This delicious, juicy Beer Can Chicken on your grill is so easy! Plus, it’s great to make on the weekend and use it for meal prep too. The chicken is seasoned with a homemade rub then grilled on top of a beer can. The chicken has a crispy, seasoned skin and is tender and delicious.

Now does this look tasty or what? Let me tell you we LOVE Beer Can Chicken on the grill! It was all we could do not pull that crispy skin right off the chicken. IT starts with a delicious Chicken Rub and then it is grilled until perfectly crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside!

Contents show

Just look at the crispy golden skin! Mmmm! That is one tasty bird!

I’ll admit this is the first time I made this and I’m hooked for life! I can’t wait to try more flavors. I’m really wanting to try a tequila lime flavor! It was sooooo juicy.

We served it with my favorite Grilled Asparagus and it was the perfect combo!

Did you know you can also make Beer Can Chicken on the Smoker if you love that smoked taste!

I used this handy chicken rack that made it super easy to balance the chicken on the grill.

If you use just the beer can it gets a little bit tricky, so check out my expert tips below on that!

Ingredients Needed

Chicken Rub
Whole Chicken

That’s it, only two ingredients!

How to make Beer Can Chicken

Preheat the grill to 375 degrees.
Prepare BBQ Chicken rub or use your favorite premade rub.
Rinse chicken under cold running water, drain and pat dry. Fit whole chicken over the opened can of beer with the legs on the bottom; keeping upright, just like as pictured. I recommend using this chicken rack also!
Sprinkle the seasoning mix into the top cavity of the chicken.
Lift the skin from the chicken. Then generously rub the spice mix in between the skin and meat of the chicken to season. Next rub the remaining seasoning mix over the entire surface of the chicken.
Place the chicken, standing on the can, directly on the preheated grill using indirect heat.
Close the lid and until the chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear
Remove the chicken from the grill and discard the beer can. Cover the chicken with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest before slicing.

Expert Tips

Dry the skin of your chicken well. A dry skin will help get a crispy skin when you grill it.
Make sure to rub the inside of the chicken in the cavity along with the skin. We recommend also lifting the skin up and rubbing it under the skin so the seasoning gets right on the meat.
Any beer will be fine you don’t need an expensive craft beer to make this.
Make sure you empty or drink half of the beer. This is because you need headspace in the can to create steam for cooking inside the chicken.
If you don’t have a fancy beer can chicken holder simply place you chicken in a 9×13 metal or disposable pan. This will help transfer the chicken off the grill or catch the chicken and beer if things get tipsy on the grill.
The easiest way to remove the beer can from the chicken require two people. One person holds the can with tongs while the other one grabs the chicken using wadded up paper towels or a clean towel and pulls it off.
If you don’t want to use beer you can substitute soda like ginger ale, citrus soda or even root beer.
Don’t want to fire up the grill? Bake it in the oven, just make sure to place a pan under the chicken to catch the juices.

Leftovers

Let the leftover chicken cool. Then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Any recipe that calls for shredded or cubed chicken is great for using up any leftovers you have.
Perfect to adding to a salad or making a sandwich.

Sides to serve with it!

WATCH THE STEP BY STEP VIDEO FOR THIS RECIPE BELOW:

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Are you ready to get grilling this chicken?!! I’m getting hungry again just looking at it! Be sure to tag me on Instagram @gimmesomegrilling or hashtag #gimmesomegrilling!

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5 from 7 votes

Beer Can Chicken

This delicious, juicy chicken on your grill is so easy! The perfectly seasoned, crispy chicken with tender, juicy meat grilled on a beer can.

Prep:15

Cook:1 15

Total:1 30

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Ingredients

▢ 3 lb whole chicken
▢ 1 batch BBQ Chicken Rub

Instructions

Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high indirect heat, about 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Indirect heat is when half of the grill is heating and half is not. You will cook the chicken on the cool side.
In a small bowl mix together the BBQ Chicken rub or use your favorite premade chicken rub.
Rinse chicken under cold running water. Discard giblets and neck from chicken; drain and pat dry. Fit whole chicken over the can of beer with the legs on the bottom; keep upright. I recommend using this chicken rack also! Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the seasoning mix into the top cavity of the chicken. The beer may foam up when the seasonings fall inside the can.
Gently lift the skin from the chicken. Then generously rub the chicken rub in between the skin and meat of the chicken to season the chicken. Next rub the remaining seasoning mix over the entire surface of the chicken.
Place the chicken, standing on the can, directly on the preheated grill on the "cool side" to cook using indirect heat. Close the lid and barbeque the chicken until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 1 hour 15 minutes. We recommend not checking the grill for the first hour so the heat stays in. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 180 degrees F (82 degrees C).
Remove the chicken from the grill and discard the beer can. Cover the chicken with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area for 10 minutes before slicing.

