When you first read this article you are going to think that I have finally flipped and resorted to torturing chickens with cans of Tennent’s Special, but bear with me as there is some logic in this madness.

When you usually roast a chicken, the chickens exterior will be exposed to the heat while the interior isn’t, plus if you cook it too long the chicken ends up dry due to the moisture evaporating. Now wouldn’t it be a great idea if you were able to include some sort of liquid inside your chicken which would keep the chicken moist but at the same time flavour it…. do you see where I am going now?

By sitting the chicken on a can of beer, the beer will heat up and steam the chicken from the inside while at the same time the flavours from the beer will be soaked in by the chicken giving it a great taste. Also by it getting cooked from the inside and the outside at the same time I managed to cook this 1.5kg chicken in about an hour instead of the usual 1hour 30 minutes, here is how you do it.

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken (1.5kg)
• Sea Salt
• mixture of your favourite dried herbs and spices (I used an all purpose rub which contains sweet paprika, black pepper, garlic, onion and celery seed)
• 1 can of beer or cider, at room temperture

1. Start by rubbing a generous amount of salt over the entire surface of the chicken and also inside the cavity of the chicken and then cover with clingfim and put in the fridge for about an hour. The reason for this step is that the salt will draw out some of the moisture and give the chicken a better flavour. Don’t worry, it won’t make the chicken salty.
2. After the hour has passed take the chicken and rinse inside and out with cold water then pat it dry with kitchen paper.
3. Rub your seasoning all over the chicken
4. Open you beer or cider can and drink about half of it or save it to drink while your chicken is cooking. Take a knife and puncture three more holes in the top half of the can then easy the chicken cavity over the can. (Very important note: Do remember to open the can, as it will explode in the oven and nobody likes exploding chicken!)
5. Sit your chicken and can on an oven proof dish to catch the juices as you can use them for some gravy
6. If you are cooking this on a BBQ like I did then it will take about an hour on medium heat with the lid closed. The chicken will be cooked when the juices run clear or the internal temperature of the chicken clears 77°C. It can also be cooked in an oven which I would think would take the same amount of time at 180°C
7. When cooked, carefully remove and leave it to rest for 10 minutes before removing from the can and carving the chicken.

Enjoy!