Beer Can Chicken is a simple, easy, fun and fall-off-the-bone grilling recipe that delivers tender, juicy, flavorful chicken every single time.

Beer Can Chicken on a rack on the grill

Ready for a relaxing, fun, summertime afternoon with a simple recipe that is huge on flavor? Me too!

Every summer, the one grilling recipe I always look forward to making is Beer Can Chicken. What I love about this recipe is, it is not only really easy to make, but it always results in tender, juicy, fall-off-the-bone chicken that is so flavorful, it will make your mouth water.

How to Make Beer Can Chicken:

It’s incredibly easy to make beer can chicken.  You’ll just take a whole chicken and plop it onto an open beer can that is filled with beer and a buttery basting mixture.  Then the chicken goes on the grill and the exterior of the chicken is basted with the remaining buttery mixture.  It’s slow grilled for about 90 minutes, and you’ll be really impressed with the results!

Grilled Beer Can Chicken on a rack sitting on a cutting board

The spice combination mixed with rich butter and flavorful, light beer produces a cooked bird that is crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. Just the way we like it!

The other nice thing about this recipe is, it’s a set-it-and-forget-it type of recipe. Just fire up the BBQ and let it cook for 1.5 hours and dinner is done. Served with a simple coleslaw or potato salad, it’s the perfect backyard barbecue recipe that the entire family will love.

Beer Can Chicken cut up with a fork on a cutting board

I’ve made this recipe many times, and whether you place the chicken on top of the beer can and then directly on the grill, or whether you have a beer can chicken holder (as I do in the photo) – let me just share that it is much easier to remove the chicken from the grill when it has a holder supporting it. 🙂

If you don’t have one of these handy little gadgets, you can order a Beer Can Chicken Rack really cheap ($7.96) on Amazon. It’s a great investment, and it makes this recipe so much easier.

Enjoy!

Pinterest collage image for Beer Can Chicken

Here are a few more grilling recipes you might enjoy:

beer can chicken grilled sitting on a grill rack
5 from 1 vote

Beer Can Chicken

A fun and delicious way to grill chicken!
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total: 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
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Ingredients

  • 1 can of beer
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
  • 2 tablespoons granulated garlic
  • 2 tablespoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • One 5-pound whole chicken (neck & giblets removed and discarded)

Instructions 

  • Preheat grill to low heat (350-400 degrees F).
  • Pour out half of the beer and set aside to drink while you prepare this recipe.  Spray the outside of the 1/2-filled beer can and holder with cooking spray and set aside.
  • Melt the butter, garlic, paprika, rosemary and black pepper together. Stir thoroughly so spices are mixed throughout, then pour 1/2 of the melted butter mixture into the beer can and set aside.
  • Rinse and pat dry chicken. Place the chicken over the beer can and holder. Baste with remaining 1/2 melted butter mixture. Place chicken/holder on grill grate, close lid and let cook for 1 hour. After 1 hour, check chicken for doneness. Cover the grill and cook the remaining 30 minutes or until done throughout.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 581kcal, Carbohydrates: 6g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 51g, Saturated Fat: 26g, Cholesterol: 173mg, Sodium: 386mg, Potassium: 354mg, Fiber: 1g, Vitamin A: 2940IU, Vitamin C: 1.7mg, Calcium: 33mg, Iron: 1.9mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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1 Comment

  1. stanp says:

    I’ve cooked chicken this way, but it’s been a while.

    Thanks for the reminder to do again !

    Recipe an added bonus !