Roasted Soda Can Chicken

A variation of the popular beer can roasting technique that infuses roasted chicken with lemon-garlic flavor.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 2 hr
• Total Time: 2 hr 20 mins
• Calories: 501 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (4 pound) whole chicken
• 1 small whole onion, peeled
• 0.25 cup butter, melted
• juice of 1 fresh lemon, divided
• 1 (12 ounce) can lemon-lime soda (such as Sprite®)
• 1 squeezed lemon half

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Remove the giblets and rinse chicken inside and out with water. Pat dry with paper towels.

Step 2

Stir together butter, brown sugar, garlic, salt and pepper, and half the lemon juice in a bowl. Rub the mixture over the entire chicken, including the cavity and beneath the skin.

Step 3

Discard 1/2 of soda, leaving the rest in the can, and pour the remaining lemon juice into the can. Place the can on a baking sheet, and set the chicken upright on the can, inserting it into the cavity of the chicken. Plug the neck opening of the chicken with the onion and a squeezed lemon half to retain steam.

Step 4

Roast the chicken in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, to a minimum internal temperature of 180 degrees F (80 degrees C). Remove the chicken from the oven, discard the soda can, and cover chicken with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil to rest in a warm area for 10 minutes before slicing.