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READY IN 1½ hrs

Drunken Chicken

Read Reviews (52)

"This is a strange but wonderful recipe. Grill chicken with beer until the juices run clear!" — The Freemans

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Types of Salt

Original recipe makes 5 servings Change Servings

1 (3 pound) whole chicken
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup Dijon-style prepared mustard

8 fluid ounces beer
1/2 cup Italian-style salad dressing

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Directions

Prepare an outdoor grill for medium heat.
Rinse chicken and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Coat with mustard.
Pour half of beer out of can and refill with Italian style dressing. Place can on a disposable baking sheet. Set chicken on beer can (it acts as a stand), inserting can into cavity of the chicken.
Place baking sheet with beer and chicken on the preheated grill. Cover, and cook about 1 hour, until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

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PREP 30 mins
COOK 1 hr
READY IN 1 hr 30 mins

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This truly is an awsome recipe that I have used many times. The only variations that I have come up with are stuffing an onion or potato in the neck cavity to prevent the steam from evaporating and also adding water to the bottom of a foil pan to prevent the underside of the chicken from getting too black when the grease splatters. I have also rubbed the outside of the chicken with rotisserie spices and added a pop up breast timer to ensure doneness.

—MISSY (Carter) MARTIN

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Jul 31, 2003

I kind of have a tiff, with this recipe. Because it was not specified that the chicken should be under indirect heat my 2 chickens caught on fire! Because of the beer (alcohol) when the juices ran out it caught onto the heat and thus created combustion. Not fun. In other similar recipes it does say to "spread the coals to the outer edge" or "place chicken in indirect heat". Well, not to put all the blame on you, because others were able to figure this out on their own, but it should be clear that the chicken be put in indirect heat in this recipe as well. I was so exceited and now I have two carcuses in my trash can. (almost humerous, give it time...)

—HEATHEBEL

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67 Ratings

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Nov 04, 2007

I found two recipes for the beer can chicken on here, couldn't decide which was better, so I made them both. The other one was only poultry seasoning on the outside and beer in the can. This recipe turned out producing a more moist chicken. I don't know if it was the ingredients - I made one change to recipe. My beer can opening came very close to the neck opening and I was worried that the beer wouldn't evaporate into the main body of the chicken... so I cut the beer can about 1/3 of the way down for this recipe. Also, I roasted this in the oven- 450 for the first 20 minutes to crisp the skin and keep juices in..and then 375 for the next hour and a half. Very tasty, I will use this recipe from now on!

—Marcela

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Aug 31, 2006

Has anyone tried this using a Charcoal BBQ?

—Dom

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Jun 29, 2003

I baked the chicken instead of grilling it, but the beer and simple seasonings worked great. You could fully taste the juicy chicken. I was weary of the beer but the beer only enhances the chicken taste. Yum.

—KTRAN

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Jul 06, 2005

This was unbelievably GOOD! I saw similar recipes in the past and I thought "This just isn't right!" Was I wrong! The best whole chicken I have ever made! I bought a three pack of whole fryer chickens at Costco. I did make some changes to the recipe. I made a dry rub of paparika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and a dash of cinnamon. Omitted the mustard. I rubbed the outside of the chicken and sprinkled inside the cavity. I put the chickens into zip lock bags and left them overnight. Lined the grill with aluminum foil. Omitted the Italian dressing, just used the can of beer. Took about a couple of hours on med heat on the gas grill. Covered top with aluminum foil when it got brown enough. Meat thermometer is useful. The whole family just raved! Juicy meat, crispy, tasty skin. This is a keeper! Thanks!

—EASYLYVIN

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Jan 25, 2004

This was the best way I have made chicken on the grill! I did 2 chickens weighing about 3-1/2 lbs. each. One I smothered in poultry seasoning and the other with the mustard. I grilled them for 1-1/2 hours and they were falling off the bone. Just a quick tip, place your chickens on the beer while you are at the grill. If you do it in the kitchen and then try to take them out on a platter you may have a hard time keeping them steady. Great recipe!

—Elizabeth

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Jun 23, 2003

The directions for this recipe have been edited to include a disposable baking pan. - The Staff

—the allrecipes staff

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Nutrition

Calories
724 kcal
36%

Carbohydrates
14.1 g
5%

Cholesterol
204 mg
68%

Fat
47.7 g
73%

Fiber
0 g
0%

Protein
51 g
102%

Sodium
1781 mg
71%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Drunken Chicken

Serving Size: 1/5 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 5
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 724
Calories from Fat: 429

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 47.7g 73 %
Saturated Fat 12.8g 64 %
Cholesterol 204mg 68 %
Sodium 1781mg 71 %
** Potassium 539mg 15 %
Total Carbohydrates 14.1g 5 %
Dietary Fiber 0g 0 %
Protein 51g 102 %
Sugars 2g
Vitamin A 8 %
Vitamin C 7 %
Calcium 4 %
Iron 26 %
** Thiamin < 1 %
** Niacin 217 %
** Vitamin B6 62 %
** Magnesium 21 %
** Folate 11 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.