Barbecue Beer Can Chicken Recipe
by Lisa Goodwin-Allen
4
2 hours
Ingredients

Chicken

  • 2kg free-range chicken, preferably organic
  • 150g of butter
  • 2g of salt
  • 300ml of lager beer, in a can

Chicken marinade

  • 570ml of lager beer
  • 90g of malt extract
  • 2g of chilli powder
  • 2g of mustard powder
  • 2g of smoked paprika
  • 2g of dark muscavado sugar
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed

Chicken sauce

  • 600g of chicken bones, roasted
  • 100g of onion, sliced
  • 2 sprigs of thyme
  • 100ml of Madeira
  • 800ml of chicken stock
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 tbsp of olive oil

Summer beans

  • 200g of haricot beans
  • 50ml of olive oil
  • 100g of onion, finely diced
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1l chicken stock
  • 200ml of tomato juice
  • 20g of chorizo sausage, diced
  • 4 plum tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and cut into petals
  • 80g of broad beans, podded
  • 40g of runner beans, sliced
  • 40g of green beans
  • 40g of fresh peas, shelled
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 pinch of basil, chopped
  • 1 pinch of parsley, chopped
  • 1 pinch of tarragon, chopped

Tear and share bread

  • 3 bulbs of garlic
  • 1 tbsp of olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
  • 30g of fresh yeast
  • 325ml of warm water
  • 450g of strong bread flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
Method
1
For the chicken, remove the wishbone with a sharp knife, then make 3 incisions into each of the legs of the chicken
  • 2kg free-range chicken
2
In a bowl, mix 70ml of the beer with the rest of the marinade ingredients to make a paste, rub the paste into the chicken all over, place into a ziplock bag and seal. Leave to marinade for 3 hours in the fridge
  • 70ml of lager beer
  • 90g of malt extract
  • 2g of chilli powder
  • 2g of mustard powder
  • 2g of smoked paprika
  • 2g of dark muscavado sugar
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
3
After 3 hours add the rest of the beer and reseal in the bag, then leave for 24 hours to marinate then remove from the bag and pat dry with a cloth
  • 500ml of lager beer
4
Rub the butter under the skin and around the chicken, then season the whole chicken with salt
  • 150g of butter
  • 2g of salt
5
Open the can of beer and pour out a little of the beer so it's not quite full. Place the can into a beer can chicken holder (or prop up in a deep tray) then place the chicken onto the holder
  • 300ml of lager beer, in a can
6
Place the chicken onto a hot barbecue or in an oven at 190°C. Cook for 40 minutes (or until cooked through), basting the chicken twice during cooking. Once cooked, remove from the barbecue or oven, and leave to rest for 15 minutes before serving
7
To make the chicken sauce, in a heavy-based pan add the oil and caramelize the onions for 2–3 minutes. Add the chicken bones, garlic and thyme cook for a further 3–4 minutes
  • 1 tbsp of olive oil
  • 100g of onion, sliced
  • 600g of chicken bones, roasted
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 2 sprigs of thyme
8
Add the Madeira and reduce the sauce by three-quarters, then add the chicken stock and bring to the boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and reduce by half until it reaches a consistency that coats the back of a spoon
  • 100ml of Madeira
  • 800ml of chicken stock
9
Remove the sauce from the pan and pass through a muslin cloth, or fine sieve, into a pan. Season to taste
10
For the summer beans, in a large pan sweat the onions in the olive oil for 2-3 minutes until soft, then add the garlic and haricot beans and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the tomato juice and stock and bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes – 1 hour until the beans are tender
  • 100g of onion, sliced
  • 50ml of olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 200g of haricot beans
  • 200ml of tomato juice
  • 1l chicken stock
11
Remove the lid, add the chorizo, fresh tomatoes, runner beans, broad beans, green beans, peas and salt and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Just before serving add the fresh herbs and a squeeze of lime
  • 20g of chorizo sausage, diced
  • 4 plum tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and cut into petals
  • 40g of runner beans, sliced
  • 80g of broad beans, podded
  • 40g of green beans
  • 40g of fresh peas, shelled
  • 1 pinch of basil, chopped
  • 1 pinch of parsley, chopped
  • 1 pinch of tarragon, chopped
  • 1 lime, juiced
12
To make the bread (you can start this ahead), preheat the oven to 160°C/gas mark 4. Drizzle the whole garlic heads with olive oil and wrap tightly in tinfoil. Place onto a baking tray and bake in the oven for 40 minutes until completely soft. Leave to cool slightly then push each garlic clove individually from its skin. Pass through a fine sieve and weigh out 40g of the roasted garlic
  • 3 bulbs of garlic
  • 1 tbsp of olive oil
13
Dissolve the fresh yeast into the warm water. Sieve the flour and salt into a mixing bowl then add 30g of the roasted garlic paste. Mix in a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, adding the yeast and water bit by bit. Mix the dough for 5 minutes until smooth
  • 30g of fresh yeast
  • 325ml of warm water
  • 450g of strong bread flour
  • 1 tsp salt
14
Cover the dough with a cloth and leave in a warm place to prove for 15–20 minutes. Once proved remove from the bowl and press into a tray rectangular baking tray. Cover with a cloth and leave to prove again for 15 minutes
15
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Bake the bread for 12 minutes until golden brown. Mix together the remaining roasted garlic paste, a little olive oil and the dried thyme and brush over the bread
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
16
To serve place the chicken, sauce, vegetables and tear and share bread on the table and let everyone help themselves