Beer Butt Chicken

I was really excited when I first saw this recipe from Jamie Oliver. I thought it would be a great crowd pleaser and a really good way to keep the chicken moist and juicy throughout.

 

In this recipe which is from Jamie's America, there are two methods to cook the chicken - barbecue and oven. However, as only the oven is accessible to me, I'm using this method. You may try the barbecue method and see if it works really well too. 

Please see my comments or modifications in blue below.

 

Ingredients:

1 large or medium whole chicken (cleaned and wiped dry with visible fats taken out or you can just leave it as well)

a 473ml can of Budweiser or lager (you can use any type of lager or beer except for Guinness stout)

Ingredients for the rub:

1 heaped tsp fennel seeds

1 level tsp cumin seeds (I used powder)

1 level tsp paprika

1 heaped tsp brown sugar

1 level tsp chilli powder

sea salt, to taste

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

3 tbsp olive oil

 

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 200 deg celsius. I preheated mine at 180 deg celsius as my oven is pyrolytic.
2. Take the chicken from the fridge while you prepare the rub.
3. In a pestle and mortar, bash up the fennel and cumin seeds I mixed fennel seeds together with the cumin powder and mix with the paprika, brown sugar, chilli powder, salt and pepper. Stir in about 3 tbsp olive oil until you get a paste.
4. Drizzle this rub all over the chicken inside out and make sure that no nook or cranny is left out.
5. Open your beer can and at this point of time, you can drink about half can of beer and then lower the chicken cavity on top of the beer can so that the chicken will be sitting on top of the beer can. Haha!! This may be the most unglam dish you have ever cooked but trust me, the beer will be steamed in the oven and that will keep the insides of the chicken so moist that even the chicken breast will be eaten by anyone who doesn't eat chicken breast at all.
6. Grill your chicken for about 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes until it's golden and delicious.
7. Serve while hot. Be careful of the steam from the beer can when you remove the chicken from the can.

It was a real pity that I didn't get the chance to take a picture of the chicken after it was cooked. Everything just happened too fast. The chicken did look a tad black but probably from the caramelisation of the sugar. The best comments were that the chicken is so so moist that even the chicken breast tastes as good as the chicken thighs. I was pretty impressed and surprised by it. I promise the next time I cook this, I will take a picture of the outcome.

 

Nevertheless, you must try this recipe at home!! Even for those of you who think you can't cook at all. Your guests will be so impressed by you ;)

I'm submitting this post to Cook-Your-Books#26 organized by Joyce of kitchenflavours.

I'm also submitting this post to Cooking with Herbs organized by Karen of Lavender and Lovage.

 

 

This post is linked to Little Thumbs Up (August 2015: Brown Sugar and Molasses) organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY, and hosted by Jess from Bakericious.