and it can get a bit messy. The type of beer also makes a difference - you can play around with differnt kinds.

Made beer butt chicken for years. Get the holder, it makes things much easier. Usually I make a butter baste, but really like this rub. Made a couple little changes--a TBL of butter in the beer and garlic salt for the salt. I plug the neck with a small potato (carrot or apple would work) to keep steam inside and placed the 4.5 lb. bird on a soaked plank (keeps heat indirect while imparting smoke aroma/taste) and cooked at 325°. Good eatin'.

Tastes great and was fun to make. The only thing I did to improve it was to stuff a whole onion in the neck-hole to keep the steam in.

This recipe is fantastic. I added garlic powder and season salt to the rub mix. Cooked on indirect heat, there were no flare ups and the result was a fall-off-the-bone chicken that was just awesome. I plan to make this often during the grilling season here in CT.

This is my favorite way to do chicken. Put it on the grill during pregame and take it off at halftime. You really don't need to check it. The hardest part is keeping people from opening the grill to see what is smelling so good. Experiment with different beers and rubs. Indirect heat is the key. Oh, one more thing all the pictures have the wings just sticking out, I like to tuck the tips behind the breast, it keeps them from getting overcooked. Save me a leg!!

Great recipe. I used Cornish hens and baked them in the oven. I covered them in foil for and hour then removed the foil and finished baking. As far as the can, I used small tomato paste cans.

No beer, no problem! Sub any canned soft drink or even chicken broth for the beer. We used diet cola. Be sure to pour out (or drink) about 1/4 cup of the liquid to prevent spills or running over. I omitted the chili powder and added some cayenne pepper and ground sage. We didn't have a beer can chicken stand, so I stood the chicken and can in an aluminum pie pan. I also recommend that you rotate the chicken every 20 minutes or so. Thanks for sharing!

Very good. This was my first attempt and I pretty much followed the recipe with the exception of adding a little bit of garlic powder to the dry rub and brushing the chicken with olive oil prior to coating it with the rub. I put the 4.5lb chicken (with can and stand) on a small baking pan to catch the drippings (and prevent fare ups) and turned it about avery 20 minutes. I kept the heat at a constant 375 for 75 minutes and checked doneness with a meat thermomater . The skin was nice and crispy and the meat was very moist. Wouldn't change a thing. Give it a shot. I posted a pic of the final result.

Good, but for all the spices/seasonings I didn't think the chicken itself took on alot of the rubs flavor. And yes, I did put some spices in with the beer - next time will try to put some of the spices between the skin & meat.

We used a larger roaster chicken so it took longer, but WOW, YUMMY! I chose to use Guinness for the beer.

Wow... what a fantastic recipe!! So good and just absolutely melts in your mouth. I did alter the recipe just a touch and took some of the other reviews into consideration. I basted my chicken about every 15 minutes or so in some of the extra spice mixture mixed with a little butter and the other half of the beer. I also added some garlic to the spice rub and as one of the other reviews I closed the neck opening with an onion.This will definitely be one of my favorite grilling recipes this summer and probably all year long!

A very good recipe. I used a 6lbs bird and grilled over indirect heat for 1h 20min. The grill was on low on the bird side and high on the empty side. The result was a perfectly moist bird. Next time I will try to increase the flavor which was good but too subtle.

Perfectly moist and delicious! We used a 24 oz. can of beer (poured out half) because it stood easier on the grill. We took the temp to 180 in the drumsticks which was about 165 in the rest of the chicken then pulled it off the grill, covered with foil and let it rest for awhile before slicing and serving. This one is a keeper- thanks!

This turned out very well. So juicy and delicous. I added some seasoning to the beer and lemon juice. I also put a lemon slice into the neck to seal in the juices. It really adds a flavor to the meat.

I tried beer can chicken for the first time on father's day, but my plans to do it on the grill were disrupted by a storm. I baked it in the oven, but it didn't have the smoky flavor I'd been hoping for. I used a commercial rub and white wine instead of beer. The chicken was very tender except for the top parts of the breast, which were too close to the electrical heating element in my oven. I'm hoping this review becomes 5 stars when I have a chance to try it on the grill.

This is such a terrific recipe we made this chicken twice in one week! The sugar carmelizes on the grill and helps the skin to crisp up. The dry rub is perfect on a whole chicken as well as on regular chicken breasts. I make extra now and keep it on hand.

