Cider Butt Chicken

[Don]

Last night I roasted a Chicken - and it turned out beautifully moist with a crispy skin all over. I adapated the Beer-Butt Chicken technique and got a right result.

So. For those minds currently boggling here's what to do.

Take your chicken and a 440ml can of Strongbow Cider. Open the tin of cider and pour about half into the bottom of a large casserole dish. Now lift up your chicken and shove the half-full can up into the body cavity. Stand the chicken UPRIGHT in the casserole dish on top of the cider bath.

If it won't balance (mine wouldn't) shove a skewer right through it that will rest on either side of the dish to keep it upright.

Cover loosely with foil - to save your oven getting filthy. You'll probably need to take out the upper shelf and put the dish on the bottom shelf to have enough room for an upright bird.

Roast for the usual time. 40 mins per kile plys twenty minutes.

Lift the chicken off the tinny - you may need another skewer to hold the can down. And remember any cider left in the tin will be BOILING HOT. Let this rest on a carving dish whilst you make gravy from the cider in the bottom of the pan - I skimmed off some fat first.

Really moist with Crispy skin all over. Brill.

[Penny-lope]

That sounds yummy

[swansea v6]

I have done this a few times and it always comes out so moist but with very crispy skin, tho I also stuff the chicken with limes....very very nice!!

[Don]

Penny-lope said:

That sounds yummy

It's so easy to do as well. The only git is getting the tinny out of the chicken without spilling the cider everywhere or getting the lovely crispy skin covered in juices. Worth it though.

[Chim Girl]

It also works well with a glass of white wine and a couple of garlic cloves put into an empty beer can.

Weber sell a BBQ gadget that functions in the same way, works perfectly in the oven too, and keeps the bird a little more stable than when it is on a beer can.

[Plotloss]

To add an much unneeded element of wkiness to a solid feet on the ground dish I've been considering doing a duck in this method over a can of berry cider.

[Chim Girl]

I've done it with sake and a couple of star anise on the BBQ, lovely subtle taste to the meat which remained very moist. Had endless trouble keeping the duck upright though!

Edited by Chim Girl on Monday 22 December 12:13

[Plotloss]

Chim Girl said:

I've done it with sake and a couple of star anise on the BBQ, lovely subtle taste to the meat remained very moist. Had endless trouble keeping the duck upright though!

Had that issue when I did the chicken.

I'm thinking some elaborate strapping from one side of the dish to the other is the way forward.

[Chim Girl]

I've used butchers string, tied around the legs then attached to the two handles of the roasting tray, very Heath Robinson.

Didn't work.

So I bought the Weber thing.

Edited by Chim Girl on Monday 22 December 12:20

[Plotloss]

I was thinking a spoon, down the neck into the top of the can and then string from spoon too handles under tension.

Guy rope duck.

[Don]

Chim Girl said:

Weber sell a BBQ gadget that functions in the same way, works perfectly in the oven too, and keeps the bird a little more stable than when it is on a beer can.

I'll go looking for that. Sort of an upright "rotisserie" thingy?

I kept my chicken upright with a couple of long skewers that went over the edges of the Le Crueset dish.

The foil covering is also a Godsend for avoiding in-oven mess which is otherwise horrendous...it just needs to be loose enough to allow the steam to escape otherwise the skin wouldn't be crispy...

[Don]

Plotloss said:

Guy rope duck.

[Chim Girl]

Plotloss said:

I was thinking a spoon, down the neck into the top of the can and then string from spoon too handles under tension.

Guy rope duck.

Love it.

The only issue I can see is beer can slippage caused by the huge amount of fat that leaks out of it.

[uriel]

I do this all the time, though I use Scrumpy and like to give the chicken a good rub with fresh lime juice/salt/pepper/garlic salt first.

I've never had any problems though getting the thing to stand upright unassisted.