Cola Can Chicken (Holland Grill Style)
No doubt you've seen someone cooking a chicken on a can on one of those cable cooking shows. It's easy and delicious--try it yourself.
Cola Can Chicken (Holland Grill Style)
Adapted from the Beer-Can Chicken and 74 Other Offbeat Recipes for the Grill by Steven Raichlen Workman Publishing Company, Inc.
NOTE: Use Holland's Roastin' Post instead of a cola can or beer can. It's wide base will keep it from tipping over and it's designed to steam the flavor into the chicken from the inside.
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Directions
1. Make the Rub: put the chili powder, salt, brown sugar, black pepper, cumin, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl and stir to mix.
2. Pop the Tab off the soda can. Pour half the of the cola (3/4 cup) into a measuring cup and set aside for the sauce. If cooking the chicken on the can, using a church key-style opener, make 2 additional holes in its top.
3. Remove the packet of giblets from the body cavity of the chicken and set aside for other sues. Remove and discard the fat just inside the body and neck cavities. Rinse the chicken, inside and out, under cold running water and then drain and bolt dry, inside and out, with paper towels. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the run inside the body cavity and ½ teaspoon in the neck cavity of the chicken. Drizzle oil over the outside of the bird and rub or brush it all over the skin. Spoon the remaining rub through a hole in the top of the can. Don't worry if the cola foams up, this is normal.
4. If cooking on a can: Hold the bird upright, with the opening of the body cavity at the bottom, and lower it onto the can so the can fits into the cavity. Pull the chicken legs forward to form a sort of tripod, so the bird stands upright. The rear leg of the tripod is the can.
5. Tuck the tips of the wings behind the chicken's back.
6. Preheat the Holland Grill for 30 minutes.
7. When ready to cook stand the chicken up in the center of the hot grate. Cover the grill and cook the chicken until the skin is a dark golden brown and very crisp and the meat is cooked all he way through (about 180o F on an instant read, meat thermometerin the thickest part of a thigh, but not touching a bone), 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours. If the chicken skin starts to brown too much, loosely tent the bird with aluminum foil.
8. If cooking on a can: Using tongs, hold the bird by the can and carefully transfer it in an upright position to a platter.
9. Present the bird to your guests. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes, then carefully lift off the support. Take care not to spill the hot cola or otherwise burn yourself. Halve, quarter, or carve the chicken and serve with the barbecue sauce.
2. Pop the Tab off the soda can. Pour half the of the cola (3/4 cup) into a measuring cup and set aside for the sauce. If cooking the chicken on the can, using a church key-style opener, make 2 additional holes in its top.
3. Remove the packet of giblets from the body cavity of the chicken and set aside for other sues. Remove and discard the fat just inside the body and neck cavities. Rinse the chicken, inside and out, under cold running water and then drain and bolt dry, inside and out, with paper towels. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the run inside the body cavity and ½ teaspoon in the neck cavity of the chicken. Drizzle oil over the outside of the bird and rub or brush it all over the skin. Spoon the remaining rub through a hole in the top of the can. Don't worry if the cola foams up, this is normal.
4. If cooking on a can: Hold the bird upright, with the opening of the body cavity at the bottom, and lower it onto the can so the can fits into the cavity. Pull the chicken legs forward to form a sort of tripod, so the bird stands upright. The rear leg of the tripod is the can.
5. Tuck the tips of the wings behind the chicken's back.
6. Preheat the Holland Grill for 30 minutes.
7. When ready to cook stand the chicken up in the center of the hot grate. Cover the grill and cook the chicken until the skin is a dark golden brown and very crisp and the meat is cooked all he way through (about 180o F on an instant read, meat thermometerin the thickest part of a thigh, but not touching a bone), 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours. If the chicken skin starts to brown too much, loosely tent the bird with aluminum foil.
8. If cooking on a can: Using tongs, hold the bird by the can and carefully transfer it in an upright position to a platter.
9. Present the bird to your guests. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes, then carefully lift off the support. Take care not to spill the hot cola or otherwise burn yourself. Halve, quarter, or carve the chicken and serve with the barbecue sauce.
SERVES: 2 to 4
