This Fajita Spiced Beer Can Chicken is one of the easiest ways to roast a chicken during the summer.
It’s been years since I made Beer Can Chicken, and I don’t know why. Beer Can Chicken is one of the easiest ways to roast a chicken on the grill. The only thing you need to remember is that there will still be beer left in the can after you’re done grilling, so be sure to remove the can from the chicken before laying the chicken down. Otherwise, you’ll have hot beer gush all over the plate you lay the chicken on like I did.
So, here’s how you make Beer Can Chicken. You simply rub some oil on a whole chicken, sprinkle it with your favorite spice mix (I used Penzey’s Fajita Seasoning), place a half full can of beer on the grill, carefully place the neck opening of the chicken on top of the beer can (don’t forget to remove the giblets and neck or paper bag that’s sometimes inside the chicken), close the lid and let it grill for about an hour and a quarter, depending on the size of your chicken. The chicken is cooked using indirect heat.
What emerges is a juicy chicken with a beautifully browned skin.
I made this recently for our relatives who were visiting from Taiwan. Grilling is quite uncommon in Taiwan it seems, so it was a treat for them. Served with a few dipping sauces, one barbecue, the other a Korean spicy chili paste sauce (gochujang, sesame oil, honey and a little rice vinegar), it made an easy dinner for a crowd (I made two chickens at the same time).
Today, I’m participating in Food Network’s #SummerSoiree event where chicken is being featured. Please be sure to check out what my fellow foodie friends made:
Feed Me Phoebe: Grilled Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas
The Lemon Bowl: Indian Spiced Grilled Chicken
Dishing With Divya: General Tso’s Chicken with Indian Jeera Rice
Weelicious: Breaded Chicken Cutlets with Pea Salad
Sweet Life Bake: Chicken Fajitas
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Farmhouse Fried Chicken
Red or Green: Spicy Chicken Provencal with Peppers and Heirloom Tomatoes
Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Sweet and Sour Sesame Chicken
Domesticate Me: Cilantro-Lime Grilled Chicken with Strawberry-Jalapeno Salsa
Devour: 5 Sizzling Skewers
Swing Eats: Long John Silver’s Style Fried Chicken Planks (Gluten-Free)
Food for 7 Stages of Life: Best Tandoori Chicken Recipe
Taste With The Eyes: Perfect Chicken Dish to Serve to a Crowd
FN Dish: Chicken is Better with Grill Marks
Fajita Spiced Beer Can Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 or 2 whole chickens ~ 4 pounds each, depending on how many people you're feeding
- 1 or 2 cans beer half full
- Penzey's Fajita spice mix or your favorite spice mix
- olive oil
Instructions
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Rub chicken with a little oil, then sprinkle spice mix all over chicken. Depending on how much salt is in your spice mix, you may want to use more or less.
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Remove any innards or packages of innards from chicken.
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Place beer can on heated grill. Carefully place opening of chicken (drumstick side) on top of beer can, pushing chicken down and making sure it's stable.
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Cover grill and let cook for about one hour and 20 minutes or longer if you are using a large chicken.
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Use paper towels to lift chicken off of beer can. Let chicken rest 10-15 minutes; cut up and serve.
I have read about beer can chicken before but have never tried my hand at it – Jeanette, yours looks lovely inspite of the beer gushing all over .. I love how brown it is – I have also never tried to cook a whole chicken on the grill before – thanks so much for the inspiration!
Such an easy way to spruce up roasted chicken! I love the fajita flavors you’ve added to the mix as well!
I love beer can chicken! My husband always make this for us! This is perfect for sunday lunch when you have family and friends over. Everybody loves this 😉
I just love fall off the bone goodness like this!
Love the color of the chickens, Jeanette! Looks so flavorful and perfect for feeding a crowd.
The chicken looks so succulent and delicious!
What setting/temp should the grill be on?
I had my grill at about 400 degrees and cooked the chicken on indirect heat, so the burners were turned on on one side of my gas grill but were turned off on the side that the chicken was placed on the grill.
Great looking idea!