GrillinFools
A whole chicken, seasoned and perched atop a can of wine, then sat in all the ingredients for an incredible stew and then smoked on a kamado grill for this modern take on the classic French dish Coq au Vin (chicken and wine) or as we call it wine can chicken which is very close to beer can chicken, just a little fancier.
Can you use anything other than beer in beer can chicken?
You’ve heard of Beer Can Chicken, right? Well, HOLD MY BEER, because EVERYTHING comes in cans now! This potentially changes the rules of Beer Can Chicken (and even Beer Can Chicken STEW), because we can stick a chick over a can of ANYTHING now and create a new recipe! Margarita Can Chicken…Pineapple Seltzer Chicken…Vodka Cranberry Chicken … WINE CAN CHICKEN!
Oh, by the way. Hey there, Grillin’ Fools, there’s a new girl in town! That’s right, the GIRLS are invading the Grillin’ Fools website!
I’m serious about the Beer Can Chicken becoming Wine Can Chicken. In fact, I’m even going to go a step further and fancy it up a bit. I’m talking about grilling Coq au Vin in this sittin’ chicken recipe! I’m taking all the ingredients from Coq au Vin, throwing them in a pot on the grill, and sticking a can of Pinot Noir up a chicken’s butt. That’s right! This is happening!
Wine Can Chicken Ingredients:
- 1 Whole roasting chicken (4-6lbs.)
- 2 Cans (375 ml) red wine (I used Underwood Pinot Noir)
- 1 lb. thick cut bacon, chopped
- 5 oz. baby Bella or cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 4 Green onions, chopped
- 2 Large carrots, chopped
- 3 Large garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- 6 oz. tomato paste
- 1/2 Cup extra virgin olive oil
- 20-24 Cherry tomatoes
- 3-4 Sprigs fresh thyme
- 3-4 Sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 Cups chicken broth
- Salt/pepper
- 3 lbs. golden potatoes, quartered
What does wine do for chicken?
Coq au Vin is typically a braised dish, done on the stove top or in the oven. It includes bacon or pork lardons, mushrooms, veggies, chicken, and of course WINE. I didn’t really change it up too much, and it works great with the beer can style cooking. The whole idea with the beer can (or in this case wine can), is to allow the aromatics from what’s in the can, to infuse into the chicken while it cooks, so the wine is perfect in this case. And if you think about it, the flavors of the wine will pair better with the chicken than the beer in beer can chicken.
I dressed the chicken with some garlic, herbs, tomato paste and olive oil:
Since we aren’t braising the chicken in the veggie pot, we really needed to make sure the bird is well seasoned.
Then when we cut into it, the meat isn’t just tender and juicy, it’ll also punch you in the face with flavor!
Once the chicken is dressed, just throw everything else into the pot, place the opened can into the center, throw it on the grill and stick the chicken on top which is why this is also called sittin chicken because the chicken is sittin on this can!
It’s really an easy dish, grocery shopping is probably the hardest part!
Best Wine for Beer Can Chicken?
This is completely a personal preference. Coq au vin is typically done with red wine but for the most part, chicken pairs better with white wine. Look for chardonnays, pinot grigios and sauvignon blanc’s and you will be quite happy with the results with this sittin’ chicken recipe.
Wine Can Chicken Grilling Instructions:
The theme for grilling today is low and slow, so I set my Primo Ceramic Kamado grill to a heat of barely 300 degrees and held it there:
Fuggetaboutit
Once the kamado grill is up to temp, there’s really not much more to do because sittin chicken is practically a set it and forget it type of recipe.
Then place the pot with the chicken into the center of the grill, close the lid and “fuggetaboutit” for an hour or so and let the heat and smoke work their magic, because that’s how kamados work. Very little maintenance and fiddling with the cooker because it is set it and forget it:
Give it a quick check, close the lid again and let it go for another hour.
When it’s done, the internal temp of the bird should be 165 degrees, and the liquid will be browned and bubbly.
Always let it rest
Finally, I brought the bird inside to rest, and really didn’t want to waste the liquid, so I cut up some golden potatoes and boiled them in the liquid until they were nice and soft. This really made the dish a complete meal. You could throw them in at the beginning also to make it even easier. Some fresh bread would also be great to serve with this for some “au jus” dipping.
However you decide to serve this, the dish is legit. The wine cans are legit.
ANYTHING-Can-Chicken is now officially a “thing!”
Get on the train!
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below or send me an email. You can also check out other content I have done over on my website Phx Family Foodie
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Wine Can Chicken
Equipment
- 1 Medium size pot Must be oven safe
Ingredients
- 1 whole roaster chicken 4-6 lb
- 2 cans red wine (375 ml cans - I used Underwood Pinot Noir)
- 1 lb bacon thick cut, chopped
- 5 oz baby Bella or cremini mushroom sliced
- 4 green onions chopped
- 2 large carrot chopped
- 3 cloves garlic large, minced or pressed
- 6 oz tomato paste
- ½ cup olive oil extra virgin
- 20 to 24 cherry tomato
- 3 to 4 sprig fresh thyme
- 3 to 4 sprig fresh rosemary
- 2 cups chicken broth
- salt and black pepper
- 3 lb golden potato quartered
Instructions
- Heat a large grill to 300 degrees and hold the temperature. You’ll need about 12”-13” of head space, so make sure you’ve got enough room on your grill.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the minced garlic, tomato paste and olive oil. Remove about 1/2 sprig each of the rosemary and thyme. Chop finely and add to the mixing bowl (about 1 tsp. of each). Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine and spread the mixture all over the chicken. Use a spoon or pastry brush to place some of the mixture underneath the chicken skin. Reserve any of the remaining mixture for the pot.
- In a large pot or dutch oven (make sure it’s safe to go directly on the grill), combine the chopped bacon, mushrooms, chopped onions, chopped carrots, and cherry tomatoes. Stir in any remaining tomato mixture from the chicken dressing. Tie the remainder of the thyme and rosemary together with cooking twine to make an herb bundle. Add the bundle to the pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour in the chicken broth and one of the cans of wine.
- Place the pot onto center of the grill. Open the other can of red wine and place it into the center of the pot. Place the dressed chicken on top of the opened wine can through the bottom cavity of the chicken. Close the lid of the grill and allow it to cook at 300 degrees for about two hours, checking on it about half way through. Internal temperature of the chicken should be 165 degrees. Remove the chicken from the pot and place it onto a serving dish to rest for about 10 minutes.
- While the chicken is resting, place the pot on a stovetop at high heat. Add the potatoes and allow the mixture to boil until the potatoes are soft.
- To serve: Carve the chicken and serve with the boiled potatoes and veggies. Leftover liquid can be thickened with corn starch to make a gravy or served on the side as an au jus with fresh bread.
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one comment
Susan Roberts
I’m a gal and I definitely will be making the wine can chicken. My neighbors are grill masters, while their wives do all the work!! I have a propane Webers grill and my man keeps the tank filled. I made beer can chicken in the oven and the grilling guys were amazed. Some grilled pineapple and ice cream will be a great finish.