Pirate Poultry

Somehow, somewhere–and please believe me when I say old drinking songs are not the norm in our life–my 3-year-old has written her own song about pirates. When pirates tickle her fancy for whatever reason, she will burst out singing “What do you do with a scary pirate?”.

I found it amusing and mentioned it to a pirate (in costume) while meandering through St. Augustine. They pointed out that her tune was the tune for “What Do You Do with a Drunken Sailor?”. That isn’t really a song I hear every day, but I did hear it this week when aboard the Black Raven.

As I pondered what other foods would work for my pirate theme this week, it hit me: What do you do with a Drunken Chicken?

Drunken Chicken, or Beer Can Chicken as some call it, is a very simple recipe that consistently yields a very moist and juicy bird. Though some prepare this on the grill, my recipe was made in the oven. It is nice because you can add a few extra vegetables to the pot and end up with a one dish meal with very little effort.

If you prefer to make this recipe without alcohol, you can use a can of whatever beverage you prefer–ginger ale can add a nice flavor.

Drunken Chicken

• 1 medium whole fryer
• 1 can of beer
• 1 head of garlic
• 8 whole carrots, peeled
• 2 medium or 4 small sweet potatoes
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp dry thyme

Remove all but the lowest rack from your oven and preheat to 400°F.

Open the can of beer and pour out about half of the can. Place the half-full can of beer in the center of a large Dutch oven. Peel the garlic and place the cloves in the beer can.

Remove bird from packaging, trim excess fat, and empty the cavity. Rub the entire bird, inside and out, with olive oil and season with the salt, pepper, and thyme. Stand the bird upright in the dutch oven, sliding the cavity over the can of beer for support.

Arrange the carrots and potatoes in the bottom of the dutch oven, around the chicken. Roast at 400°F for 45 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the oven and carefully take out the vegetables and place on serving platter. With tongs carefully tilt the chicken on its side in the pot and remove the beer can, allowing the contents to pour into the pot. Return the chicken to the oven and allow it to cook until a meat thermometer registers 180° at the thickest point on the thigh.