Great recipe! I tweeked mine based on what I had. I used 1 TBS Sambal hot sauce instead of the chili powder - but would add the extra TBS next time. I also put a TBS of minced garlic in. Put it in the oven on 325 using a stand - for $10 its a must have!

What a great way to grill chicken! I was lucky enough to get a deal on organic chickens, buy one, get one free! I followed the recipe exactly, they finished with a flavorful crispy skin and the meat was moist and juicy. My birds were 4 lbs. each and took about and hour and 45 min. over medium heat. I did have some problems with flare up even though my chickens were over a burner that was turned off. Next time I will lay a piece of foil underneath the chickens.

I had the bbq on low, and the skin of the chicken burnt to a crisp. The chicken was dry cause the beer did not evaporate into the chicken to make it moist.

followed recipe exactly...great!

Excellent!! I made it in the oven because it was raining out...350 for 1 1/2 hours. Was delicious, nice and juicy. I even posted a picture on my Face Book page :)

Too sweet for my taste, but good direction and decent rub

AWESOME... So Juicy. Ate myself into a food coma with this one:)

Followed recipe to the tee. The chicken was moist but both the wife and I found that it lacked flavor big time. For whatever reason spices just didn't seem to get into the meat itself. Not a keeper in my book.

Cooked the chicken in oven and it was wonderful. Used 6lb chicken and doubled on the ingredient list, even used cheap beer! Fed 5 with leftovers.

This recipe left my chicken really moist, but there wasn't a lot of flavor in the meat. The skin wasn't that great either.

Great flavor, super moist chicken.

this is my first bad rating of a recipe. The rub was just so terrible that I had to remove all the skin and any trace of it before eating it. Sorry but this was not for us.

This is now one of our weekly favorites!

I made this and I was unimpressed to be honest. It was moist, but really lacking in flavor. I used the recipe exactly as it was given.

Really liked this chicken. Turned out moist and flavorful. Did place the chicken on an old metal pie plate after putting on the beer can. Looks like the picture!

Wonderful!!!!

Delicious! Moist, and flavorful. Very simple. Can't wait to use the leftover chicken for something else tomorrow!

Well we finally, or I should say my husband finally made this. I really thought it was probably just a bunch of hype that some drunk BBQ guy came up with....but wow was this chicken so moist! The rub gave a really great flavor, a bit sweet and not too spicy, but he did say he only used one tablespoon of chili powder. It makes a lot of rub since our chicken was 5 1/2 lbs. and we have enough leftover for another chicken. We saved it though for future use. Thanks Hunter's mom.

I made a few changes based on what I had. I rubbed dijon mustard all over the chicken first. Then I added the dry indregiants on top. I didn't have chili powder but added some red pepper flakes. My chicken was almost 4 lbs and I put it on a stand with the beer can. The reason I don't have this as a 5 star was that the beer didn't seem to add anything. It was easy to make and I cooked it on my grill on indirect heat at 350 for a little over an hour. For that reason, it's easier to me that cleaning out a grill pan. Maybe I need a different beer since mine was a Coors Light. I bet a Guinness would be good!

This is a great recipe! I tweaked it a little. I added a few diced fresh basil leaves, and I used full flavored Coors beer. I feel it adds much better flavor than any light beers. Other than that, it was so juicy and tender. Yummmmm!

Delicious and so tender and easy

This was so yummy. Made 2 at once on my gas grill. So moist. :)

This chicken was moist for sure. I followed many of the tips, but I have to say that we found the flavor lacking. I even injected some seasoned (S&P) chicken broth into it and added onion powder, garlic powder, dried parsley, and oregano; along with adding wood chips! Perhaps the chicken would have done better if I put the spice rub under the skin. I might also try letting the chicken soak 8+ hrs in some seasoned salt water to let it permeate the meat better. Finally, be careful about the size of your chicken. My 5.5 lb bird was pushing up the top of my Weber grill.

Couldn't get all the spices rubbed on there but it was delicious & juicy nonetheless! Used MGD.

Fantastic! We've wanted to make a beer can chicken for some time now and this was great! I did use half chipotle chili powder and half smoked spanish paprika along with both the regular chili powder and regular paprika. Very moist and flavourful, yummy!

Absolutely delicious. I have made this several times and it is always a hit. I do add a little garlic and onion powder to the mixture but we add garlic and onion to everything in our house!

