I've been really wanting to try beer chicken. So last week, I bought a chicken and put in in the fridge to thaw on Sunday thinking it would be safe there. When I woke up, my sweet sweet fiancee had started to roast my beloved chicken so that I would have something to take with me to work. Such a sweet gesture, but needless to say, I was disappointed because I had big plans for that chicken. So fast forward to this week. I had another idea to do drunken hens instead. And they turned out WONDERFUL! I of course did my own take on them and I will definitely be doing this again real soon. I never use recipes and generally just go off of the flavors that my family like most, but I am now attempting to start writing recipes so, bear with me and if you have questions, feel free to ask.
Marinade
*I add onion powder, garlic powder, pepper and some sort of season all to just about any meat that I cook. This is a personal preference and can always be omitted*
1 package McCormick's Italian Herb Marinade
1t McCormick's Grill Mates Sweet and Spicy Rub
1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 T Apple Cider Vinegar (or vinegar of your choice. Balsamic would be wonderful, but this is what I had in my cabinate. The marinade package actually calls for white vinegar)
Poultry Seasoning, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Pepper (about 1/4t of each, but add more or less to your taste)
1 cup Water (Start here and add more to your taste. The trick is to cut the marinade so its not too salty)
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Pierce outside of hen with a fork to ensure great marinade penetration into meat. Place one hen and 1/2 of marinade into ziploc bag and shake to ensure even coverage. Be sure to get the marinade into the cavity. Repeat with the remaining hens. This marinade can be used for up to four. Refridgerate for at least 4 hours to overnight shaking and rotating the chicken in the marinade every so often.
The Cans
*In doing reasearch, I found that tomato paste cans are the perfect size to fit into the cavity of the hens. So buy two and remove the paste and freeze for later. I did not wash out my cans, because I actually wanted a little of that tomato flavor.
2 cans tomato paste emptied
2 cloves garlic
1/2 lemon cut in half
Chopped onion, celery, and garlic (about 1/4 cup)
White wine
Poultry seasoning and sage
Place 1/2 of the veggies, topped by one garlic clove, and 1 wedge of lemon(juice squeezed into can). This should come about halfway to top of can. Pour in wine to just cover contents and sprinkle the top with poultry seasoning and sage.
Ready to Rumble
Preheat Oven to 375. Youll need a large deep pan (roasting, casserole, etc.). Place your cand oin the dish. Carefully sit each hen down onto cup ensuring it is secure and won't tip. Your hen should be sitting upright but not completely on the dish.
Bake for 1 hr 15min basting every 15 minutes. Remove and let cool. Remove from cand prior to serving. Enjoy!
I served mine with Homemade cornbread dressing, Baked sweet potatoes with Cinnamon sugar butter, and collard greens. Yummy!