Tips

Expert Tips

Dry the skin of your chicken well. A dry skin will help get a crispy skin when you grill it.
Make sure to rub the inside of the chicken in the cavity along with the skin. We recommend also lifting the skin up and rubbing it under the skin so the seasoning gets right on the meat.
Any beer will be fine you don’t need an expensive craft beer to make this.
Make sure you empty or drink half of the beer. This is because you need headspace in the can to create steam for cooking inside the chicken.
If you don’t have a fancy beer can chicken holder simply place you chicken in a 9×13 metal or disposable pan. This will help transfer the chicken off the grill or catch the chicken and beer if things get tipsy on the grill.
The easiest way to remove the beer can from the chicken require two people. One person holds the can with tongs while the other one grabs the chicken using wadded up paper towels or a clean towel and pulls it off.
If you don’t want to use beer you can substitute soda like ginger ale, citrus soda or even root beer.
Don’t want to fire up the grill? Bake it in the oven, just make sure to place a pan under the chicken to catch the juices.

Leftovers

Let the leftover chicken cool. Then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Any recipe that calls for shredded or cubed chicken is great for using up any leftovers you have.
Perfect to adding to a salad or making a sandwich.

Video

Nutrition Information

Calories: 234kcal (12%), Protein: 20g (40%), Fat: 16g (25%), Saturated Fat: 4g (25%), Cholesterol: 81mg (27%), Sodium: 76mg (3%), Potassium: 205mg (6%), Vitamin A: 150IU (3%), Vitamin C: 1.7mg (2%), Calcium: 12mg (1%), Iron: 1mg (6%)

We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box is calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.

Colleen says

Posted on 7/8/22 at 11:16 am

Easy way not to make a mess or burn yourself with hot beer when removing chicken from can is poke hole in bottom of can to drain liquid.

- the Evinks says
  
  Posted on 7/11/22 at 9:30 am
  
  Great tip Colleen!
  
Jill says

Posted on 10/12/19 at 6:14 pm

Do you place the chicken over direct heat?

- Megan Mitzel says
  
  Posted on 10/15/19 at 9:09 pm
  
  Yes!
  
Lindsey Taber says

Posted on 8/16/19 at 6:32 pm

Do you know how long it would take to do this with a 5 lb. Chicken?? This recipe looks delicious! Thank you!

- Megan Mitzel says
  
  Posted on 8/20/19 at 2:39 am
  
  This recipe calls for about 25 mins a pound so I would tack on around 40-50 mins. However, all grills are different so make sure to check the internal temperature as you are grilling to prevent over-cooking the chicken. Let us know how it turns out!
  
D Propp says

Posted on 7/31/19 at 7:14 am

Looks great. I love that you recommend people to place the spice between the skin and the breast. That is the best way to flavor the meat and not just the skin. In addition, I put some of my spice rub in the beer to help the inside of the bird gain the flavor. I would recommend that people not use the beer can in the middle. I have no scientific way to prove it have you ever looked at the beer can after making Beer Can chicken? The paint looks like it has gone somewhere and I suspect it is into the chicken. The device I have linked has a clean space for the beer and it holds the chicken very well.

Krystle says

Posted on 4/7/19 at 3:01 am

We love beer can chicken in the summer. Skin on this was so crispy and the rub is full of flavor!

- Julie Evink says
  
  Posted on 4/8/19 at 5:04 pm
  
  So glad you enjoyed it! I just made it again this past weekend!
  
Liz says

Posted on 4/7/19 at 12:23 am

I hadn’t made beer can chicken in years and found your delicious your recipe. The rub was terrific and we’ll be making it again for sure!

- Julie Evink says
  
  Posted on 4/8/19 at 5:04 pm
  
  Glad you enjoyed it again!
  
Renee Goerger says

Posted on 8/29/18 at 5:30 pm

What a glorious looking chicken. I’ve been dying to make a beer can chicken and this looks like the perfect recipe!

- Julie Evink says
  
  Posted on 8/30/18 at 3:08 pm
  
  It’s so delicious and the perfect one to start with!
  
Krissy Allori says

Posted on 8/29/18 at 4:55 pm

I never knew that you could make a chicken on a beer can! That is so interesting! I will have to try it!

- Julie Evink says
  
  Posted on 8/30/18 at 3:09 pm
  
  It’s so delicious and juicy!
  
- Patti says
  
  Posted on 8/30/18 at 7:27 pm
  
  Any beer will do, but we use half of the can. (drink or discard rest) The outcome is the juiciest, moist chicken you will ever eat. There is a contraption on line that will allow the can and chicken to sit on a dish, ergo no mess if doing it in the oven.
  I have tried it with the rub, both on the grill and in the oven.
  Thanks Julie for a fantastic recipe! 🙂
  
  - Julie Evink says
    
    Posted on 9/6/18 at 2:37 pm
    
    I have to look for that online!

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