James Martin's beer can chicken

Thursday 9 April at 12:41pm

Fancy roasting chicken on a can of beer? James Martin shows us how as he cooks lunch from his beautiful garden in Hampshire.

Beer can chicken

Serves: 4

Ingredients

For the chicken

50g harissa paste (you could also use any curry or chipotle paste, curry powder or dried chilli flakes to flavour the yoghurt)

300ml full fat greek yoghurt

1 large corn fed chicken, about 1.8kg, slashed

1 large can of beer (the can needs to be tall so the chicken can sit upright)

For the onions

2 onions, peeled

400ml beer

Salt and pepper

For the salad

400g cooked rice

1 small bunch coriander, chopped

1 small bunch mint, chopped

1 lemon, juice and zest

Lemon wedges, to serve

Method

For the beer can chicken

Mix the harissa together with the yoghurt, season with salt and pepper. Firstly, spoon a quarter of the yoghurt mixture into a separate bowl and keep in the fridge to serve with the cooked chicken.
After you have done that, use the rest of the mixture to cover the chicken, then cover in cling film and pop into the fridge for a few hours or overnight. Discard any left over chicken marinade that has come into contact with the raw chicken.
Preheat an oven to 200c or cook on the barbecue - make sure the coals are hot and grey before using
Take the chicken from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature. Open the can of lager and place the chicken over the top of the can so it sits upright with the top of the can inside the cavity of the chicken. Scrunch up a large piece of foil to make a circle, and sit the chicken and can inside it, so it is supported.
Place the chicken onto the barbecue and close the lid, or sit on a large baking tray and then place in the oven, and cook for about 1 hour 20 minutes, or until the juices run clear when you pierce the skin

For the onions

Place the onions into a pan, cover in beer and bring to the boil then simmer for 40 minutes before allowing to cool. Cut the onions in half horizontally then place cut side down onto the barbecue, or dry fry in a hot non stick frying pan, until charred.
Finally for the salad, mix the rice, fresh herbs, lemon juice and zest together, then season with salt and pepper
Serve the chicken with the rice salad, onions, the reserved dressing and some lemon wedges