By Marilyn Sultar
Iced Tea Chicken
Sweet tea—heavily sweetened iced tea—is popular at barbecue joints in Texas and the rest of the South, so I thought, why not use iced tea mix in a barbecue rub and grill the chicken on a can of iced tea? It sounds outrageous. It is outrageous. But being outrageous should be one of the goals of any intrepid griller. And, besides, you’ll be surprised how well the tea flavor marries with smoke and spice in this chicken. Iced Tea Chicken
Updated at: Mon, 26 Aug 2024 21:35:33 GMT
Nutrition balance score
Unbalanced
Glycemic Index
34
Low
Nutrition per serving
Calories2224.7 kcal (111%)
Total Fat144.8 g (207%)
Carbs55.9 g (22%)
Sugars47.3 g (53%)
Protein167.2 g (334%)
Sodium2833.1 mg (142%)
Fiber4.5 g (16%)
% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet
Ingredients
0 servings
1 tablespoonpowdered iced tea mix
1 tablespoonpaprika
2 teaspoonsground coriander
1 teaspoonsugar
1 teaspooncoarse salt
kosher or sea
½ teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoongarlic powder
¼ teaspooncelery seeds
1 x 12 ouncesiced tea
can
1chicken
2 teaspoonsvegetable oil
wood chips
or chunks, preferably hickory or cherry ), soaked for 30 minutes in water to cover, then drained . vertical chicken roaster, optional
Instructions
Step 1
1: Make the rub: Put the iced tea mix, paprika, coriander, sugar, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and celery seeds in a small bowl and stir to mix. 2: Pop the tab off the iced tea can. Pour half the tea (3/4 cup) into a measuring cup and set aside for the sauce. If cooking the chicken on the can, using a church key–style can opener, make 2 additional holes in its top. Set the can aside. 3: Remove and discard the fat just inside the chicken’s body and neck cavities. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of rub inside the body cavity and 1/2 teaspoon inside the neck cavity of the chicken. Drizzle the oil over the outside of the bird and rub or brush it all over the skin. Sprinkle the outside of the bird with 1 tablespoon of rub and rub it all over the skin. Spoon the remaining rub into the iced tea through a hole in the top of the can. 4: If cooking on a can: Hold the bird upright, with the opening of the body cavity at the bottom, and lower it onto the can so the can fits into the cavity. Pull the chicken legs forward to form a sort of tripod, so the bird stands upright. The rear leg of the tripod is the can. If cooking on a roaster: Fill it with the iced tea mixture and position the chicken on top, following the manufacturer’s instructions. 5: Tuck the tips of the wings behind the chicken’s back. 6: Set up the grill for indirect grilling and heat to medium. If using a charcoal grill, place a large drip pan in the center. If using a gas grill, place all the wood chips or chunks in the smoker box or in a smoker pouch (see page 13) and heat on high until you see smoke, then reduce the heat to medium. 7: When ready to cook, if using a charcoal grill, toss all of the wood chips or chunks on the coals. Stand the chicken up in the center of the hot grate, over the drip pan and away from the heat. Cover the grill and cook the chicken until the skin is a dark golden brown and very crisp and the meat is cooked through (about 175°F on an instant read meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a thigh, but not touching the bone), 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours. If using a charcoal grill, you may need to add fresh coals after 1 hour. If the chicken skin starts to brown too much, loosely tent the bird with aluminum foil. 8: If cooking on a can: Using tongs, hold the bird by the can and carefully transfer it in an upright position to a platter. If cooking on a roaster: Use grill gloves to remove the bird from the grill while it’s still on the vertical roaster. 9: Present the bird to your guests. Let the chicken rest for 3 to 5 minutes, then carefully lift it off the support. Take care not to spill the hot tea or otherwise burn yourself. Halve, quarter, or carve the chicken and serve with the Iced Tea Barbecue Sauce.
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