Beer Can Chicken with Zucchini Carpaccio

*Post by Angela.

You know, since I'm trying to treat my body better diet-wise, I figure it might not hurt to give my food the spa treatment as well. At least that's what I thought when I read the Simply Recipes lady's recent post on beer can chicken - the star of the show, our diva, the chicken, gets an oil and spice rub down and then a long hot beer steam bath (you can also use a can filled with chicken broth, Dr. Pepper, water, or any number of flavoring liquids). As it turns out, pampering the poultry ends in moist, flavorful chicken with wickedly delicious crispy skin (which I did not eat...too much of). And to really, truly, be a healthy meal, I need to add something green, so I turned to one of my favorite recipes of all time - this zucchini carpaccio salad from smitten kitchen. This green goddess of a recipe is so simple and so delicious, it should be criminal.

 

List of ingredients for the chicken:

• 1 4 lb. whole chicken, neck and giblets removed
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 room temperature can Guinness
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme + a couple of sprigs
• 1 tbsp fresh ground pepper
• A handful of whole black peppercorns
• 3-6 cloves garlic

First, I preheated the oven to about 350 degrees. I rinsed the chicken, inside and out, patted it dry, and then rubbed the olive oil all over the bird, including the cavity. What I'm saying is to get that oil all up in there. Don't be shy. I mixed together the chopped thyme, salt and ground pepper and then Ms. Chicken got a bonus massage - I rubbed the mixture all over the bird.

I opened the Guinness, took a big sip, then cut off the top of the can with kitchen shears. Be really careful here, if you're sloppy like me, the can will be left with very sharp, very jagged edges. I added the whole peppercorns, the sprigs of thyme, and the whole garlic cloves to the beer.

I set the beer can in the middle of a baking pan, and gently lowered the chicken onto it. Surprisingly, it stood up just fine on its own.

I slid the whole thing onto the lower rack of my oven and let it cook for about an hour. After an hour, I turned the heat up to 400 degrees and cooked for an additional 35 minutes, just to let the skin get beautifully golden brown and crispy. Once out of the oven, I carefully slid the chicken off the beer can and let it rest about 10 minutes before slicing into it.

While my chicken was luxuriating in its alcoholic sauna, I turned to the vegetable portion of my meal.

List of ingredients for the zucchini carpaccio:

• 1 1/2 lb zucchini, sliced as thinly as possible (I used my mandolin on its thinnest setting)
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 lb arugula
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

First, I tossed the thin slices of zucchini gently with 1 tsp of salt in a colander and let it drain about 15-20 minutes.

I rinsed the zucchini well, drained again, and then patted the slices dry.

I tossed the arugula in a large bowl with 1/4 cup of the Parmesan and the remaining 1/4 tsp salt, then drizzled the leaves with 1 1/2 tbsp of the oil.

I plated the arugula, topped it with the zucchini, then finished off the salad with the rest of the oil, and cheese, the lemon juice, and the pepper.

 

This combo yields a fantastic, easy, one-two flavor punch. And as long as you forgo the (wonderful, crispy, drool-inducing) chicken skin, you've got yourself a pretty healthy meal, as well. Spa treatments are magic, people. Maybe I'll try giving my pork a body wrap and exfoliation tomorrow.

Comments

[Evan]

yum. i love beer can chicken and i spy a guinness can....doesnt get better than that.

[Angela]

Evan-
Yeah, Guinness seemed like the right choice to make. Mark confirmed (two days later) that the chicken was really good. And I bet this is even better on a grill!

[Debb]

So awesome you posted this. I recently walked by a william sonoma and spotted a fancified version of beer can, for fancy roasting of course. http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/two-in-one-vertical-chicken-roaster/?pkey=x|4|1||4|chicken||0&cm_src=SCH

Oh how it made me laugh that they are so uppity.

Guiness IS fancified enough for regular folks. I can't wait to try your recipe.

[Angela]

Yeah...I love WS, but um, there is absolutely no need for a fancy holder. I feel really weird that that kind of thing even exists. Also, who are these people that have SPACE for all their fancy gadgets?

I was going to use Miller Lite, but that just felt wrong.

[Debb]

You gotta treat her right Angela. Can't give her a nice massage and then hit her with Miller Lite. ;-)