Mel’s Corona Chicken

That’s right!  It’s Coronavirus Quarantine with Mel’s Corona Chicken.  My hubby is a master on the grill, and he loves finding new, yummy ways to tantalize our taste buds.  This easy, slow grilled chicken is something he made for the first time 2 years ago and we all love it, so it seemed fitting to make it again during our Coronavirus quarantine.

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If you’ve browsed Pinterest or the internet for grilled chicken recipes, then I’m sure you’ve seen the beer butt chickens before.  You can use just the can, or purchase a Chicken Can Stand (yes, they really do exist).  There are several different types of Chicken Can Stands for sale on Amazon.  They come in stainless steel, ceramic, with or without drip pans, and even double chicken stands.  We have a stainless steel, single stand that works great for holding the chicken in place and the can upright, but using just the can works as well.

Freezing & Thawing Chicken

I love purchasing whole chickens when they go on sale.  I can typically find them several times a year for less than $0.90 a pound at our local grocery store.  When they do, I will pick up 2 or 3 of them and put them in the freezer.  They freeze great and thaw easily!  I don’t do anything special to the chickens before I freeze them since they are typically already wrapped in plastic.  If you purchase your chickens from a butcher that wraps them in butcher paper, you should wrap them with freezer paper or put them in a plastic freezer bag before freezing them.  Butcher paper isn’t the same as freezer paper and can expose your chicken to freezer burn. 

Whole chickens must be thawed completely before cooking or you run the risk of the center not being fully cooked which could lead to salmonella poisoning.  To thaw my chickens, I typically put the whole, frozen chicken in a bowl or square baking dish and put it in the refrigerator the day before.  No matter how well sealed the chickens seem to be there always tends to be juice that leaks out.  Placing the chicken in a bowl or dish keeps the juice from spilling and running all over your refrigerator, potentially exposing your other food to salmonella.  I like to put a couple paper towels under the bowl or dish just in case any chicken juice does spill out; the paper towel will help contain it.

Cleaning Whole Chickens

Once your chicken is completely thawed, unwrap it in your sink so any juice inside the chicken or packaging can drain safely.  Be sure to clean your sink before and after handling your chicken in it.  This will prohibit cross contamination of germs.  There is a lot of debate over whether it is safe to rinse raw chicken or not.  Even top chefs differ on the subject, so I won’t go into detail on that here.  I will just say that, rinsing raw chicken can release bacteria like salmonella on to other kitchen surfaces as well as yourself, so ultimately that choice is up to you.  No matter what your choice about rinsing raw chicken or not, you do still need to remove the neck and giblets that come packed inside the body of the chicken before cooking it so be sure to wash your hands and sink thoroughly with antibacterial soap/cleaner and hot water once you’re done.

Season the Chicken

All raw chickens are moist by nature so it’s best to pat them with a paper towel to remove the excess moisture before seasoning.  If your chickens are too wet, the seasoning will dissolve and/or slide off them before you can cook them.  Alternatively, if your chickens are too dry, the seasoning won’t stick to them at all.  Use your best judgement on how much moisture to dry off.  You can always dry them more if they’re too wet or squirt a little lemon on them if they seem too dry.

Chicken Wiggle

The next step is to put the chicken on the beer can or can stand.  You’ll need to pour out ½ the beer from the can because as the chicken cooks, the beer will heat up and boil, which means a full beer will boil over and make a mess on your grill. 

Be sure to push the chicken down over the can more than half-way.  It may take a little maneuvering or a little chicken wiggle to get it on the can properly.  Also, make sure you’re putting the can in the butt end and not the neck.  The neck end is much smaller.

In order to ensure the chicken stays upright while cooking, we like to set in on the beer can on a baking sheet covered in foil on the grill. 

Indirect Heat Method

We’ve found it’s best to cook the chicken with indirect heat.  There are a few different ways to do this.  We have a large gas grill with 4 burners, so we light the burners on either side and set the chicken in the middle.  Even if you have a smaller grill, you can set the chicken off to the side of the heat, making sure you rotate it periodically, so it cooks evenly.  You want the chicken to roast slowly.  Use a medium/low heat setting to maintain the temperature between 250° – 300° F for a gas grill.  You can also use a charcoal grill with the indirect heat method.

Our favorite way to cook the chicken is an indirect smoked method.  Using a disposable baking dish filled halfway with wood chips and water over the heat, you can get a wonderful smoked flavor in your chicken that is cooking/smoking off to the side.

How ever you choose to grill it, be sure to check on the chicken and the flames periodically.  Depending on the weight of your chicken, it will take 1 ½ – 2 hours to fully cook the chicken.  You can use a meat thermometer to check the chicken.   Stick the thermometer in the thickest part of the chicken, but not touching a bone.   When the temperature reaches 160° – 165° F your chicken is done.

Corona Time

Remove the chicken and the entire baking sheet from the grill. Let the chicken rest on the can for 10 – 15 mins to allow the natural juices to redistribute.  Lift the chicken off the can and set it on a clean cutting board.  Using hot pads, pour the remaining beer down the drain and throw the can away after it cools.  The can and beer will be very hot.

We like to serve Corona Chicken with Potato Skins & Roasted Corn on the Cob! 

Celebrate this gift of time we have during this Coronavirus quarantine with Mel’s Corona Chicken!

Looking for more delicious ways to cook chicken? Try my Honey Orange Chicken!