Cookin' ATVS Style: Sticky Beer Can Chicken

So maybe the whole cooking video thing is hit the social-media saturation point, but when this one popped up on my Facebook news feed a couple weeks back, it looked worth a try.

Beer can chicken has been around for some time, and in general, it's not really worth it to waste good beer on the dish. All the beer really does is provide a source of moisture to keep the chicken from drying out. There really won't be much flavor that comes through.

Which is not to say that beer can chicken isn't great, it is, but as a general rule you don't need to use good beer on it. In this case however the dark beer does add something nice to the sauce, which will get baked on the chicken as a nice glaze on the skin.

Ingredients

1 whole fryer chicken
1/2 pint can NOLA Irish Channel Stout
1 tbsp kosure salt
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp granulated garlic

Sticky Chicken Glaze

1/2 pint can NOLA Irish Channel Stout
1 cup barbecue sauce
4 tbsp soy sauce

Now Food Envy does this with a Guinness Draught can -- I don't recommend it because those cans come with a plastic widget designed to help manage the head when you pour the beer. NOLA's Irish Channel Stout is a solid replacement that comes in a pint can, which is really what you need to help make the whole thing stand up.

Instructions

1. Rinse the chicken well and dry with paper towels. Remove the neck and organs from the cavity.

2. Combine your seasoning ingredients in a small bowl, then sprinkle over your chicken and rub well to coat, making sure that you coat the chicken well all over.

3. Open your can of beer, pour about half out in a small cup. Place the chicken over the can with the opening up into the cavity. It's important to do your best to try and balance this thing -- they make stands for this sort of thing, but if you can position the legs you should be able to make the whole apparatus stand up on its own.

4. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a 400-degree oven for 60 minutes.

5. Pour the leftover beer into a skillet or sauce pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Add the barbecue sauce and soy sauce, mix well and simmer for 15 minutes or so.

6. Once the hour is up, remove the chicken carefully, and drizzle a couple of spoonfuls of the sauce over the bird. Place back in the oven and bake for another 20 minutes. Take the chicken off the can of beer and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes before carving and eating.

The video suggests serving this over French fries - we went with tater tots, I suggest the starch of your choice, with lots of extra sauce.