There are 1001 ways (plus) to make chicken. One problem often faced when making a whole bird is that the white meat gets overcooked or the dark meat comes out undercooked. A simple solution is using brine. Beer brine infuses meat with flavor and tenderizes at the same time.
This isn’t a difficult recipe. It involves brining your chicken, applying a dry rub, and grilling the bird.
Drunken Chicken
There are 1001 ways (plus) to make chicken. One problem often faced when making a whole bird is that the white meat gets overcooked or the dark meat comes out undercooked. A simple solution is using brine. Beer brine infuses meat with flavor and tenderizes at the same time.This isn’t a difficult recipe. It involves brining your chicken, applying a dry rub, and grilling the bird.
Ingredients
BRINE INGREDIENTS
- 3 lb whole chicken
- 2 bottles Belgian ale (3 if you want one for yourself!)
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp chipotle powder
- 1 tbsp pink salt
- ½ tsp dill
- ½ tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp pink peppercorns
- 1 garlic clove (smashed)
RUB INGREDIENTS
- You have a lot of options for a chicken rub. You can buy one you like from the supermarket. Or you can blend up one of your own. Here’s one blend to try:
- 1 tbsp honey powder
- 1 tbsp flaked salt
- 3 tsp Herbs de Provence
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp smokey paprika
- 1 tsp citrus zest (lemon, lime, or orange)
- ½ tsp black pepper
- You can serve the chicken as-is. If you’re looking for sauce ideas (consider:)
- Buffalo-style hot
- Caribbean jerk
- Garlic chili
- Chimichurri
- Ginger
- Honey mustard
- Mango
- Mushroom cream
- Sesame
- White wine
Instructions
- Mix your brine in a plastic container large enough to hold the whole chicken.
- Put the chicken in the brine in the refrigerator
- Leave them for 8 hours, turning the chicken every two hours
- Preheat the grill to 350F
- Drain the chicken
- Pat it dry inside and out
- Sprinkle the rub evenly on the chicken, making sure to get some inside **
- Place the chicken on the grill and close the lid
- After 1 hour, check the meat. It needs to be at 165F before removing.
- It may take another 30 minutes of grilling, particularly if you have a larger bird.
- ** You can also put aromatics inside the cavity, such as a small whole onion, an orange, and a sprig of thyme.
Notes
For even juicer meat, put a tbsp of butter underneath the chicken skin right at the top of the bird. You can also slip some under the skin on the legs.