Beer Can Chicken in the Oven
This beer can chicken delivers the crispiest skin you've ever pulled out of an oven — steamed from the inside with beer and seasoned to the bone with a paprika-brown sugar rub. It's the whole-bird recipe my family asks for on a Sunday rotation, no grill required.
Ingredients
- Dry Rub
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- Chicken
- 1 whole chicken 4-4.5 lbs
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 can 12 oz lager or light beer (drink or discard about 1/3 first)
- 1 tsp kosher salt for inside the cavity
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425F. Move the rack low enough to fit the upright chicken — check this before the oven heats up.
- Pat the chicken completely dry inside and out with paper towels. This is non-negotiable for crispy skin.
- Mix all dry rub ingredients in a small bowl. Drizzle olive oil over the chicken and massage the rub all over — under the skin on the breast if you can, and inside the cavity with just salt.
- Drink or pour out about 1/3 of the beer. Place the can into your stand and set the assembly on a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan.
- Lower the chicken cavity down over the beer can so the bird sits upright, legs forward, using the stand and drumsticks as a tripod.
- Roast at 425F for 60-75 minutes until the skin is deep amber and the thickest part of the thigh reads 165F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Rest the whole setup for 10 minutes before lifting the chicken off the can with tongs and a folded paper towel. The can will be extremely hot.
- Carve and serve immediately.