The chicken tasted great, I would recommend rubbing the seasoning under the skin of the chicken because if your like me your grill will probably shoot up some flames and blacken the outside of your chicken, so we didn't get to enjoy eating the skin. Probably only cooked mine 50 min and it turned out perfect on the inside, very juicy and the whole family loved it!

This was a first for me and this recipe was really good! It needs to mention to cook it over indirect heat though. Other than that, I wouldn't change a thing!! Thanks for sharing!

WOW, my wife hates when I cook with Beer, when she went for thirds on the chicken I knew I hit a homerun. The key is let the chicken rest, one of the most moist bird I have ever cooked will make again!!!!!

I've made this recipe several times. Makes a delicious, moist, flavorful chicken.

The rub for this chicken is out of this world....totally the bomb!! I grilled mine, and the first time did not put it in a pie pan and instead put it directly on the grill with indirect heat, and the poor thing was immolated! The next time I put it into a pie dish, monitored the heat on the grill a little more closely and it came out perfectly. Everybody was moaning on their first bite. Seriously.

Take some seasoning and mix with soften some butter and then stuff under the skin and well as all over the outside.

My husband thinks this rub is one of the best he has tasted on a beer can chicken! Slightly sweet, slightly spicy - the only thing I add is a bit of onion powder, maybe 1 tablespoon. We use a beer can chicken holder which I put wedges of onion on - the juices run off the chicken and flavor the onions, which accompany the chicken well. Delicious - thank you very much for the recipe!

This is an easy and fool proof way to cook chicken! Before seasoning the outside of the chicken, I always brush olive oil on the skin, then liberally shake on salt, pepper and seasoning salt (Johnny's Seasoning Salt w/o MSG). Once you put the bird on top of the beer can/stand, make sure you tie string around chicken to keep the wings down and insert a bunched up piece of foil in the neck cavity so the heat doesn't escape during cooking. That's it! This way of cooking chicken gives you moist chicken every time! One of our favorite ways to cook chicken on the grill!

My husband, who is one of the pickiest eaters I have ever met made fun of this bird the entire process but couldn't resist trying once completed. Best chicken he ever tasted (including fried)

I just got done with this Beer Can Chicken I found the amount of time was way to long And! My chicken fell off the can and would not sit back on Had to finish baking it laying on the roasting pan I will make this again I going to invest on chicken holder I used Budwiser Light. Also I followed the recipe exactly

It turned out perfectly! The only thing I changed was I used the oven at 375 instead of the grill. Yummm!!

One of the best chickens I've ever had. Not huge on the chilli powder dry rub l, I will change it up and have it again

This was awesome! Just added some fresh garlic and swapped the dry mustard out for yellow mustard to make it easier to rub!!

This is such an easy recipe to prepare. My husband cooked it on the Big Green Egg and it was moist and tender. The flavor is good enough to use leftover chicken in just about any dish, too.

Sadly, I followed the directions to the note, but when I checked on my chicken at the hour mark, it was charred beyond repair. I had the burners on medium heat, maybe I should have only used 2 of them, I don't know. I had the chicken on a roasting pan to prevent the drippings from igniting. :-(

Moist and flavorful. The rub was surprisingly better than expected.

Great except that my grill never takes the amount of time called for in the recipe. I usually end up covering it with foil after about 30 minutes to keep the skin from burning and remove it from the grill after 45-55 minutes.

Very tender chicken. I didn't care for the rub, but my husband and mother-in-law said it was delicious. Next time I may try my own rub mixture. It was the first time I've tried Beer Can Chicken and it won't be the last. Thank you Hunter's Mom 2008!

We love this! Easy, tasty and moist. Cook extras for leftovers.

Most definitely will make again! The chicken turned out super moist! A big hit with the family! I rubbed the chicken after it had reached the halfway mark to prevent the outside spices from burning... in the past when I would do this I put the spices on at the beginning and the spices burnt, not the chicken mind you just the spices

This was my first attempt at beer can chicken. GREAT flavor and very moist. I will definitely be maki g this I again!!

this was awesome! didn,t know if it would be to spicey,,i love spice,,hubby doesn,t,,was not spicey at all,,this was 1st time doing beer can chicken, WOW! soooo moist,,Did a 8lb on grill just took alittle longer,,I think I will try white wine in can next time,,

Loved this recipe. We had the beer can stand and decided to try it after having the stand sitting in the drawer for years. I didn't change much but added some garlic salt to the rub, made sure it was rubbed below and above the skin, and dumped the extra rub into the beer can. The skin was charred pretty bad, but the chicken fell off of the bones. On the package for the stand, it recommends setting it on a pie plate with 1/4" of water in it, so I did that. It was moist and tasty. We will definitely make it again since it was so easy to just let it sit on the grill without a lot of work after initial prep.

