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Beer brined chicken
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5 from 1 vote

Beer Brined and Grilled Chicken

Beer brined chicken produces a really great tasting, juicy and tender grilled chicken.  We include a simple rub to give it a little more barbecue taste.
Prep Time25 mins
Cook Time50 mins
Total Time1 hr 15 mins

Ingredients

  • 1 whole roasting chicken
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/4 cup Kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
  • 2 12 ounce Lager beers
  • 3 teaspoons paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper ground
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Instructions

  • Mix together the water, Kosher salt and brown sugar in a small sauce pan and heat on the stove until just before boiling.
  • Remove from the heat and stir to dissolve the salt and sugar.
  • Stir in the two beers and allow the brine mixture to cool to room temperature.
  • Remove the bag of nasty gizzards and what-not from the cavity of the whole chicken and then rinse with cold water.
  • Place the whole chicken in a sealable bag and pour in the brine.
  • Place the bag o' chicken and beer brine in a bowl large enough to catch any leaks (trust me on this one, my wife still won't let me live that one down...) and then place in the refrigerator.
  • Allow the chicken to soak in the brine for 12 hours.
  • Remove the chicken from the brine and rinse thoroughly with cold water.  I know it's tempting, but don't try to salvage that beer, that's just nasty.
  • At this point, I like to butterfly the chicken so that it cooks faster.  Don't know how to do that?  Check out these instructions.  It's easy and I even saw it as a challenge on one of those Food Network Challenge things, so if that ever comes up in your life, you're welcome...
  • Preheat the grill, keep one side at low and the other at medium.
  • Combine the paprika, cumin, pepper, celery salt and onion powder in a small bowl.
  • Pat dry the chicken and then rub with the paprika rub.
  • Grill the chicken skin side down for about 10 minutes with the lid closed, moving it around if the fat produces flare-ups.
  • Flip the chicken over and continue to grill until a thermometer in the breast meat reads around 160 degrees, 170 in the thigh.  It should take around 30 - 45 minutes, but rely on the temperature and not the time.  Move the chicken over to the lower heat side if the skin gets a little too browned or burned.  You can always peel that skin off, so don't sweat it if you burn a litte.
  • Remove the beer brined chicken from the grill and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
  • Enjoy with the rest of that beer you purchased!

Nutrition

Serving: 4g