Tasty, a little sweet. I'd make it again. Very moist.

I tried this for my first beer can chicken and it turned out amazing!!! So simple and turned out juicy!!

The thing I like about this recipe is that it's simple and easy (aside from the fact that it results in really delicious chicken)!

Chicken was good came out moist I'll be making this again.

Definently make again. This makes enough rub for 2 chickens. Make sure to completely pat dry the chicken. I lightly sprayed “Pam” (it was olive oil in a spray can) on the chicken and then sprinkled the rub on it. It stuck waaaay more uniformly and wasn’t clumpy like it was the first few times I tried this. Have made this many times on a gas grill and charcoal. Once did 5 on my offset smoker, just make sure to increase the time and rotate the ‘chicks around periodically. Was a huge success and crowd pleaser.

SO tasty, it is the best chicken recipe ever. Juicy and delicious!

This was fantastic!! Chicken was very moist used the Basic Brine for Smoking Meat recipe from this website. Very tasty.

Very moist, family loved it.

great rub. seems to make a lot more than you need but i just saved the rest for next time. I wouldn't change a thing about this...I have gotten nothing but compliments!

Very good!

Really good and easy! I even got to drink 1/2 of the can of beer! LOL

I have tried this recipe the chicken stays nice and moist. I make it for friends and they love it.

This recipe was amazing! I made it just as is. Absolutely perfect!

I loved this recipe and will definitely make it again. The chicken is tender, juicy & flavorful!

Don't need quite so much beer; 1/3 to 1/2 can is enough -- more for the cook.:) Very moist - nice.

Best chicken I have ever personally cooked that wasn’t deep fried. I will definitely make this again.

It was soooo easy and my family and I loooved it!

The chicken was moist with more spice than I thought it would have! I put a couple of tablespoons of spice in the can & rubbed some on the chicken & still have some left

will use this again and try it on pork steaks.

Came out incredible. Only thing I added was I added some weber beer can chicken seasoning .

Great recipe, simple and tasty! I added dried cayenne pepper to the rub for some extra spice.

Not a fan of chili powder on it, left it out, added garlic salt in place of regular salt. Added a bit of onion powder too.

This chicken was absolutely delicious! it was very moist and the rub made the skin taste wonderful! After took the chicken off the grill and let it rest I used the juice to heat and flavor some rice that I made the night before. Yes I will make this again!

John, You forgot the Cayenne pepper, but I knew you added it in your heart, which is what really matters! I really enjoy watching you perform on food wishes. Thank you for sharing with all of us. Steven Rowe

Turned out great! You are a Gem. Thank you for sharing.

Made this for dinner, it turned out really good.

I think this would be a 4.5 rating. A 5 rating is only for the absolutely amazing meals. Our family rating gave our whole meal a 9 rating. We made 2 chickens. One on the grill and one in the smoker. I doubled the ingredients and then added it to 2 sticks of melted butter. I added some cumin, garlic powder, onion powder and a combination of smoked paprika and regular paprika. It was hard to get off my fingers and on to the chicken the whole way. I tried to get it under the skin as much as I could too. I also added the seasoning butter mixture to the beer can. The smoked chicken was more moist and maybe took a tad longer. But all and all we all loved the flavor. Served it with Mexican corn on the cob and a green salad. Excellent Sunday night summer meal.

FANTASTIC! I made this on my Traeger for Father's day - amazingly moist- like rotesserie chicken but 100% better! Highly recommend purchasing a chicken "throne" - which holds the beer can and chicken in place!

Not sure it was worth the effort but the chicken was very moist. Will try it without the beer next time.

Absolutely the best grill/barbecue cooked chicken that we have ever had! Everyone loves it, so tender and juicy ‘ Made with Coors banquet and Golden Road Mango Cart. Both delicious!

easy and delicious

I recently bought a beer can chicken rack and wanted to try it. Seasoned chicken per recipe and cooked in a Traeger. Turned out moist and flavorful, much better than a Costco rotisserie chicken.